Cahill, T. (2010). The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Semi-historical work about the contribution of Jews to Western culture.
Donin, H. (2019). To be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life Selected and Compiled from the Shulhan Arukh and Responsa Literature and Providing a Rationale for the Laws and the Traditions. Basic Books.
Foundational textbook to practical, everyday halacha.
Fox, E. (1997). The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Schocken Books.
My favorite Torah translation. Bad English, but very good Hebrew-in-English, preserving many Hebrew puns and poetic forms which other translations tend to lose or interpret away.
Gans, C. (2016). A Political Theory for the Jewish People: Three Zionist Narratives. Oxford University Press.
Comprehensive review of various strands of Zionist thought and Levantine politics.
Green, A. (2012). These Are the Words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life. Jewish Lights Pub.
A short dictionary explaining common Jewish words.
Hayes, C. E. (2012). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press.
Excellent, digestible introduction to modern Hebrew Bible scholarship.
Heschel, A. J. (1999). God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
A comprehensive philosophy of Judaism as a religion of awe.
Heschel, A. J. (2005). The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
A short and beautiful text about the importance and meaning of Shabbat.
Hurwitz, S. (2019). Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There). Spiegel & Grau.
A brief exploration of the often-overlooked spiritual aspect of Judaism.
Kushner, A. (2015). The Grammar of God: A Journey into the Words and Worlds of the Bible. Spiegel & Grau.
A brief exploration of the role of Hebrew grammar in Biblical analysis.
Shṭainzalts, ʿAdin. (2002). A Guide to Jewish Prayer. Schocken Books.