Here’s a list of my all-time favorite books and a few words about each. I’ve grouped them as Best All-Time and then by category. The books are listed in no particular order but each was a satisfying experience as opposed to many books that tell a great story and then leave you with an implausible or mystifying ending. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have and I welcome you to share this list and also leave a comment with some of your own favorites. Maybe one of these great authors will even sign your Kindle!
Best All-time:
Ender’s Game (1985) – Orson Scott Card
Sequels:Speaker for the Dead (1986), Xenocide (1991), Children of the Mind (1996)
Shadow of the Hegemon (2001) – related story to the Ender series, Peter and Val’s life without Ender
Ender’s Shadow (1999) – super book – a parallax, the same story as Ender’s Game told from a different character’s (Bean’s) perspective
The Hunt for Red October (1984) – Tom Clancy, This is Clancy’s first published novel. CIA analyst Jack Ryan assists in the defection of a respected Soviet naval captain, along with the most advanced ballistic missile submarine of the Soviet fleet. Remember when the primary threat in the world was the Soviets?
Tom Clancy is my favorite author. His books inter-relate and they should be read in order:
Red Storm Rising (1986)
Patriot Games (1987)
The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988)
Clear and Present Danger (1989)
The Sum of All Fears (1991)
Without Remorse (1993)
Debt of Honor (1994)
Executive Orders (1996)
The Firm (1991) – John Grisham
I like most John Grisham’s work and primarily his earlier books – my favorites include:
A Time to Kill (1989)
The Pelican Brief (1992)
The Client (1993)
The Rainmaker (1995)
The Runaway Jury (1996)
The Partner (1997)
The Street Lawyer (1998)
The Testament (1999)
A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003) – Bill Bryson, I’d call this “Physics for Dummies.” This is a book that explains our knowledge of how old the universe is and helps you grasp difficult to understand concepts. For instance, what is the size of an atom? Bryson explains, “how many atoms are in your hand?” Answer, if you filled the Pacific Ocean with ping pong balls; there are more atoms in your hand than it would take to fill the Pacific Ocean with ping pong balls. Or in other words – they are really, really small.
The Poet (1996) – Michael Connelly If you like Murder Mysteries this is my favorite. An old-fashioned page turner. A bare bones summary would be a Denver reporter loses his twin brother cop to suicide, purportedly over an unsolved homicide. As he copes, the reporter learns about a number of police suicides, with several seeming related. At that point in the novel, it becomes a struggle to put the book down. You won’t want to be bothered by anything else for a few hours.
General:
The Ditchdigger’s Daughters (2002) – Yvonne Thorton, amazing success story of a black man raising 6 daughters with a single-minded devotion to his family
Thunderstruck (2006) – Erik Larson, the coming of wireless 
The Devil in the White City (2004) – Erik Larson, 1893 World’s fair and a murder mystery
A Fine Balance (1995) – Rohinton Mistry, about the caste system and discrimination in India – terrific
The Da Vinci Code (2003) – Dan Brown, if you get the riddles in this book you are smarter than me
The Poisonwood Bible (1998) – Barbara Kingsolver, a missionary family with 4 daughters moves from Georgia to the Congo in 1960
Angela’s Ashes (1996) – Frank Mccourt, growing up poor in Ireland and Brooklyn
Trinity (1976) – Leon Uris, story of Ireland from the famine in 1840s to the Easter Rising of 1916 – incredible!
Exodus (1958) – Leon Uris, the founding of the state of Israel
The Kite Runner (2003) – Khaled Hosseini, growing up in Afghanistan
The Screwtape Letters (1942) – C.S. Lewis, a classic written from a senior demon to a lesser “tempters’” perspective
The Help (2009) – Kathryn Stockett, story told by housemaids in Mississippi in 1962
Cutting for Stone (2009) – Abraham Verghesee, must read – fantastic, a few words doesn’t do it justice
Thank You for Smoking (1994) – Christopher Buckley, a tobacco lobbyist with a satirical gift
Aztec (1980) – Gary Jennings, the extraordinary story of the last and greatest native civilization of North America
The Lightning Thief (2005) – Rick Riordan, awesome, suitable for kids, teaches Greek mythology
The Book Thief (2006) – Markus Zausk, Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger
Switch (2010) – Dan Heath, Chip Heath, people hate change – this is the study of change
Atlas Shrugged (1957) – Ayn Rand – amazingly applicable to today’s politics
The Watchers (1987) – Dean Koontz, wild story, I really like this book
Beautiful Boy (2008) – David Sheff, depressing but worthwhile, about a father who’s son has a meth addiction
The Color of Water (1997) – James McBride, a testament to good values and a strong will
tuesdays with Morrie (1997) – Mitch Albom, inspirational story of a man dying with a proper perspective on life
The Lincoln Lawyer (2005) – Michael Connelly, fun story
Business/Self Help/Psychology/Nutrition:
In the Plex (2011) – Steven Levy, 2011 update of the founding and current state of Google
Good to Great ( 2001) – Jim Collins, taking your business to the next level 
The Search (2005) – John Battelle, Coming of Google
Never Eat Alone (2005) – Keith Ferrazzi – the business networking how-to guide
Winning (2005) – Jack Welch – ex CEO of GE
The World is Flat (2005) – Thomas Friedman, modern economics
Freakonomics (2005) – Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, why people/economics turn out the way they do
Sharkproof (1994) – Harvey Mackay, finding and keeping the job you really want – essential reading
Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive (1996) – Harvey Mackay, Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate, and Outnegotiate Your Competition – says it all
7 Habits of Highly Successful People (1990) – Dr. Steven Covey, could be in the All-time category
Rich Dad Poor Dad (2000) – Robert Kiyosaki, the Bible for personal finances, what to teach your kids about money
Speak Up with Confidence (2002) – Jack Valenti, Public Speaking, If Jack Kennedy got nervous before a speech, it’s OK if you do too
How to Win Friends and Influence People (1990) – Dale Carnegie, People skills 101 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People
Skinny Bitch (2005) – Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, a wonderful diet/nutrition book and no you don’t have to become a Vegan as they suggest
The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) – Michael Pollan, Informative even if you disagree
Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? (2008) – Jena Pincott, explains so much, psychology/genetics, the science behind sex, love and attraction
History/Biographies:
The Great Bridge (1983) – David McCullough (AWESOME – building of the Brooklyn Bridge), I wish I was a structural engineer!
The Devil We Know (2008) – Robert Baer, Iran is the next Super Power, this is what you need to know 
Flags of Our Fathers (2000) – James Bradley and Ron Powers, WWII invasion of Iwo Jima
Sleeping With the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude (2003) – Robert Baer, terrific and believable from an ex-CIA operative; fundemental knowledge needed about Saudi Arabia
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1960) – William Shirer, for those who love Military History like me
Civil War: Narrative (1986) - Shelby Foote, Long winded yes, but the best there is.
Charlie Wilson’s War (2003) – George Crile, American funding for Afghanistan vs. Russia
The Last Lion: Winston Churchill (1988) – William Manchester, fantastic, Churchill was a remarkable man
Team of Rivals (2005) – Doris Kearns Goodwin, about Abraham Lincoln, inspirational
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003) – Walter Isaacson, terrrific
The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant (1999) – Ulysses S. Grant, very interesting
Sports:
Positively 5th Street (2003) – James McManus, about Texas Hold’em and the World Series of Poker 
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend (2010) – James Hirsch, biography – powerful
Born to Run (2009) – Christopher McDougall, about running and really good
Open (2009) – Andre Agassi, biography – moving
The Junction Boys (2009) – Jim Dent, Bear Bryant’s A&M 1954 football team
The Art of Doubles (1994) – Pat Blaskower, essential reading if you play doubles tennis – “90% of doubles matches are won by the team with better court position”
