Book: Okay, I can't give just one...here are a few I have enjoyed in the past year or so. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. It is the story of some small-college baseball players, but this book was recommended to me by two people who hate sports because the writing and character development are amazing (if you like sports, the book is awesome too)! Another good one is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This one just won the Pulitzer for fiction, and deservedly so. It is about a blind girl living in Nazi-occupied France who loses those around her that can see and about a boy that is forced into the Nazi army--their stories inevitably cross in this beautifully told narrative. Lastly, if you like Kafka on the Shore, I mean, you liked the awesome-weirdness of it, you have to read the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami. I like it as much as I like Kafka (after discussing Kafka in class, I may like Kafka a little more, though). I don't need to describe it--it is just Murakami being Murakami.
For movies, I will give two and they are not new. First, American Beauty. This one is a little older, but it won the Academy Award for best picture (1999) and took home a couple of other awards. It is rated R, so be aware, but it tells an amazing story that would fit in transcendentalism, existentialism, and just plan old amazing-ism. It is incredibly well acted, shot, and laid out. Second, is another Academy Award winner from the 90's (best screenplay 1997) and it is Good Will Hunting. You may have seen this flick starring and written by the dynamic duo from Boston, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, but I challenge you to watch it again for the thematic value. The character development by Will (Matt Damon) and Sean (Robin Williams) is outstanding, and the more I watch this film (I have probably seen it more than 20 times after accidentally seeing it in the theater in 1996), the more I appreciate its brilliance (Casey Affleck is underrated in this movie--he is outstanding as one of the friends).
Okay--you only need to provide one each. Make sure to comment on people's when you agree with their recommendations!