1984 (George Orwell) for fourth-year high-school English and Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) in sixth-year high-school English Literature. Both are brilliant and have stayed with me ever since.

We had The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien) in third-year high-school English. Enjoyed it, but reluctant to say it had a lasting impact.

Intro to Shakespeare was Julius Caesar in third-year high-school English. What a great way to start on his work!

Was somewhat jokingly told that we couldn't finish a BA in English Literature without reading Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. Fair enough too, but unfortunately less of an impact, possibly because its reputation left me expecting too much .

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We also had The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) and The Europeans (Henry James) in sixth-year high school-English Literature which did not work for me at all, but which I expect a few other people would have loved.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller was not compulsory, but what I read for a free choice assignment in third-year English. Absolute masterpiece and such a breath of fresh air from the typical set books up to that point. A massive impact on my life.