Rare Earth by Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee
A cogent argument for why life, in bacterial form, is probably common in the universe, while complex life definitely is not. Although this is based on a statistical sample of exactly one the points are pretty compelling: a metal-rich sun just the right size, age and stability; a large moon; Jovian-sized planets in the correct place in the solar system; a solar system orbiting the galaxy and the planet orbiting the sun in their respective "habitable" zones; a planet with the right amount of raw materials, plate tectonics, and a deep magnetic field; and not too many global sterilizing catastrophes. If any one of these is slightly off we might not be here. The microbes, on the other hand,...

The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
Walker Percy's National Book Award winner from 1961 tells the story of Binx Bolling, cinemaphile and New Orleans stockbroker, looking for love in all the wrong places. Terms such as "postmodern" and "existential" have been used to describe this novel, but, putting them aside, this is an enjoyable take on the American Deep South in the late fifties, and the trials and tribulations of the generation between the Korean War and rock and roll.