"Robert Zemeckis’ Used Cars. One of the most underrated and under-appreciated films of all time and my favorite comedy. Kurt Russell is genius in this film and I wish he would return to comedies because his delivery and timing are to die for. Excellent supporting cast including the wonderful Jack Warden who plays two characters — dueling brothers. And kudos to Zemeckis and [co-writer] Bob Gale for writing a biting, social satirical and very un-PC script. “Jesus Palomino!”"

"It’s not often that a writer makes me laugh out loud, but [David] Sedaris does. He brings me to tears. It’s to the point where I can’t read his writing in public because people think I’m having some kind of meltdown. In this collection of essays, [When You Are Engulfed in Flames] he has a way of finding humour in the strangest and most painful moments, like a week with a creepy baby-sitter, or the death of his mother."

"What other great films are there? Ah, for God’s sake, There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men. I saw those films that year, back to back. Just outstanding work by director, writer, producers, actors. Captivating, both men: Javier Bardem and Daniel Day Lewis — just iconic. Every time he steps on the stage, you know, you can’t take your eyes off the guy. And both films sit on the bookshelf as bookends, really, to that special year of film making."

"Set in post-Second World War Japan, this is a masterfully written novel by the British-Japanese author about ageing, solitude, art, memory and the endless tricks it plays on our minds… Ishiguro is the kind of writer who each time asks the reader to trust him, come along for a walk in an unknown territory, and if need be, change perspective. But he does all this with an unwavering modesty and quiet intelligence that only further contributes to his literary strength."

"I turn to Babel for reassurance that literature is capable of showing the real and terrifying mayhem that results when national systems collapse, while still preserving some modicum of love for human beings. If I ever need my ear tuned, this is where I go. Babel is a particular master of that unnamed space between sentences; the place where, in my view, a piece’s real sensibility gets made: what does the writer omit, and how does he link his observations?"

"I guess it’s a bit obvious to have a Joan Didion book on my list, but she is my most loved writer of all time. This book is a memoir about the year the followed her husband’s sudden death, and is one of the greatest books about grief and loss ever written. I re-read it last year, after going through a breakup, and it really helped me. I recommend it to anyone who's dealing with the loss of someone or something."

"Brenda Chamberlain’s A Rope of Vines. I used to follow her ghost around. She was a writer and painter from Bangor in Wales. I’ve lived in some of her former homes and grew up in the village where she ran a radical printing press in the 1930s. This book is about her time living in Greece and has a particularly disturbing opening paragraph that sets the troubled tone for the rest of her book, and her life for that matter."