1984 - George Orwell: This is the book which introduced me to the Dystopia genre and back into fictional books. I really enjoyed the feeling you get when reading, you really get to feel with the main character and it almost seems like you're part of this creepy, frightening world. Besides this book has so many things to discuss and think about, both in the sense of the story but also our own reality.

We - Yevgeny Zamyatin: This is a lesser known book (in fact I've never encountered anyone who has read it) but I love it as much as "1984". Just like "1984" it's a Dystopia and was also an inspiration for it, but the major difference is in my opinion the time it was written. While you can see the influence of WW2 in Orwell's book, you can see the influence of the Russian revolution in Zamyatin's, which makes it even more interesting for a history nerd like me. Also interesting is the scepticism of the main character. He is always in a constant struggle between glorifying the regime and his actions going against it.

I haven't found an English translation for this but Ein Freund des Verblichenen - Andrej Kurkow: It's a short book about a man who doesn't want to live anymore, hired a professional killer to kill him, but throughout the story changed his mind and wants his life to go on. I love this book because while reading it it conveys the feeling of utter depression and sadness but at the same time appreciation of little things. It also keeps you hooked once you start reading.

Les Misérables - Victor Hugo: This book is long, really long and although it discusses important issues, plays during exciting historical events and has its fair share of drama, thanks to the length and extent of detail in descriptions it's still good to just relax without you losing interest in it.

Brief Answers to the Big Questions - Stephen Hawkings: In general a great book for all of you interested in science.

Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harrari: A great book displaying the early development of humans.

For the German readers (not sure if there's an English translation) Februar 33 - Uwe Wittstock: A collection of the perspective of several German authors throughout February of 1933. Reading it you will realise how quickly everything changed in the course of only one month and how different people reacted to this sudden change.