16 Books that Jesse Wants You to Read

Check out my new reading list! Mari asked me to write down a list of the books I'm always suggesting. So I did. Public comment ensues. In no sort of order, 1Stand On It, Stroker Ace: Hilarious pseudo-autobiography by the fictional race car driver. 2More than Human, Theodore Sturgeon: Sturgeon at his poetic best; completely original. 3The Secret History, Donna Tartt: Jaw-droppingly brilliant college murder mystery, some of the best characterization I've ever read. 4Assignment in Eternity, Robert A. Heinlein: This long out-of-print anthology of four novellas (especially "Gulf" and "Lost Legacy") has become an instruction manual for my life. 5Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card: Not just a space opera, but an insightful treatise on pragmatism and leadership, two of my favorite subjects. 6Executive Orders, Tom Clancy: A massive work of fiction about the presidency, neck-deep in ideas and useful information. 7Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki: This controversial book about finance seems like succinctly-distilled common sense. A good room-polarizer when you bring it up, too. 8World Made By Hand, James Howard Kunstler: Convincing, vivid and somewhat mystical novel about life after the breakdown of the oil economy. Just finished second reading. 9The Golden Compass, Phillip Pullman: Probably assumed by most to be a riff on the Harry Potter craze, this young adult novel is dark, sarcastic, inspiring, disturbing, and filled with existential dread. Ripe for academic deconstruction...and the only book that ever actually made me afraid to read the sequel. 10The Stand, Stephen King: King at his freewheeling, self-indulgent best. A thousand-page beast that is impossible to put down and could cost you your job. 11The Mothman Prophecy, John Keel: I have no idea if this book is supposed to be nonfiction. It doesn't matter; it's a creepy, mesmerizing mindbender. 12A Colder War, Charles Stross: This short story, available on the web, reimagines Cold War intrigue within the Cthulhu Mythos...always thought it would make a tremendous screenplay. 13The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It, John Seymour: Touches on dozens of skills, and a good deal of philosophy, about the self-support lifestyle, with a crackling British wit. 14The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Just the original, unedited masterworks. Doyle's writing style is crafty, economical and humane. 15So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish, Douglas Adams: Adams in Love. This is the most soulful of the Hitchhiker's Guide books.  16The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe: The magnum opus. Dwarfs nearly everything else while tying together all the threads of western literature...superficially a fantasy, this group of four novels leads to sleepless nights, "holy crap" revelations weeks after you read it, and passages you'll have to keep going back to over and over again.