"I’ll take a chance on all kinds, but I would say cleverly written books, books that offer contemplation/insight/perspective on the big mysteries of life, books about America, science fiction"
Candy Freak by Steve Almond
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Disco Bloodbath by James St. James
The Log from the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard P. Feynman
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman by Stefan Zweig
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
You're an Animal, Viskovitz by Alessandro Boffa