Tsk tsk Isolde, aren't you supposed to be too busy coding to have any time to read, not to mention starting a hory old ot thread on good books? Well, you should be.
For (perhaps not so well known) fantasy novels, I'd recommend Barry Hughart's books on ancient China ("Bridge of Birds", "The Story of the Stone", and "Eight Skilled Gentlemen"), with Number Ten Ox playing Watson to Master Li's Holmes, as they track down assorted godesses and demons. And in a completely different direction, I just enjoyed reading Nick Hornby's very funny and true to life novel "High Fidelity".
[Edited to correct spelling.]
For (perhaps not so well known) fantasy novels, I'd recommend Barry Hughart's books on ancient China ("Bridge of Birds", "The Story of the Stone", and "Eight Skilled Gentlemen"), with Number Ten Ox playing Watson to Master Li's Holmes, as they track down assorted godesses and demons. And in a completely different direction, I just enjoyed reading Nick Hornby's very funny and true to life novel "High Fidelity".
[Edited to correct spelling.]