My at-work reading, one I've picked up many times but never opened. I'm a sucker for those clean, angular Europa covers.

I read this book in one sitting and laughed the entire time, then read it again and took notes. Equal parts amusing anecdotes and gems of advice, Works Well With Others is a great guide to a (at least mostly) graceful start in business for folks that have no idea what they're doing.

I recently read "Unusual Creatures", a self-explanatory collection of short stories. One I enjoyed greatly was Peter S. Beagle's "Come Lady Death", so I made a trip out to the bookstore to pick up one of his novels.

Anyone who believes that science fiction can't be literary or cerebral needs to be sat down with this book. This story follows a Christian abbey and its monks across centuries of the future of post-apocalyptic humanity, turning over many questions about human nature and ethics along the way. A classic of thoughtful science fiction, alongside the likes of Hyperion and the Years of Rice and Salt.