Nothing particularly, and I'll probably borrow from there to fill out, but I figured I could get some good recommendations from the people here, who generally have delightful taste.

I appreciate all the titles, you guys! Thank you! I've only ever read two of these that people have mentioned, even the famous ones. This list is coming along great now!

Kitoba -- I adored Murakami's Norwegian Wood; have you read that one yet?

I'd recommend 'I Served the King of England' by Bohumil Hrabal for a Czech book. It's a little bit surreal at points, but it's definitely worth a read.

In trying to keep with the international flavor of the reading list but with out knowing many international authors besides the "classic ones:

A Needle in the Right Hand of God
The Norman Conquest of 1066 and the Making and Meaning of the Bayeux Tapestry by R. Howard Bloch (United States) -- All about the Bayeux Tapestry and visits much of Europe in the eleventh century. Just finsished this one, a very good read.

Really anything by Alexandre Dumas (France) but one of my lesser known favorites is The Black Tulip

The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz (Spain/Mexico) written by one of the conquistordors under Cortez

For Something Different but also about Mexico I remember reading March to the Monteria by B. Traven (German/American/Mexican?) for a Class on Mexican History.

If you are into Action/Adventure novels I enjoyed Wilbur Smith (Zambia/ South Africa) whe I was younger. It might be a nice break from more serious works. I reccomed At Time to Die to start with.

Both of John Reeds books (American); Ten Days that Shook the World and Insurgent Mexico give you a good perspective on the Russian and Mexican revolutions.

I have always heard good things about Umberto Eco (Italy) but I haven't read any of his works.

I have also been enjoying A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler by Jason Roberts (United Kingdom) International Travel and a British Author.

I think I've read nearly everything he's written that's been translated into English. I enjoyed Norwegian Wood, but I tend to prefer his more surreal and magical work --NW was pretty straight-ahead fiction as I recall. Good to know there's another Murakami fan on the boards however! (PM me if you want to read the Murakami parody I wrote...)

America is a hard one to choose, of course, but I suggest you read an important novel in one of the few genres we've actually invented, noir. Check out either The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler or The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, both of which are exceedingly excellent and precisely American.

Dude for America you should so read The Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis or Tenderwire by Claire Kilroy (also counts as Irish since she is!).

And you can always read Battle Royale by Koushun Takami for Japan (the book not the manga)

The best Russian novel I have ever read also happens to be one of my favorite novels ever. In terms of style it was way ahead of its time. Same goes for the content (the book was banned under Stalin and only published decades later).

It is The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and it is exceedingly excellent.

The story consists of three main plotlines.
The first is about Satan, who arrives in Moscow and basically starts doing whatever he wants, which includes letting his demons loose to wreak havoc. The demons mainly wreak havoc on the elite literary establishment who wouldn't let in the Master.
The second story is about the Master (he has no other name in the book). He's a brilliant writer whose novel about Pontus Pilate and Jesus Christ has been refused for publication. He's despairing, but his love, Margarita, has not yet given up hope.
The third story consists of segments of that fictional novel about Pilate and Jesus.

It's very funny, and written in a very easy-to-understand, modern-sounding style--not at all like traditional Russian lit, which usually drowns you in detail.

The closest I can compare it to is Good Omens; but unlike Good Omens, it is also beautiful, meaningful, intricate, and moving. I can't recommend it strongly enough.