Some of my favourite source material and suggested reading-
Walden- Henry David Thoreau, 1854
The Magic Mountain- Thomas Mann
Against Interpretation: and Other Essays- Susan Sontag
The Simple Art of Murder- Raymond Chandler
The Name of the Rose- Umberto Eco
Against Nature- J.K. Huysmans
Moby Dick- Herman Melville
The Kon-Tiki Expedition- Thor Heyerdahl
Species of Spaces and Other Pieces- Georges Perec