1) Newer Novel
Even though I'm about a year late with finding out about this novel, City of Thieves is a definite "must read". Screenwriter David Benioff writes a novel about his grandparents' experience in Russia during World War II. The writer is very visual and descriptive as he takes you on a journey of two soldiers. Benioff creates a thrilling, funny and sad novel.
2) The Classic
A book that I believe everyone should eventually read is The Overcoat: and Other Tales of Good and Evil by Nicolai Gogol. Gogol is one of the greatest 19th-Century Russian authors and one of my personal favorites. Some well-known stories are 'The Nose,' a savage satire of Russia's incompetent bureaucrats and its snobbish and complacent upper classes; 'Old-Fashioned Farmers,' a pleasant depiction of an elderly couple living in rustic seclusion; 'The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich,' one of Gogol's most famous comic stories; and 'The Overcoat,' widely considered a masterpiece of form. Definitely be sure to check it out!
