What item would you not leave home without?

I was once asked during an interview what item would I not leave home without. The answer was easy. A book.

In anticipation of next week’s Meeting of a Great Mind post, in which we sit down with Jason Smith and Rachel Weaver of The Book Table in Oak Park, we find out which books and authors are at the top of their reading lists.

Looking for a good read? Here are Jason and Rachel’s top recommendations:

Jason’s five favorite books:

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Nude Men by Amanda Filipacchi

Gain by Richard Powers

My Strange Quest for Mensonge by Malcolm Bradbury

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Jason’s five favorite authors:

David Foster Wallace, Richard Powers, Haruki Murakami, Neal Stephenson, William S. Burroughs

Rachel’s five favorite books: 

Giant’s House, by Elizabeth McCracken

A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore

White Teeth, by Zadie Smith

The Dream Songs, by John Berryman

Mr. Peanut, by Adam Ross

Rachel’s favorite authors are:

Zadie Smith, John Ashbery, Kazuo Ishiguro, Sylvia Plath, Audre Lorde

Stop back next Wednesday to learn how Jason and Rachel came to own one of Oak Park’s favorite independent retail shops. What item would you not leave home without (aside from keys and wallets)?