Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I love Science Fiction that was written in the past and this book was first published in 1932.  The blurb on the back calls it "The greatest novel of the future ever written".  And it was groundbreaking in its time.  Like all Science Fiction it is all about humans and our place in the world and that is why it made it onto the ship. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World

Please note that Wikipedia articles may contain spoilers.

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen by Fay Weldon

This is my favourite Fay Weldon book, in fact the only one of her books that I have read more than once. I  bought this book when I was studying for my degree.  We had to read it alongside Pride and Prejudice in a course that compared several classics with more modern stories that referenced them eg.  Jane Eyre and The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, Robinson Crusoe and Foe by JM Coetzee.  As the title indicates this story is made up of a series of letters to Alice.  It discusses Jane Austen's works, but also challenges the way we look at life and the "City of Invention" is the best analogy of the world of fiction that I have ever read. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Weldon

Please note that Wikipedia articles may contain spoilers.

Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving

This is another Taiwan purchase.  A mish-mash of a book, part memoir, part short story collection, part literary homage.  The thing I like about it is the pictures.  There is so much voyeuristic pleasure involved in looking into the life of one of your literary heroes - who hangs out with literary heroes of his own.  There are pictures of him with Stephen King and Kurt Vonnegut.  He was also good friends with Robertson Davies who officiated at John and his second wife's marriage. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trying_to_Save_Piggy_Sneed

Please note that Wikipedia articles may contain spoilers.

Apple and The Crimson Petal & the White by Michel Faber

The Hand of Fate - me with my eyes closed - chose Apple by Michel Faber, but I can't write about it without writing about The Crimson Petal and theWhite by the same aouthor.  TCP&TW was an "if you like this, you will like that" from Amazon when they still sent out paper books and I did like it, a lot.  It is the only book that I have which starts in the 2nd person. The Author uses it to draw you straight into the harsh world of Victorian England and tells a story about a stripper with a heart of steel.  That world continues in Apple - a series of short stories using the same characters, some sequels, some prequels and some just opening up that world a little bit more. TCP&TW is also in my Top 10 Books of All Time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crimson_Petal_and_the_White

Please note that Wikipedia articles may contain spoilers.