"Ender's Game" (Orson Scott Card) First SF book I remember reading. For me, it introduced the idea that it was okay being smarter than the adults around me as well as the beauty of having to rely on yourself.

"Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" (Paul Reps) Short zen stories that drive home a point per story. Suggest thinking about one of the stories for a whole day each and every day. Helped me relax and be okay with who I am and what I am accomplishing.

"Kim" (Rudyard Kipling) Great introduction into indian culture as well as the to relations between Britain and Russia during the end of the 19th century. What really stood out to me was the spiritual search Kim's mentor takes as well as the significance attached to it. Also worth the read is the thinking and training around Kim becoming a self-reliant spy.

"Foundations of Financial Economics" (Chi-Fu Huang and Robert Litzenberger) Fantastic introduction into financial economics and derivations of key ideas in the theory and practice. Authors were also involved in LTMC Hedge Fund and subsequent blow up. (Chi-Fu in LTCM and Litzenberger in Goldman). Liked seeing how Chi-Fu Huang went from mba student to phd student to professor to hedge master of the universe. Very interesting.

"SICP" (Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman) Besides the obvious excellence of the book as an introduction into computer science. It also showed me how human and approchable the "stars" of CS were as I had Sussman as a freshman advisor and Abelson responded to emails I wrote him before I went to college.