Books that have changed your life?

[elixir]

In every possible way:
*they've made you think
*they've changed you views
*they've gave you an extremely powerful feeling :p

[Cowlek]

I read a book called Stravaganza-City of Makss and it stopped me being afraid of death.I dont know why...just did.And Terry Pratchett-The WeeFree Men tought me that anyone can do anything if they want it that bad.
Wahey thats in my sig.Andits not even a quote from the book.
They're both really good books,i strongly advise you to read them :D

[Bilbo]

ANy books from the following authors:

Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Philip Pullman
JRR Tolkein

BUt especially:
To kill a mockingbird

[Human#3.141592653]

Books that have changed one's life?

Generally, I wouldn't think that by merely reading a book you can change your whole life (Life is rather large, after all) but many books have aided in changes the way in which I see things.

Iodro by William Gibson is a great book if you want to change your views on online identies. In it a pop rock stars marries the computer generated image of a woman created by a company that also produces music for her.

Very trippy.

[Katie of the Golden Wood]

I think books can definitely change your life. They change how you see things, and that in turn changes your reactions and your life.

Number one is Lord of the Rings, or I wouldn't be here. It made things clearer and better in my life.

Number two goes to Life of Pi (also being discussed on religion thread)

Honorable mentions: Chronicles of Narnia, Baudolino, and His Dark Materials Trilogy.

Katie

[Lalaith_Elf]

I'd have to say that LOTR's definatly made me see life in a new way. I'm a literature student so I pretty much automatically look for the 'deeper meanings' when I'm reading a book for the first time, and Tolkien's stuff definatly has moral and themes that can make you look at your own life and act of it.

Also Death of a Salesman. It's a play, but it still has the potential to change something in you. Not that I like to admit this much. I've pretty much spent the last month in arguments with my teacher about how DoaS isn't really that interesting:rolleyes: .

Also anything by Philip Pulman as well. It has the same effect as Tolkien has (maybe not as uch as Tolkien), but it still makes you think and view life in a different way than before you picked up the book.

I'm sure I'll think of other books soon.:)

[brownjenkins]

joseph campbell's the power of myth... gave me a whole new pov on mankind and religion

[BeardofPants]

Tolkien goes without saying. I'd also like to add PK Dick, and Frank Herbert to the list. Ubik and Dune are both incredible reads. Ubik is definitely one of those WTF... books.... And Dune, well, everyone must read dune. :p

[Ithilgalad]

T. H. White: "The once and future King" (great book on King Arthur and Merlin and the whole Camelot affaire :))

Brian Bates: "The Way of Wyrd" (how a catholic monk gets involved with the anglo-saxon concept of religion and believe and shamanism)

J. R. R. Tolkien of course :)... (my whole world, philosophy, 'religion' is a mixture of his works and the facts I read about the Celts yet)

Marion Zimmer Bradley (though mainly if I want to read kind of 'easy' literature)

Anything about the Celts available to me :D... they helped me find a way of living my life without going TOOOOOO nuts...

Michael Moore (all three of his books made me think a lot... not only about the US but about the way Europe is heading towards)

Ephraim Kishon (if I really need a laugh, he´s there for me :))...

There´s so much more... but I can´t think of anything really important at the moment that I´ve not mentioned already :).

[hectorberlioz]

Oh!
Dostoyevsky, and Dickens:)
The Brothers Karamazov is a book that really made me think about things in a different perspective than my own (not changing my perspective, but seeing different ones as well).
And the same goes for "Crime and Punishment".

I cant say that LotR ever changed my life, because its always been part of my life. I grew up with LotR and The Hobbit.

[zinnite]

For me, it's Philip K. Dick, too. Ubik is a great one, but the book that did it for me was A Scanner Darkly.

Some other fine reads that significantly moved me:

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut (as well as Jailbird and Breakfast of Champions)

People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville (I can't say it enough--READ THIS BOOK!!!)

That one about the hobbits and a ring... :D

The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis

The various writings of Eugene Debs and Emma Goldman

Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack

[cassiopeia]

The Lord of the Rings changed my life because I think about it everyday, probably look through it for something every other day and I'm still on Entmoot two years later. :)

All the books by Carl Sagan I love, but his book, Demon-Haunted World, changed my life. It made me more sceptical, and to question things more than I had previously.

There are many more books I love, but those two really have changed my life.

[brownjenkins]

Demon-Haunted World was a very good book!

i forgot about that one... will have to pick it up again one of these days

[sun-star]

The first book I ever read changed my life, because it made me a book-lover. Unfortunately I don't remember what it was :D

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

Originally posted by Ithilgalad
Anything about the Celts available to me :D... they helped me find a way of living my life without going TOOOOOO nuts...

do u mean Ancient Celts, or the Celtic People
i am quarter Irish, Quarter Scottish,
so i am a Celt

anything by Tolkien i would say
and 'The Little Book of Wisdom', by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

[eowyngirl14]

Where the Red Fern Grows! i love that book so much i read it for the first time in 4th grade and i cried for literally 2 hours at the end and i wouldnt let go of my pet cat or let her out of my sight for the next week. my mom thinks its that book that made me such an 'emotional reader'. AKA i cry in like every book ever.
but every book i read changes my outlook on life a little, hence changing how i live my life, hence chaning my life...

i just read Empress of the World about a teenage lesbian, its not that well written or anything, but it doesnt have to be. it gets its point across very neatly. and yes, i did cry.

[Count Comfect]

I don't think any books have changed my life... but my English teacher keeps saying after *EVERY* book we read that it changed her life. It gets annoying... but it might be true.

[Forkbeard]

Originally posted by Katie of the Golden Wood
I think books can definitely change your life. They change how you see things, and that in turn changes your reactions and your life.

Number one is Lord of the Rings, or I wouldn't be here. It made things clearer and better in my life.

Number two goes to Life of Pi (also being discussed on religion thread)

Honorable mentions: Chronicles of Narnia, Baudolino, and His Dark Materials Trilogy.

Katie

Yeah, I have to say Lord of the Rings and Til We Have Faces were two big life altering books. Augustine's Confessions, Dante's Commedia, and Bede would also be big ones. The Bible. No, not because you're supposed to say that, it really did shape the way I view the world and think. So it didn't change my life so much as influence it greatly.

Forkbeard

[hectorberlioz]

I have Bede:)

[BelegS]

Books that changed my life.

Enid Blyton's Second Famous Five book got me hooked to literature which has played a big role in my subsequent life.

Harry Potter books, helped structuring my English language ability a great deal.

Books that changed my lifestyle.

Roots, I can never offer any justification of slavery after reading it.

Birdsong, It did to me in the matter of War what Roots did for slavery.

And although It didn't quite change my lifestyle but To Kill a Mockingbird effected me a great deal too.

Oh and 'Animal Farm'. Helped me developed my political sense and realize many many things.

[Vicky]

Originally posted by BelegS

Harry Potter books, helped structuring my English language ability a great deal.


Same here.

But I think that Feist needs to get first for me, because of him I started to read Fantasy and that's how I got in touch with Tolkien and from there it went backwards till I ended up here... :D

[old scholar]

One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich really changed my way of thinking

[Rían]

Originally posted by Forkbeard
Yeah, I have to say Lord of the Rings and Til We Have Faces were two big life altering books.

Till We Have Faces? Till We Have Faces?! I finally found another person on the planet that has read that fabulous book!?! I think that makes about 5 or 6 of us that I know of now ... Absolutely profound - it changed my life, too.

[Forkbeard]

Originally posted by RÃ*an
Till We Have Faces? Till We Have Faces?! I finally found another person on the planet that has read that fabulous book!?! I think that makes about 5 or 6 of us that I know of now ... Absolutely profound - it changed my life, too.

Hail and well met! Not only have I read it, but I've been wondering if I can foist it upon my freshman this fall as one of the texts for a class. I believe in sharing the wealth.

[Rían]

Whew! If you do that, let me know what they think! It took me 20 years to understand that book ...

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

bump

My Life by Leon Trotsky would have to rank quite high up on 'life-changer' status

[Halbarad of the Dunedain]

Watchers by Dean R Koontz, it was that book that got me into reading when I was younger. Since then I have been slowely building a personal library!

[Small No-name]

Books what books i see no books here ;) :D :D

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Definately The Lord of the Rings. I used to be a "normal" person, then I saw the movies. Then I read the books; then I joined Entmoot. Now I scare my friends. :D

[Halbarad of the Dunedain]

I would have to agree with Mary there... I am in the same perdicament.

[Syle]

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I really have no clue why, but that book made me rethink my method of thinking. (And that statement is easy to follow.) I have heard some so-so reviews about it, but to me, it was earth-shattering.
To one's own, I suppose.

[inked]

I have never met a book that did not change me...though not always for the better, I hasten to note. Some were merely confirmations of the inadequacies of the author in style, technique, or views. Others were experiences of integration and wholeness and challenge and moving forward in collating and understanding life experiences.

So, if that is understood, I would say that the books that changed me the most were the ones I go back to again and again for the latter indications.

The Chronicles of Narnia (the whole CS Lewis corpus, actually)

Lord of the Rings (the bulk of the Tolkien corpus)

The Divine Comedy (in Dorothy L. Sayers' translation and her ancilary stuff)

(need I note the The Jerusalem Bible (1966) for its felicity and ancillary materials as representative of the One Book which has most impacted my life?)

[Adonai Dragonwagon]

I have never met a book that did not change me...though not always for the better, I hasten to note. Some were merely confirmations of the inadequacies of the author in style, technique, or views. Others were experiences of integration and wholeness and challenge and moving forward in collating and understanding life experiences.
^ Ditto.

As for the books that influenced me the most, I think that reading Animal Farm and Farenheit 451 might have something to do with why I'm so screwy; I read them for the first time the same year, in third or fourth grade, and they scared the crap out of me. :p

[Nurvingiel]

Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Day of the Triffids, and Brave New World all influenced the way I think about humanity, but from a sci-fi perspective. It makes you think that our future could be like that, what can we do now to avoid it?

Other influential books include Of Mice and Men, Dune, The Giver, and though I was trying to avoid saying it, Lord of the Rings.

I also love Arthurian legends, so The Mists of Avalon, A Dream of Eagles (series), The Mammoth Book of Arthurian Legends, The Winter King, Black Horses for the King, John Steinbeck's (incomplete) translation of La Morte D'Arthur, and The Sword in the Stone all influenced my view of fantasy in general as well as historical fiction.

Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa (the version translated from Japanese) is the book that has influenced me the most. It helped me understand important martial arts concepts, and a bit about Japanese culture, as well as an entirely different way to think about life. This is quite a personal book for me. I think it's time to read it again.


Some authors have written numerous amazing books that each bring something new to think about. For me they are Chris Crutcher and Barbara Kingsolver.
Chris Crutcher deals with very serious issues like bullying, ignorance, abuse, gangs, and rape. He writes from a teenager's perspective. I started reading his books when I was a teen and though I happily never had to deal with any of his main themes, I really think he understands teenagers. His books are moving and sad, but always hopeful. His characters are wonderful complex people that really could exist in real life, and you would want to know them (at least the protagonists). My favourite book by him is Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Whale Talk, and Chinese Handcuffs.
Barbara Kingsolver, through The Poisonwood Bible, The Bean Trees, and Pigs in Heaven has influenced my views on American politics, world politics, and people's attitudes. She has made me aware of issues I've never thought of before. Her books are amazing, wonderful, and moving. My favourite book of hers, so far, is The Poisonwood Bible. This book, several times, had me laughing out loud, moved to pity, horrified, and hopeful. She is a thoughtful and brilliant writer.


Books on my 'to read' list at the moment are:
- Everything by Barbara Kingsolver I haven't read (Prodigal Summer and Animal Dreams)
- The Bible
- 1984
- Sir Thomas Mallory's La Morte D'Arthur
- Some of Bruce Lee's books
- All of Chris Crutcher's books I haven't read (I'm shocked to discover there are quite a few)


All these books have changed my life in small ways. They have influenced to varying degrees my outlook on the past, present and future. Many books, like the Harry Potter series which I love, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, a couple of brilliant sci-fi books whose titles escape me, and numerous other unmentioned but great books, have all influenced me in one way or another.

Reading has changed my life. Without it I would be a much different person. I love books, and they have had small and major influences on my life. Without this passion for reading, I would certainly know a lot less about the world. I wouldn't bother strongly opposing censorship. I would probably less socially liberal. These are important parts of my personality - who would I be without them?

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

1984 is very good nurvi - a warning, if you will, against the perils of allowing certain types of people power (ie: stalin, hitler, napoleon I etc) a long drawn out book, but worth it in the end

i am updating my list now:

1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx
My Life - Leon Trotsky
War and Peace - Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
The Silmarillion - J R R Tolkien
The Book of Wisdom - Tenzing Gyatso XIVth Dalai Lama
Hitler's Legacy - David Alexander
The Andromeda Strain - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[Adonai Dragonwagon]

Books on my 'to read' list at the moment are:
- Everything by Barbara Kingsolver I haven't read (Prodigal Summer and Animal Dreams)
- The Bible
- 1984
- Sir Thomas Mallory's La Morte D'Arthur
- Some of Bruce Lee's books
- All of Chris Crutcher's books I haven't read (I'm shocked to discover there are quite a few)


Don't bother with Le Mort De Arthur unless you need to cure insomnia; there are like thirty pages of simply

"Kay fell off his horse. Sir Fancypants smote down the knight that smote Kay down, and gave his horse to Kay. Sir Huffyman (who is on the other side) grew enraged at this, and smote down Sir Fancypants, and gave his horse to the knight that smote Kay down. Kay in turn grew angry, and smote down Sir Huffyman."

There aren't actually thirty pages... but it sure seems like it! Finally, all six of the kings on Arthur's side are mounted again, on thoroughly confused warhorses, and then suddenly they fall off again for no apparent reason. That's as far as I got. Then again, you may like it; it's very poetic and stuff. I liked it alright for the first twenty chapters, but on page 35 or so the war started, and with it the falling off of horses and such.

[Nurvingiel]

Bwahaha!! Awesome Adonai! :D Too bad it's not going to be as entertaining as your rendition. :D I thought Steinbeck's translation was excellent (Middle English makes for slow reading), but he stopped about 75% of the way through, and spend the last 25% giving the lamest reason ever as to why. ( :mad: ) I would like to read it because it's part of Arthurian legendarium. It's not quite so high on the priority list though.

[Adonai Dragonwagon]

*bows* Thank yew, thank yew! :D

Seriously, though, that's why I started to read it; because I like King Arthur, and I have exhausted T.H. White. Although since Steinbeck did a translation (which I think I actually read a long excerpt from earlier this year, and it was stunning) I may have to read the 75% he did do; I love Steinbeck.
In fact, I have to list him among authors who have changed my life almost tangibly. "Of Mice and Men" was the first novel-ette thingy I ever read by Steinbeck. Some people hate it, but I agree that it's one of those life changing stories; not because it introduces completely new ideas or concepts, but because it's so breathtakingly real... I can't put it any better than that. :(

[Finrod Felagund]

Well Tolkien obviously...

The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay was beautiful

The Chronicles of Narnia and Screwtape Letter by C.S. Lewis both gave me very interesting insights into my faith.

Also, To Kill A Mockingbird

[Rían]

(edit - posted in wrong thread! :o )

[Elanor the Fair]

"Cry, The Beloved Country", by Alan Paton

I read this book when I was a teenager and it opened my eyes to the injustices of the world.

(And of course, "The Lord of the Rings" must rate a mention as the most life-changing book since it has kept me occupied for thousands of hours ;) )

[Nurvingiel]

I agree Adonai, "Of Mice and Men" was a very, very sad book. But it was good. It reminds me that I also want to read "The Grapes of Wrath".

And since people seem quite fond of this book in this thread... I'm going to put "Till We Have Faces" on the list.

Now... I read this great book ages ago, in which a high school is made to play a large-scale game for social studies class. Every student in the class draws a coloured strip of cloth from a bag. There were about four colours, and each represented a "class". The higher classes got certain priviledges in the school.
Soon, there were disagreements between the different classes, even though the poeple in them were randomly selected. Finally, some of the people got sick of the game, and staged a protest with the different colours of arm bands sewn together. Some people from the highest class opposed them.
I thought this book was "The Color Purple", but it is not. Has anyone read this book? I loved it, and I want to read it again.

[Lotesse]

"Makes Me Wanna Holler", by Nathan McCall

[Nurvingiel]

That one looks great! (Makes me Wanna Holler). I love biographies about interesting people. :)

So many books, so little time... (Now I want to read Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale").

[Lotesse]

"Kafir Boy", by Mark Mathabane. You'll never think the same way about buying diamonds again.

[Adonai Dragonwagon]

I had the opportunity to read The Grapes of Wrath earlier this year for an English literature circle, (in a group... oh, how I hate group work!) but I missed the opportunity in favor of Flowers for Algernon. That is also a very good book, but an easier one that it's not really necessary to do an in depth literary analysis on. Of course, I only chose the book I did choose because of a certain blonde uber-nerd at my school who is literally a virtuoso violin player, and incurably shy, in an attempt to make friends. However, he left the group before we even started reading the book, which I suspect was because of my precense, and I was stuck with a lazy group that made me do everything, but without Grapes of Wrath. :( I need to read it, though; it looks really good, and I'm going through a phase where I'm into depressing realistic books like that.

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

I have thought of another great one:
James Herbert's Fluke and also The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy(all 5 books) by Douglas Adams, so my list now reads:
__________________________________________________ ______________
1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx
My Life - Leon Trotsky
War and Peace - Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
The Silmarillion - J R R Tolkien
The Book of Wisdom - Tenzing Gyatso XIVth Dalai Lama
Hitler's Legacy - David Alexander
The Andromeda Strain - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Fluke - James Herbert
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish - Douglas Adams
Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams

[Lotesse]

Have you read "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"?

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

Have you read "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"?
no yet, it is on my "to read" list, along with terry pratchett's 'discworld' books

[BeardofPants]

I don't see enough people reading Frank Herbert's Dune. :mad:

[Beren3000]

I don't see enough people reading Frank Herbert's Dune.
Hello, Bop! I understand you've been away for a while (I haven't been around that much either, so I wouldn't know); in that case, welcome back :)
You know, I've heard you recommending Dune before, and I'm kinda looking for a new fantasy series to read. Care to elaborate on why these books are worth reading? (If it sounds OT in this thread just post in another thread or PM me)

[Spock]

With regards to the topic of this thread mine would be: "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountain Head".

[Beren3000]

A book that really changed the way I think is Herman Hesse's Demian.

[Earniel]

I don't see enough people reading Frank Herbert's Dune. :mad:
Maybe you should visit more often and make us. :evil:

[BeardofPants]

Hello, Bop! I understand you've been away for a while (I haven't been around that much either, so I wouldn't know); in that case, welcome back :)
You know, I've heard you recommending Dune before, and I'm kinda looking for a new fantasy series to read. Care to elaborate on why these books are worth reading? (If it sounds OT in this thread just post in another thread or PM me)
Read 'em, cos if ye don't, I'll kick yer in the nuts?
Okay, seriously - the books are a good read. The first one can be a stand-alone if needs be. The characters are unforgettable. The concepts of the storyline are/were unique, and it's a page-turner. What more could you ask for?

[Lotesse]

Spock - I'm so glad you mentioned those Ayn Rand books, I'd forgotten all about them over these last few tumultuous years and have been wanting to read them for ages & ages - gonna try to buy them today. Plus, BoP- I've heard good things from others, as well, about Dune. Hmmmm, looks like my reading tasks are set before me.
Anyone read Charles Bukowski? Try the book Hollywood - good stuff.

[Beren3000]

Okay, seriously - the books are a good read. The first one can be a stand-alone if needs be. The characters are unforgettable. The concepts of the storyline are/were unique, and it's a page-turner. What more could you ask for?
Thanks! :)

[Elenwen06]

I've read a lot of books that helped change how I lived my life. They include the following:

The Lord of the Rings (obviously) (Tolkien)
Animal Farm (Orwell)
Little Women (I don't remember right now)
Peter Pan (Barrie)
The Secret Garden (Frances H. Something or Other)
The Little Princess (Same as above)
The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck) (but in a much different way than you guys are probably thinking... goodness knows how much I hated that book)
Tuesdays With Morrie (I don't remember right now)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Twain)
1984 (Orwell)
And, more than anything, The Holy Bible (God)

I don't know why these books influenced me so much (except for the Bible), but they did. I mean, who would think that Little Women or Peter Pan would change someone's life, right? But they did, and that's all that matters.

[Spock]

I'd have to add The Hobbit and the LOTR Trilogy....indeed most of us would or we wouldn't be here :) IMO

[katya]

The Holy Bible... just kidding

Douglas Adams books have not necessarilly changed my life, but they have changes a little how I see things. It's not that I see things in the same way all the time but now I *can* and that makes a difference.

Lord of the Rings didn't change my life in the same way, it has certainly changed the way I've spent a lot of time so I guess that's a change in my life.

I think pretty much every decent book changes my life for a couple days. The most lasting effect though has come from a lot of Japanese books and things. Before, I didn't really have much of a sense of pride or honor, now I'd say my pride is one of the most important things to me.

The "Marvelous Pit of Procreation" book (not the real title, just a temporary joke title) is a book I'm writing myself now, and it's changing my life. Because of time, because it changes my opinion on writing itself, and because it makes me thing about things.

[Lief Erikson]

One book, "The History of the American People" had impact on me by showing me how bad history books can be. It was so biased, so one-sided, and so poor at choosing what subjects were worthy of attention, that I was strongly revolted by the book.

The problem is, I didn't know very much about the earlier periods of American history when I started reading the book. I knew more about later on events. Therefore it was only after I got to the later parts of the book that I realized how poorly the historian chronicled things. :mad: I read the whole book, all its hundreds of pages, and I did learn some interesting things. However, I also have trouble now because I don't know how much of my education I'm able to trust. Sometimes I have information in my head about an issue, but I don't know whether that information is reliable or not, or whether it's biased or not. :(


The Bible had a mighty impact on me when I was fifteen, and since then has been greatly important in my life. Before I was fifteen, I wasn't interested in the Bible much at all, and never read it of my own accord. Some ugly events in my life led to a dramatic encounter with God, and that completely changed my outlook on the Bible.

My other favorite book is "The Case for Christ," even though it's nonfiction.


I really like fantasy and science fiction books, but I can't think of any of them that made me think :(.

Nerdanel, you really should read "The Grapes of Wrath". It's excellent.

[Bombadillo]

*bump*
I would have started this thread if I didn't find it just now. I was wondering if having your life changed by a couple books was uncommon, but apparently not. That's good.

I read an abriged version of Tuck Everlasting in sixth grade. That was the first thing that ever got me thinking about how complex and eventually boring life is and how death is actually favorable after a lifetime of that. Sparked some deep thoughts.

To Kill A Mockingbird made the biggest impression on me, by far. I literally ask myself quite often "What would Atticus do?" I just reread it, and noticed that I've become very much like him. It actually made me proud. He's the man who I try to be like. It also affected me to a lesser extent by introducing that confortable Southern setting that I'm now in love with and wish I could live in permenantly.

Catcher in the Rye also saved my ass in high school. I don't know what I was doing, but I snapped out of it after reading this book, and it's kept me aware of certain things ever since. We read it as a sophomore, and afterwards, just for fun (we had the best teacher and class ever), we decided to cast our own film version of it. Then someone suggested that I should play Holden, and the teacher was so distraught about just how much I was like him, she thought the suggestion might depress me or something, and made us stop that game. *reminisce* I'm her T.A. now, and teaching this book. Half the class is bored by it, and the other half totally loves it, and there are no in betweens. I love teaching it to them all. I hope it's never removed from high school required reading lists.

Oh, I knew I had one more, but this is still working itself into my mind. Heart of Darkness by Josef Conrad. I read it earlier this year, and loved it. I've never read a book like that before. It was all surreal. Anyway, now, solely because of Kurtz, I'm making a conscious effort to be fully aware of my motivations all the time, and re-evaluate them regularly. His story actually scared me that much. Did anyone else read it?

[eowyngirl14]

pretty much every book Iv read has affected me in some way. the big ones are probably Riding Rockets, Rocket Boys, The Forever War, Into no Particular Night or Morning (a Bradbury shot story), Into the Wild, The Poisonwood Bible, and Touching the Void.
I let myself be affected by everything I read, its pretty amazing how much I will change my outlook on life or a particular subject just by reading a book, I dont know if that's a good thing or not, but its jsut how I operate.

(PS this is my first post in about a year! how is everyone? yea i know this is the wrong thread for this...)

[Spock]

OK, a year long slump and we get some new input. :)

For me; "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" qualify.

[E, LoR]

The stones of Mourning Creek like broke my heart. It was so sad!!! very well written though. I'd recommend it to anyone.

[GreyMouser]

OK, a year long slump and we get some new input. :)

For me; "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" qualify.

Why am I not surprised? :D

Liked "The Fountainhead", never made it through "Atlas"- went through a Libertarian phase for a short while.

I'm more impressed with Rand's non-fiction, largely because in her later fiction she stops the narrative while she throws in 50- page expositions. I found it extremely ironic that she condemned Tolstoy for just that- motes and beams...

Still think her best fiction on artistic merits was "We , the Living", though "Anthem" ranks up there with "1984", "Brave New World" and "We"

[littleadanel]

So many books around here which are on my need-to-read list.

And, unfortunately, the writer who made the biggest impression on me is one of me fellow Hungarians, so I can't really share it here... *wanders off to read some more*

[Spock]

Then too the writings of Charles Schultz and Scott Adams have had a huge impact on me. :)