Book 1: "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov

For a science-fiction book published in 1951, this book was surprisingly not-dated.  The only part that felt a little out of date was the over-optimism about atomic power.  Asimov seemed to feel that nuclear power was the answer to most of humanity's problems and their key to the future.

Again, I'm reading a book that is the first in a series.  In this case it's a much more extensive series encompassing at least 7 novels, more if you include other authors writing sequels.

This book was so good, in fact, that I finished it in 3 days.  Leaving some extra time for my next, dreaded, book... Dickens.