Carl Sagan's "Demon-Haunted World". It should be required high school reading, with tests on the use of the baloney-detection kit. And every critical thinker should have one to hand. I have read it over and over again.

The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford. Talks about the "shadow self," the parts of our personality we repress or deny.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by by Robert M. Pirsig, with a subtitle of An Inquiry into Values. It is a novel about traveling across the US on a motorcycle, but you will find it in the philosophy section of a bookstore. It is an interesting story, and it is filled with jewels.

48 Laws of Power is one of my hands down, best go-tos....never outshine the master. [deconstructingexcellence.com]

It is so hard to just single out one or two of the children, I have so many in my home. but two seminal novels for me were ; sometimes a great notion, by ken keasey, and of course catch-22 by joseph heller. just a thought.

Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, all five books of the trilogy. Douglas Adams was a genius, his observations on everything are sorely missed.

War and Peace because it's complex and pretentious and I love Russian literature. It's fast paced enough to pull you along but complex enough to read in bites. It's really long so it lasts long enough to savor, and you get to know so many characters. I love so many books but if I can only pick one...

I can't imagine having a "favorite" book. I have five bookcases full of books plus 440 e-books on my computers and tablets,and I read about a book a week. I never dwell on any book after I've read it, although a few have left lasting impressions. Seems to me if you an only have one favorite that you don't read much.

Gosh, some great books discussed, and some to read too. Um, I think I'd have to say the Terry Pratchett Discworld series. Forced to read a favourite it is probably, Mort, I love Death (the character!).

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Great ubsurdist social commentary.

I would have to say Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination." It's science fiction written in the old style-- that is, big concepts, with lost of action.

Here is the Final Speech (which was nig in old time SF):

"Listen a me, all you! Listen, man! Gonna sermonize, me. Dig this, you!"

He was answered with a roar.

"You pigs, you. You rut like pigs, is all. You got the most in you, and you use the least. You hear me, you? Got a million in you and spend pennies. Got a genius in you and think crazies. Got a heart in you and feel empties. All a you. Every you ..."

He was jeered. He continued with the hysterical passion of the possessed.

"Take a war to make you spend. Take a jam to make you think. Take a challenge to make you great. Rest of the time you sit around lazy, you. Pigs, you! All right, God damn you! I challenge you, me. Die or live and be great. Blow yourselves to Christ gone or come and find me, Gully Foyle, and I make you men. I make you great. I give you the stars."

He disappeared."

It's a nice summing up of the human condition.

The Prince by Machiavelli of course..

Probably the Illuminatus Chronicles by Robert Anton Wilson. When I was younger, I loved Agents Of Chaos by Norman Spinrad...still do, but not as much.

It may seem a bit of a cliche, but I've never tired of rereading To Kill a Mockingbird. Another one that still resonates with me, especially as I've gotten older, is Animal Farm.

Love that book. Hitch Hikers Guide are my faves though