The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro is my favourite author, and this is one of my favourite books. It is the ruminations of an English butler, whose lifelong workplace was recently bought by an American. He reflects on his own life in service, as well as that of his father, his previous boss, and a previous colleague he is on a roadtrip to meet. This book explores dignity, regret, and the concept of meaningful work, and Ishiguro's ability to subtly portray the reality of the situations discussed is masterful.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid

Douglas Hofstadter

This work centres on Gödel's incompleteness theorems, interweaving analysis of Escher's artworks and Bach's music, and concepts from numerous other fields. Gödel's incompleteness theorems are arguably some of the most significant results of the 20th century, and this book is a great introduction to them that doesn't require prior knowledge of formal logic.

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

Follows two generations of the Trask and Hamilton families, as the Trask brothers reenact the story of Cain and Abel. Absolutely beautiful prose, and contains intriguing insights on human nature, history, identity, and free will.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Patrick Süskind

Grenouille is born with the world's best sense of smell, and is inexplicably repulsive to everyone he meets. His life's quest to create the perfect scent leads him to strange and heinous acts. Great for fans of reading about weirdos.

Stone Butch Blues

Leslie Feinberg

Inspired by the author's own life, centres on the life of stone butch lesbian Jess Goldberg in the latter half of the 20th century. This book is an illuminating exploration of the complexities of lesbian experiences with sexuality and gender. Barring content warnings, I believe this is foundational reading for young lesbians.

Stoner

John Williams

This book chronicles the life of the eponymous Stoner, from his childhood as a farmboy to his career in literature. His life appears generically miserable, with a few moments of genuine joy scattered throughout. I find it difficult to explain why I love this novel, but I do.

Chess

Stefan Zweig

A short novella revolving around a chess match on a cruise ship, essentially played by the chess world champion and a stranger with apparent mastery of the game. A fun look at obsession and the mental aspect of such games.

The Secret History

Donna Tartt

A group of classics students at a New England university murder their friend and classmate. We see the lead up to and the aftermath of this event from the perspective of newcomer Richard Papen. Tartt's writing is rich, and the book's criticism of academia and its aesthetics is, unfortunately, missed or misread by many fans and readers.