Above all, I think chemistry is key. Much can be learned about a person by knowing what books and authors they like to read.
So, ladies, what books and authors do you enjoy? Anyone care to share their favorites?

Gents, feel free to chime in also.

All by Thomas Sowell.  Before that, I read “The Road Back to Nature” by Masanobu Fukuoka.  Highly recommend reading Thomas Sowell, but can only recommend Fukuoka if you’re into organic gardening.

Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari.

 
It is a Christmas gift from a gal I've known a long time.

 
A more interesting and thought provoking book I've never read before.   It purports to explain the history of human civilization in about 400 pages, and damn, if it isn't succeeding,

Sowell is awesome, I was just recommending and quoting him on a different board. For fiction my faves are Michael Connelly and Nelson DeMille.