The Glass Menagerie by Tennesse Williams -- Brilliant family drama with odd similarity to Brighton Beach Memoirs in each's portrayal of lower middle-class longing. The twin metaphors of the gentleman caller and Laura's glass menagerie are great writing. For anyone who likes plays, or families, or glass sculptures.
Heaven Is A Playground by Rick Telander -- Similarly to The Last Shot, which I read over the summer, Heaven is a chronicle of urban basketball. It is far superior, however, because of its greater depth in storytelling and better characters. Even Stephon Marbury cannot hold a candle to Rodney Parker, the agent-cum-benefactor running the game at Foster Park. The book also documents the setting (1970's Brooklyn) in great detail. For people who like basketball or even just New York City.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel -- Boy floats to Mexico from India in lifeboat. Oh yeah, there's a Bengal tiger there too. Set up beautifully, the story is merely an above-average survival story, but the enchanting part of the book is the strange magnetism of Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, the polyreligious main character who dispenses wisdom in odd ways throughout the book. It is possibly to only read it for the adventure, but that's missing the fun. For pretty much anyone and everyone.
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw -- Mildly entertaining, but a little long. Much better in stage production as "My Fair Lady". Skip the play and read a biography of Shaw instead.
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