I would say read any book by Salman Rushdie (except 'Fury'). Top two picks: Midnight's children and The Moor's last sigh. Notable books: - A very long journey (forgot the name of the writer, sorry). -Tin Drum (Noble prize winning writer Gunter Grass). - A Short history of the universe (Bill Bryson). -Gods of small things (Arundhati Roy). - Chlidren of the Alley (Naguib Mahfouz, another Nobel prize winner). The list is getting long so I am gonna stop right here. I have read these books and prefer them for them for the literary, not fictional value. Well, they do tell great stories but in the traditional sense. Hope you check out at least one of these. If you have read them, let me know..and I will be more than happy to recommend few others.