just finished reading truman capotes 'in cold blood' and i must admit it was one of the most compelling books i have read in a long time. based on the real life murders of a rural family in kansas in 1959. deals with all human angles involved including the killers. the movie 'capote' deals with the authors efforts to write this story. philip seymor hoffman won best actor for his portrayal of the writer at this years oscars. though not as good as the book it still sheds some interesting details on the background to the book. read first, watch movie later.
apart from that catch 22 is excellent(as someone mentioned already). another of my favourites is one flew over the cuckoos nest. better than the movie which is first rate. a biography which i really enjoyed was the don simpson one(ie, simpson and bruckheomer, producers of top gun, beverly hills cop....). what a nutbag.
if i think of anything else i'll get back to ya.