I wonder whether The Myth of Sysiphus wouldn't be more apt for something like that. But I'd pick an academic text too, though I'm not sure which one. There are

I wonder whether The Myth of Sysiphus wouldn't be more apt for something like that. But I'd pick an academic text too, though I'm not sure which one. There are many textbooks outside of my expertise that could be just as interesting as more physics or mathematics, e.g. ship/boat construction. Edit: For a fiction book I would probably pick Fiasco by Stanislav Lem, it contains some parables and allergories that are interesting to think about.