There are so many, so a few of my favorites; The Haj, Leon Uris, To learn a little about the background of the middle east conflict between the Jews, and Arabs. Voyage of 1895, Sterling Haden, what was life like on sailing ships. The Forgotten Soldier, the best of the best of military true stories. Gisha, just good and very interesting. And hundreds more.

My favorite as a kid was treasure island even at 82 I can still remember the excitement of that book , one of my favorite authors is Jim Thompson if you want a hard boiled noir like experience read his pulp fiction crime books from the 40’s and 50’s many made into movies

Enjoy early Stephen King also James Patterson. I read alot of 'free' books on Amazon unlimited so many good books for lighter reading
My Kindle is my constant companion!

Old favorites are- Of mice and men, A raisin in the sun and a tree grows in Brooklyn.
Winter Garden, The Nightingale( by Kristin Hannah) Where the crawdads sing, A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini(same author as the Kite Runner), The space between us, Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, and I read a lot of historical fiction about WWII and the holocaust. Ann Frank, Night by Elie Wiesel, Lilac girls , Sarah's Key, Mila 18, The Tattooiust of Auschwitz, The Boy in the Stiped Pajamas, to name a few that I have read.

Wow !! Your so smart!!!!

Best Books
 

I have always loved “Prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy and “The Stand” by Steven King

Hiassen's Squeeze Me was one of the funniest books I've ever read. Laughed the whole way through.

Requiem for the Dead by Victor M. Alvarez. A great edge of your seat military thriller.

Hiassen’s Hoot is hilarious, too. He has a whole series of books supposedly marketed for young adults, but don’t be put off by the YA label. There are many excellent books by authors marketed as YA, such as After the First Death and The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (about the Vietnam War, but much more), The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Giver by Lois Lowry—I could go on and on.

Favorites from my youth:
The Sword and the Stone and The Once and Future King by T. H. White.
Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre by Emily Brontë.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

My son got me into reading fantasy fiction, (Rothfuss, Sanderson, etc.), and I like a good murder mystery novel.

Never took much notice of it at school, but now I love history books, fact and fiction.
Wish I had paid more attention in my formative years.

Interested in fairy tales and history? Try The Seventh Dwarf by (blush) me.

Was Snow White a fairy tale? Or might she have been a real person? This memoir by the youngest of the seven Dwarfs uncovers the mystery and fills in the story of a remarkable woman and her seven small friends in Medieval Europe. Follow the Dwarfs as they struggle to fight persecution and reunite with their families while they help a lost princess gain her Prince and her throne.

I loved "The Martian".

Amazon.com

His other books have not been as good but are well worth reading.

I have not read "Hail Mary". Yet.

Avid reader here with lots of favorites so difficult to choose. But two that Villagers might enjoy: 'The Boys in the Boat' by Daniel Brown and 'Unintended Consequences' by John Ross. Also 'Hamilton' by Ron Chernow for those who enjoy early American history but it's long.

Best Books
 

When I moved to Florida my colleagues insisted I read "A Land Remembered" by Patrick D. Smith which is the story of 3 generations of a family who were dirt poor when they came to Florida and grew into a wealthy family. I also thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend "Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean" by Les Standiford. First, I had no idea that Henry Flagler was Rockefeller's business partner behind Standard Oil. Second, the book is the story of Flagler's decision in the early 1900's to successfully build a railroad down the east coast of Florida all the way to Key West - one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken.