Books

• Joseph Conrad - Hearth of darkness
• Stanisław Lem - Solaris / Return from the stars
• Andrzej Sapkowski - The Witcher
• WWII related books (many good ones, not easy to read)

It's hard to pick one, depends on your preferences.

If you don't mind a somewhat bleak post apocalyptic book, I really liked Metro 2033 by Dmitri Glukhovsky.

There's a game series based on it too, but you asked for books and I haven't played the games

Thee recommendations from the Netherlands:

Casanova kept extensive memoirs and only briefly mentions Lucia, his first love. He names her as one of the few women he wronged, but offers no explanation. In Lucia's eyes by Arthur Japin tells the (fictional) story of Lucia and offers a story that fits into the gap that Casanova left in his memoires. It's one of my favorites to recommend as an introduction into literature. The Dutch title is Een schitterend gebrek.

A true Dutch classic is The Assault by Harry Mulisch. It covers 35 years in the life of the lone survivor of a night in Haarlem during World War II when the Nazi occupation forces, finding a Dutch collaborator murdered, retaliate by killing most of the family in front of whose home the body was found.

And if you really feel like sinking your teeth in some literature you would have to read The Discovery of Heaven, the magnum opus of Harry Mulisch. I can't really manage to give a summary, I think it would be best if you just start reading without any spoilers about the story. Maybe read the other books first and then decide if you trust me ;)

If you end up reading one of those, I would love to hear your thoughts!

The Name of the Rose from Italy

Hearth of a Dog from Russia

The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

Purge by Sofi Oksanen

Blindness by José Saramago

But don't read it at face value it's really an allegory.

Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan.

Its events take place in the fifth century AD between Upper Egypt, Alexandria and northern Syria, following the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire, and the ensuing internal sectarian conflict between the church fathers on the one hand, and the new believers on the other hand, declining paganism.

From the UK

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
London Fields by Martin Amis
Alice in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

All I think are really good reads and also bear rereading!

From Australia:

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton. Two very different families leave the country for the bright lights of Perth

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. A story about growing up in Brisbane on the rough side of town.

For the Term of his Natural Life by Marcus Clarke. Very readable novel about Australia’s convict history. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

I'm from the UK and someone has already given some good suggestions. So instead I'll recommend some French authors that I really love:

Alexander Dumas - if you want a great adventure. I can't recommend the The Count of Monte Cristo enough. It's an epic tale of revenge. Victor Hugo - for something that will make you question your morals. Les Misérables is a classic and has some incredible moral dilemmas. Jules Verne - Fun stories of early science fiction. 20 thousand leagues under the sea is an enjoyable journey with a surprising amount of science.

Two books from Germany:

Fall-Out by Gudrun Pausewang

Fabian: The Story of a Moralist by Erich Kästner

Gone With The Wind from the Southern USA.

I just finished reading The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant.

Non-fiction story based in British Columbia, Canada, I thought it was fantastic!