The Twelve Chairs by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov

This is almost THE classic of all Soviet classics. You've probably heard of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky's novels, but this is the book considered "comedy gold" by people who grew up in Soviet Russia. Set in the period right after the revolution, the Twelve Chairs follows the characters Ippolit Vorobyaninov and Ostap Bender in their search for the diamonds of Ippolit's dead relative, Claudia Ivanovna. This book is one of the few that make up a "Cultured Russian's Experience".

There's a sequel, but people say it isn't that good.

Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

Imagine a dry, chemical-filled, dusty town in Mexico ruled by the women. To be beautiful means to be stolen forever. Everyone is a boy until age 13, and after that they are very, very ugly girls. The few men who ever come by the town don't stay, and the women have no way out.

This story talks about a world we never see living in the Bay Area, it tells about a life of terror and hiding, where the scorpions are less scary than the humans, and pesticide rains from the helicopters that come unannounced.

I loved this book because it showed that humans, just like the hardiest of creatures, can survive in the worst of environments. Not only that, it is humans, not nature, that creates these horrible environments.

Trust No One by Paul Cleave

Not afraid of Alzheimer's? Well, this book will make you afraid of Alzheimer's. Follow Jerry Grey as he loses himself to the disease, and his failing relationships will immediately remind you of "Angels in AmericA" (Tony Kushner). But his guy's life is much darker than the average person's: dead people, graffiti-d slurs, and "waking up" miles away from the nursery home to memories of his dead wife and the police. Jerry had written everything down in his diary - but where is the diary? What really happened on the day his wife died? Who's the antagonist in this twisted and horribly unclear story?

I really enjoyed this book and just could not stop reading it. Every chapter reveals another piece of the puzzle, and you can just never guess the final picture.

Kaleidoscope

If you want to spend half an hour of your precious time on this, go ahead. I believe that after reading it all you'll go "I feel that I just read the equivalent of modern art for five-year-olds" and walk away feeling that you could've done a better job unraveling all the hints in the book. Go ahead.

The Pacific Campaign: World War II, the U.S.-Japanese Naval War, 1941-1945 by Dan van der Vat

Everything you want to learn about World War II in the Pacific. Lots about Japanese history and culture. A really interesting read!

What if? By author of xkcd (that is Randall Munroe)

Do I really need to explain this one? (if you don't know what xkcd is, click here: https://xkcd.com/)

The Mountaintop School for Dogs (and other second chances) by Ellen Cooney

Some dogs have happy lives. The dogs living in the Mountaintop School for Dogs didn't. Their previous lives were full of sadness, loneliness, and backstabbing owners. They were saved… but their minds aren't fully free. Evie is just like them: lonely and unsure of her place in this world. She finds the Sanctuary to be the perfect place, but will she fit in?

I loved this book because it's a) a light read, b) emotional, c) dogs!!! It was such a sweet and beautiful story, and I just could not stop myself.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The graveyard is full of ghosts. Yet among them is a human child, Nobody Owens, hunted by a man named Jack. Nobody Owens is like a ghost, phasing through the walls, sleeping in the graves, taught by a man named Silas. But as he grows older, things start to change. For better or for worse, Nobody Owens must fare in the outside world, on his own. Can he?

The Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides

World War II. The Bataan Peninsula. The Bataan Death March. You've most likely heard of the first one, but how many of you have heard of the Trail-of-Tears-level trudge to a prisoner camp many miles away from the tip of the Peninsula. "There are times when men have to die," said Stimson, when he told Winston Churchill about the situation.

The book is historical nonfiction about the men who were sent to rescue the captured soldiers from Camp O-Donnell. It also talks about the Bataan Death March itself.

It's really well written for nonfiction, and talks about an aspect of World War II barely ever talked about when people learn about the war.

Mark of the Beast by Adolphus A. Anekwe

Are you Christian? (Just kidding, that doesn't matter.) Do you want to learn more about Christian history while reading about a world that sounds like a conspiracy theory come to life? It is a fairly good book (if you enjoy reading about people melting other people in literal acid) and talks a bit about genetics (except it's probably wrong, like most science fiction).

A world where scientists have found a gene (HLA-b66) that seems to indicate whether the person is a serious criminal. This knowledge could set off a witch hunt larger and more fiery than the Salem Witch Hunt or the Spanish Inquisition. So what is to be done?