Literature

(Endorsed by me)

The Mind Body Problem by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

A great campus novel involving philosophy and mathematics. There is a running joke about the "mattering map" that is unfortunately accurate.

A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

A comteporary Canadian classic. I'd recommend it over The Catcher in the Rye.

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe recently passed away. You can read about his quite singular life and career in literature here. Wolfe was first brought to my notice when I discovered Neil Gaiman's advice for reading Wolfe's novels.

Between Friends by Amos Oz

A collection of interconnected short stories about life on a Kibbutz.

The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

If, like me, you grew up reading the stories of King David, and are open to a retelling that captures the harsh grandeur and contradictions of the Old Testament, then this novel is for you. Reviewers have described it as giving David's life the "Game of Thrones" treatment.