i second james joyce, but then again, finnegans wake is my favorite book and the source of my screen name....

tim o'brien's "the things they carried" is sitting at home waiting to be read as soon as i finish "the professor and the madman: a tale of murder, insanity, and the making of the oxford english dictionary" by simon winchester...an interesting bit of history small enough to be nonessential and interesting enough to be worth reading. also have dorothy allison in the on-deck circle; i've heard great things about "bastard out of carolina".

i second douglas adams as well. hhgttg is one of my favorites. also recommend.
the chronicles of narnia
william faulkner-as i lay dying
any flannery o'connor you can get your hands on
why dogs chase cars-george singleton
pablo neruda
sylvia plath (the bell jar if you want something depressing)
dylan thomas
allen ginsberg
gregory corso
jack kerouac- my favorites are on the road and desolation angels
johnny cash-man in black or cash
tom robbins--fierce invalids home from hot climates, half asleep in frog pajamas, another roadside attraction, still life with woodpecker