My list of essential books that foster an open mind.

Part of who we are is what we read. What we read is determined by our interests. But, what we read changes our outlook and makes us expand our interests in new directions. It's interesting to see how our interests change and how we evolve over the years. We should all make a list of five or ten (or more) books that have affected our thinking. Many of us might start with books that were assigned to us in school, but my list will begin with books that I read on my own.

1. Tom Swift and his Flying Lab (Victor Appleton II)
This was the only Tom Swift book that I read, but it ignited a spark. Anything is possible.

2. Catch 22 (Joseph Heller)
The total insanity of even a just war.

3. A Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert Heinlein)
I subsequently read virtually all of Heinlein's works. His imagination, outrageous irreverence, libertarianism and surprisingly diverse points of view left me enthralled.

4. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
Her "Objectivist" philosophy with its distrust of big government and collectivised big business have stuck with me for more than thirty-five years. The power of the individual effort can overcome almost anything.

5. The Winds of War (Herman Wouk)
His books inspired my interest in history as fiction. The picture that he paints is frightening and yet beautiful.

6. Winter's Tale (Mark Helprin)
This is a magical book that I have read at least five times. I'm not real sure how to categorize it, but it is reminiscent of Garcia Marquez and Eco. His New York is an incredibly fantastic place.

7. Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)
Templars, Rosicrucians, Communists, Fascists and Candomble! Wow!

8. El Amor en los Tiempos de Cólera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
I think I see a common thread...

9. Cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson)
One of the first novels that reflects the 21st century from the historical origins of the computer. I am hooked on Neal's work. The Waterhouse and Shaftoe families will ever be a part of my multiverse.

This is my essential list. I've chosen nine of the thousands of books that I've read. I could have chosen many, many more. I am a little bit compulsive, so when I find a writer that I like, I will usually read their entire body of work.
Here is a partial list of writers whose work I have read: Heinlein, Lovecraft, Clarke, Asimov, Farmer, Dickson, Michener, Wouk, Rand, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Garcia Marquez, Allende, Auel, Hammett, Grimes, Greeley, Grafton, White (Stephen), Stephenson, Cussler, Griffin (W.E.B.), Crichton, Cook, Palmer, et al.

I think you get the picture. I don't mind the wildly fantastic, and I'm not a real deep thinker. I enjoy quirky, original, slightly twisted, individualistic viewpoints. I think that all of the above writers share those qualities and express my personal philosophy. Within those books, there are elements of spirituality that are not orthodox but have guided me throughout my life.
More on that later.