Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. 1976 Folio Press (BOMC edition.) ISBN 978-0850671063. The story of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Javert and many many more characters. A very complex story of hardship, sadness and happiness.
I found this translation very readable. This is a deluxe printing which I got from the Book Of The Month Club, probably back in the late 1970s.

squirrel seeks chipmunk by David Sedaris. 2010, ISBN 978-0-316-03839-3.
A collection of short stories. All of the characters are animals, playing human roles.
Purchased at Powells 2014-01-14 for $7.98.

 The Story of English by Robert McCrum, William Cran and Robert MacNeil. This book was the companion to a TV series that was shown on the American TV network PBS in the 1980s.
I really like this show and so I bought the book, in fact I have three editions of the book ISBN 0-670-80467-3 , ISBN 0-14-009435-0 and ISBN 0-14-015405-1.
I especially liked the early history of English.