I read a lot and this list is very incomplete: 1) 1984 by George Orwell, the most important book ever written IMO. It reveals, explains, shocks and sharpens your mind. 2) The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, the best explanation for why there is no god. 3) Die Klavierspielerin (Don't know the english title, probably The Piano Player) by Elfriede Jelinek, I must have read it 5 times already and it never stops to lure me into the weird world of sexual repression and the beauty of language. 4) De Dömdas Ö (The Island of the Damned) by Stig Dagerman, a very bleak and moving look at the human condition, beautifully written in just a couple of days when Stig was retreating on an island. 5) Harry Potter (parts 1-7), for the pure joy of reading it. After 100 years it will still be a classic.
2) read Why I am not a Christian by Bertrand Russell