Dune by Frank Herbert- I&#x27;m one of the few people on Earth who enjoys the David Lynch adaptation so I finally had to get around to reading the book. Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.<p>Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen - It&#x27;s seemed to me that there are political philosophies that focus on economic needs and those that focus on personal freedom. This is the best I&#x27;ve read at uniting those concepts.<p>Surely You&#x27;re Joking, Mr. Feynman! - A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.<p>The LA Quartet by James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz) - Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can&#x27;t recommend highly enough.<p>The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - I like a lot of Hammett&#x27;s other work but this seemed to have a lot of wheel spinning.<p>City of Quartz by Mike Davis - As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love. I have no idea if it would be of any interest to an outsider.<p>Antifragile by Nassim Taleb - Nassim Taleb is great and I&#x27;ve definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he&#x27;s getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.<p>Various books&#x2F;textbooks on programming and databases - Nothing thrilling in this category. Gotta eat your vegetables.