Ask HN: I have no commitments for the next 6 months – what books should I read?

You are undoubtedly aware of books that are relevant to and liked by people in the STEM field; your list already shows this quite clearly. So I would say that you do not need any recommendations for books that would appeal specifically to your peers. On the contrary; while your list is not too bad (but very US-centric; e.g., Carnegie), it is the type of list you would hand an undergraduate to prepare for his studies.

That is a noble goal in itself, but has nothing to do with catching up with the rest of humanity in terms of literature.

My advice: go look for literature in the broadest sense, but cut down on the self-help and non-fiction. Find out about the classics you've missed out on or couldn't appreciate in high school, and ask people in person about their recommendations. Have you considered asking a librarian at your local library?

Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Paul Zindel)

The Things They Carried (Tim O' Brien)

This Side of Paradise (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury) Essentially a children's sci-fi novel, but it doesn't read that way.

A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway) My personal favorite (along with his short stories, which I highly recommend), but if it's your first time reading Hemingway, might be better to go with The Sun Also Rises.

Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates)

On the Road (Jack Kerouac) *One of my personal favorites, but most people either love or hate it, so maybe save this towards the end.

On my own reading list:

Speedboat (Renata Adler)

Money (Martin Amis)

Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)