I'll offer a controversial option, simply because it's the one that got me started (and in fact after reading it I don't believe the controversy is deserved). It's "Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha" (or "MCTB" by its fans) by Daniel Ingram .
Perhaps the main reason it is controversial is because Ingram gives himself the title "Arahat" on the cover of the book, and that is a decided no-no in many if not most Buddhist circles. However, I really encourage people to look past that. Ingram was doing it specifically to raise a controversial aspect, and even he says he has since had second thoughts about choosing to do it. The most important thing though is, the content of the book is utterly independent of his "arahat" claim. If you can see past that initial single word and actually read the book, you will find he is centered on pretty mainline, orthodox Mahasi Sayadaw style meditation practice, but also offers a broad and fairly deep understanding of other styles of Buddhist meditation too. Overall, I think the book is superb, but I'll offer three caveats for those who do decide to look past the arahat thing and read it.
First, the book is a bit too biased (in my non-expert opinion), on the Wisdom and Concentration aspects of the Eight-Fold Path, and doesn't pay enough attention to the Ethical conduct aspects. To be clear, he actually talks about ethics first, so in that sense he doesn't ignore it. But the bulk of the book is about how to meditate, and having now learned a lot more since I encountered MCTB, I think there's a danger of running into what B. Alan Wallace says in his Tsongkhapa commentary, "Balancing the Mind":
"Without a sufficient store of spiritual power [which comes from ethical conduct], meditation, such as training in quiescence and insight may arise as little more than barren, mental gymnastics that transform neither the heart nor the mind"
Second caveat: because the book is so good at explaining meditation in depth, there's a danger one could get "attached" to the attainments one may experience as one advances in practice. So instead of just sitting and noting, one could just get frustrated at apparent lack of progress. I believe that some teachers purposely do not give students too much advanced knowledge too early, precisely to avoid this problem. So if you're reading the book, be aware of this. Take your time, and don't fret too much about the fact you don't attain fourth jhana by day four!
Third caveat, and this is the most serious (much more of an issue than the "arahat" thing), is Ingram's focus on what he calls the "dark night". This refers to a subset of the stages of insight as described by Mahasi Sayadaw and others. I believe (I'm not that attained so I don't know) that what he is talking about is correct and it's very useful to know. But I also believe it is hugely over-emphasized. To be fair, it may be that it is Ingram's readers who create most of the over-emphasis, in various internet forums, but it's still a concern.
All that said, despite those caveats and the "arahat" thing, I still very much recommend this book. You can infer from that, that the good parts are very good (since they compensate for the caveats).
