No order to this list… Other than Woodcraft and Camping; If you have any interest in the outdoors; Buy a couple of these; one to keep and one to give as a gift.
Woodcraft and Camping This is by far one of my favorite books. It’s written by a man called Nessmuk (George Washington Sears), a conservationist in the 1880’s. It has stories of camping and ways to smooth out the experience. There should be very little roughing it. This is a book I give to folks I think have an inkling of the wilderness in them. Buy the physical copy. Get away from your electronics.
Book Series
Some of the best storytelling and intricately defined characters. Each of the series creates deep beautiful worlds, they are quality throughout, and they are a joy to read over and over again.
The Expanse Sci Fi. Immersive writing and some really wonderful stories.
The Kingkiller Chronicles Fantasy. Incredible storytelling and a great magic system.
The Thrawn Trilogy Star Wars. Sci Fi. If you like Star Wars, This is a perfect series. Although it’s not cannon, it’s still a bunch of wonderful stories about the characters we love and hate.
Individual Books
Some of these are the first of the series mentioned above. I highly recommend each of the first of these series if you don’t want to get into an entire series.
The Hobbit The Hobbit is a book I read nearly every year and I find new bits of stories that I’ve missed in the past.
Leviathan Wakes Sci Fi. Immersive writing and some really wonderful stories.
The Name of the Wind Fantasy. Incredible storytelling and a great magic system.
American Gods Fantasy or is it? A story about the gods in America.
Old man’s War Sci Fi. Military. The first book of this series is great. However, The second book didn’t hold my attention.
Terms of Enlistment (Frontlines Book 1) Sci Fi. Military. Lots of interesting futuristic military technology.
Wizard Defiant Sci Fi. Fantasy. Military. Well thought out universe. Space wizards, need I say more?
The Martian Sci Fi. Great characters, loads of science, and a fun story.
Flash Gold Sci Fi. Fantasy. Western. SteamPunk. A young woman making her way in the wild west.
We’re Alive Post apocalyptic. Full Cast Audio Series. Not a book… but I love this story. A story of surviving a zombie apocalypse.
Ready Player One
Sort of Post apocalyptic. Gritty. Fantasy. Sci Fi. Part real world, part Computer generated world. A race to find the key to riches.
My Dad is a Wizard Fantasy. A boy on the run, with his wizard father.
Born to Run A book about running… Seriously, it’s a really great story. Even if you don’t run, read this.
Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin Cookbook. Physical Book. A cookbook for diner food. Great stories about the food in a New York Diner.
Off to Be the Wizard Fantasy. A man manipulating reality through a file on a computer.
The easy way to stop smoking I had tried quitting dozens of times, Someone recommended this to me and I haven’t had a cigarette in 8+ years.
Gaia’s Garden The only gardening book you will need. Full of stories on how the whole process works. I recommend this in paperback. Many charts, graphs, and color pictures that aid in learning the systems.
Wild Fermentation An incredible book about fermentation.