Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
The Gadfly by Ethel Voynich Both had an essence about them that stuck with me. More whimsical: You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Are the first two, the non-whimsical, approachable by a read 21 year old? I like hearing about people's favorite things, it opens a window into their head. mk, I wanna see your brain. for the record, one of my favorite books -- the Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
The Gadfly is very accessible, and is short. Foucault's Pendulum is much less so, and I appreciated it for being esoteric and atmospheric. If you haven't read any Eco, I suggest The Name of the Rose first. It's a very enjoyable read, and every bit as engaging as FP but not as dense.
I have 30 books in my amazon cart. I'm going to move this to number 3-5, it looks very good. Will need to brush up on my latin, though. Danke