Thirded, Brookmyre is awesome!
A few I've recently read:

Born Fi' Dead by Laurie Gunst, a book about Jamaican politics and Yardie gangs. Good read but not as good as I was led to believe.

The Olivetti Diaries by John Peel, amazing, he's often underrated as a writer but was actually bloody good at it. Spooky how you can hear his voice in your head reading it though...

If This Is A Man / The Truce by Primo Levi, heartbreaking and pretty heavy going in places but ultimately very inspiring.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, one of my favourite books. Essential reading and scarily relevant today.

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx - yep, he did predict the death of capitalism a long time ago. Again one that I've re-read a lot.

Theory of War by Joan Brady, a brilliant historical novel - not usually my sorta thing so if I like it it must be good. Won the Whitbread I think.

Young Gifted and Black: The Trojan Records Story - title says it all! Very well written and complete, if you want to know the Trojan Records story.

I'll leave out the massive stack of shit thrillers and detective stories I've also read (they're my late night stoned reading) except to say that if you like private eye books, get some Robert Crais.

The Time Traveller's Wife was really good I thought, again not the sort of thing I usually go in for but extremely well written and manages not to be mawkish.

Edit: Charles, Nevil Shute is brilliant. I must have been about 9 or 10 the first time I read On The Beach and it pretty much made me cry.
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Thu 4 Dec 2008, 11:40, Reply)