thanks for all the replies and please give yourselves 3 stars. my first immediate choice was Lord of The Rings and then I had to stop and think - and my second choice was the Bible, and not for toilet paper either - I figured at my age [which shall remain a secret] it's about time I read it properly - it might explain how religion is the driving force behind so much tragedy in the world.
a short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson.
and survivor type (i think thats what its called) by stephen king.
and a free raft to anyone who knows why i chose the second one.