What’s the most important book you have read this year?

I'm doing an MA English Lit and I really enjoyed Kindred, The Secret Agent and His Dark Materials trilogy Oh and Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World

The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara

It is in the main a cool translation of what are now the oldest known Buddhist manuscripts, even older than the Pāli Canon. But it also shows that the sharp distinctions drawn between Thereavāda and Mahāyāna teachings is nonsense: both were taught together way earlier than any Indologists had previously thought. Game changer in a really understated way.

I'm not sure i'd describe any of them as 'important' per-se, interesting certainly though.
Opium; Realities Dark Dream being on the best, Simply because of the stark difference it showed on how opiates are viewed in society between 1910 and 2010 (as an example) being able to buy a nice bottle of heroin for your wifes birthday at the local cornershop vs. meeting a dodgy stranger in a dark ally and possibly being hurled in jail.
Other than that, 'Boom: the Chemistry and History of Explosives' simply because who doesnt like learning about things that go bang

Oh wow the opiates one sounds fascinating! Is it didactic in approach? Maybe calling for a more medicalised treatment of addiction - Does it not really go there?

I might be one of the people who’s not really into learning about things that go bang haha! Thanks for the reco though

Ummm too a point it is. It's written by a former Doctor (who has a penchant for using sarcasm ) but its more just a broad historical overview of the early use of opium, through to laudanum and then eventually onto the pharmacuticalisation of the poppy. So more of a historical account than much else but it provides some interesting context to how its viewed these days
He does briefly touch on the issue of addiction, namely to show the absolute barbarism they used to inflict on addicts to "cure" them. But all things considered an excellent book on the topic and eminently readable

“Hitching Rides With Buddha” by Will Ferguson. I wouldn’t define it an “important” book, but it is definitely worth a read. The author recounts his trip around Japan describing the people, culture and places he went to in an interesting and extremely funny way

"He's just not that into you" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hes-Just-Not-That-Into/dp/0007431856

I have used it successfully to suss out which guys are wasting my time and are not interested in me, even though they pretend they are. Actually it is all of them.

This is a weird reply hahaha not something I expected... probably won’t pick this one up but thanks for taking the time to make a reco!

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

I feel like I have had more time to read books of my choice this year. What kind of eye opening / moving / surprising books have you read? Any recommendations very welcome!!

Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye

Oohhh yes great book! The whole trilogy is really eye opening!!!