The Best Book(s) You've Ever Read

[Mitch]

has any book been "life-changing" to you? list 'em.

[preppyak]

hmm...i'm not sure I've had a book be life changing, though I know a few have influenced me greatly. Movies and CD's have, but books aren't so much my thing.

I know Touching the Void in book form changed my outlook on my outdoors stuff...and Mark Twain in general has changed and influenced my style of humor, but those are really the limits of it.

[RockVocalPower]

Yes.

[gilatron5000]

http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/5c/ba/9eb812bb9da087b84560c010.L.jpg

That's not me, but I bought it last night. It's amazing.

[TJ Wells]

Not according to Jim Gaffigan.

[dashboard1190]

I don't think a book can change your life unless it's a "Don't Jump" type of book.

I've read books that made me think and laugh and enjoy them, but not change my life.

[Mitch]

The only book that I've read that I really think of A LOT still and reference to in conversation is Scar Tissue (Anthony Kiedis of RHCP autobiography).

[Broken Parachute]

I think a book can certainly change your life. There hasn't been one that has done it for me though.

[gilatron5000]

On a more serious note from my earlier post, I do believe a book can. Whether you believe in God or not, you have to admit the profound impact The Bible or The Qu'ran can have.

As for the question at hand, I'd say the list begins and ends with The Bible. Ya' know, for me.

[alcoholandirony]

I think the Da Vinci code made me stop believing in god. Looking back, I realize that the da vinci code is as much fiction as fact, but I think it made me think about the possibility that god really doesn't exist. Then I decided that I really didn't believe in a god. So it did affect me, even if I realize a lot of it was false.

[x togepi x]

after I read "on the road" by jack keroauc I decided to change my major and go into a completely different career path, as well as start a band. so yeah, a book pretty much changed my life.

[Poultrylicious]

the Bible

[FOBcareemo]

On Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish-Theodor Seuss Geisel

[skibagirl]

On Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish-Theodor Seuss Geisel

what about Oh The Places You'll Go?

[FOBcareemo]

what about Oh The Places You'll Go?


Well, of course!!! All literary works by the doctor are sheer genius

[skibagirl]

Well, of course!!! All literary works by the doctor are sheer genius

definitely. :D

[hobbes2809]

I wouldnt be the person I am today if I hadnt read every single calvin and hobbes comic about 40 times when i was younger.

[Bishop]

The Bible would be one for sure.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is one that made me think not only of my lifetime but of my family before me and how they can affect you and then the effects that you can have on others.

27 Short Plays by Christopher Durang and All In the Timing by David Ives made me want to be a great playwright, comedic or otherwise and also have had a profound influence on what my sense of comedy is.

[I am all talk]

Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins contains all the secrets to life and it has most certainly altered my perspective on just about everything.

[oldwirehands]

The Alchemist. I wouldn't say it completely changed my life but it definitely opened up my eyes to a lot of things.

[miltownrob]

the prince

[GRIFFARD]

Areas of my Expertise-John Hodgman

[EyesOfMadness]

Le Petit Prince is a book I've had my whole life but when I studied it extensively in a french class a few years ago I learned alot of the themes and the meanings the book that, to me, was just a cool kids story. Many of the themes are very powerful and much of it changed my perspective on life. My favorite quote from any book ever is from Le Petit Prince. In french it's "Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible par les yeux." which when translated into english says "It is very simple: One does not see so well as with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes."

totally amazing book

[blinkonce82]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey..
It didn't necessarily change my life, but it did change my perspective on things. I understand why it's a classic novel.

[speakhandsforme]

Perhaps, yes, there is a thread already exploring this general concept, but I'll throw website-chivalry to the wind and go ahead and start the thread anyways.
So, what are the best written/most profound/most appealing/most respectable works of literature you've ever read? Well, post them here.

Here is mine:

5. The People Look Like Flowers At Last: Poems - Charles Bukowski

4. Life After God - Douglas Coupland

3. I Am Legend - Richard Matheson

2. Nausea - Jean-Paul Sartre

1. 1984 - George Orwell

[xfantabulousx]

to kill a mockingbird- harper lee
1984- george orwell
profiles in courage- john f. kennedy
the bible

[christopherzig]

hearts in atlantis - steven king

that book changed my life. such a good story.

[Blakebear]

even though there may be other threads like this I will participate becauseI really do appreciate learning of books that other people have loved.

Crime and Punishment
Catcher in the Rye
The Stranger
The Lord of the Rings

[notoaststereo]

5. Lullaby - Chuck Palahniuk
4. Thank You For Smoking - Christopher Buckley
3. High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
1. You Shall Know Our Velocity! - Dave Eggers

I made a list of all the books I read this year:

http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=235556&highlight=Book+List+2007

There's some good stuff on it.

[Ailite]

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

[dashboard1190]

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Alias Grace by Margret Atwood.

I highly recommend Alias Grace. I had to read it this past summer for my AP English class this year and at the time I enjoyed it, but by the time we were discussing the novel in class, I was so excited, annoyed, interested, and in awe that I wanted to do nothing but talk about the novel.

[dashboard1190]

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I'm one of few people who actually really disliked this book.

[funkel]

Top 3:
Leave It To Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Rising Sun by Michael Crichton

[gloriousmuse]

Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls <--the first time i've ever cried reading a book
Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
1984, Animal Farm - George Orwell
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
The Constant Gardener - John Le Carre

[eraserhead]

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is the book book I've ever read.

[rikfrommf]

good thread idea!

For pure enjoyment:
Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
The Hobbit
The Chronicals of Narnia
Da vinci code

For enjoyment/growth
Brave New world
Beowulf
The Great Gatsby
The Chosen
Siddartha
All quiet on the Western Front
MacBeth and Hamlet
Julius Caesar - De Bello Gallico (in Latin)
Virgil - the Aeneid (also in latin)
Things Fall Apart

Books that enlighten:
Mills - On Liberty
Darkness at Noon
The Federalist Papers

Tons more good books out there :-)

[dizzleforizzle]

black boy by richard wright
fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury
a lesson before dying by ernest gaines
my favorite books ever.

[S9Dallasoz]

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

[brentkid]

even though there may be other threads like this I will participate becauseI really do appreciate learning of books that other people have loved.

Crime and Punishment
Catcher in the Rye
The Stranger
The Lord of the Rings
I read The Stranger and at first I hated it. By the time I finished it, I was in love with it.

[drudo182]

I love, love, love The Beach by Alex Garland. Might be my favorite book.

[TJ Wells]

One of these four:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Blindness by Jose Saramago
The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

[strobelight]

hatchet by gary paulson.

[hutcher5]

Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman

[speakhandsforme]

Catcher in the Rye = good = overrated

[drudo182]

Nah, Salinger is a great writer.

Franny and Zooey is fantastic as well.

[yeknom]

Sun Also Rises - Hemingway
Cat's Cradle - Vonnegut

More Recent:
You shall know our velocity!-eggers
I liked both of Khalid Hosseni's books.

[lilRIPsta]

A Game of Thrones- George R R Martin
A Clash of Kings- George R R Martin
A Storm of Swords- George R R Martin

[Tom Good]

The Dark Tower IV: Wizard And Glass -Stephen King
A Secret History- Donna Tartt
Choke-Chuck Palahniuk
The Catcher In The Rye- J.D. Salinger

[BlackButterfly]

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Abby, My Love - Hadley Irwin (?)
Earth Children Series - Jean M. Auel

It is more, but its hard work to translate book titles, especially if you don't remember the authors name.

[DeadTreeForMatt]

Off the top of my head, I like books like:

I Am The Cheese, The Chocolate War, The Catcher in the Rye, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, High Fidelity, A Long Way Down, 1984, Animal Farm, Into the Wild.

I could probably think of more later, but that's a solid list.

[benjaminkfrom85]

The Field by John B. Keane. I read it again recently. A great great book.

[speakhandsforme]

hatchet by gary paulson.
The River, its sequel, is better

[allhourcymbals]

Dry, Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
Seven Types of Ambiguity - Elliot Perlman

[takingbackrufio]

1. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
2. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
3. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
4. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
5. Animal Farm, George Orwell

Honorable Mention: Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck - which really should be on this list but I quite like it the way it is.

[Blakebear]

I read The Stranger and at first I hated it. By the time I finished it, I was in love with it.


yeah that was pretty much how I felt. While I was reading it I didn't really care for it too much, but after it sunk in I realized just how powerful the themes of the book are, and how much I can relate to some of the feelings in the book.

[immorehxcthanu]

Catcher in the rye is good but I really like 9 stories, it's a collection of short stories by salinger. The first one left me with chills. I honestly believe that he is one of the best writers of the century.

[TMartin442]

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

[AntsInMyPants92]

post office-charles bukowski

[Adeniz19]

just finished slaughterhouse 5 and probably one of the funniest/silliest things yet saddest things i have read.

[TheBaroness]

Ulysses by James Joyce
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Moby Dick by Herman Melville

[AshesAshes]

I just finished High Fidelity today I loved it im just gonna throw a list together off the top of my head

5.Catch 22
4.Lullaby
3.I Am Legend
2.Fight Club
1.Enders Game

[ghostyouare]

I just finished High Fidelity today I loved it im just gonna throw a list together off the top of my head

5.Catch 22
4.Lullaby
3.I Am Legend
2.Fight Club
1.Enders Game
Whammy

[AshesAshes]

Whammy

Whammmy!!Do you still play wc3 or wow?I recently got a new computer and cant stop playing either

[ghostyouare]

Whammmy!!Do you still play wc3 or wow?I recently got a new computer and cant stop playing either
I still have both on my computer but dont play all that often. What server do you play on for WoW?

[AshesAshes]

I still have both on my computer but dont play all that often. What server do you play on for WoW?

I play on the Drenden server 4 members of my family play on it it's pretty sad.

[ghostyouare]

I play on the Drenden server 4 members of my family play on it it's pretty sad.
hahahaha damn, what level is your highest toon?

Im on anvilmar.

[mgrogan048]

atlas shrugged - ayn rand.
gates of fire - steven pressfield
harry potter
the game - neil strauss

[vixsummer]

the Dark Tower series - Stephen King
The Stand - Stephen King
The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
Lamb - Christopher Moore
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs - Chuck Klosterman
Diary & Survivor - Chuck Palahnuik (sp? I never know haha)
The Boy Detective Fails - Joe Meno
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis

Just to name a few...

[AshesAshes]

hahahaha damn, what level is your highest toon?

Im on anvilmar.
I got a level 19 Hunter haha,everybody else has level 70s so im pretty far behind I just started playing though

[pilot_light_out]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbowsky (A must read)
Hairstyles of the Damned - Joe Meno
Holes - Louis Sachar (the book is of course much better than the movie)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
A Separate Peace - John Knowles
Loser - Jerry Spinelli
Days of War, Nights of Love - Crimethink Workers Collective

[pilot_light_out]

and also

Lockpick Pornography - Joey Comeau


anything from asofterworld.com is brilliant.

[micahistheballs]

A Hearbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggeres

[killyourtv]

All Quiet on The Western Front
Catcher in The Rye
Skellig
The Book Theif
The Time Machine

Chyeaaaah

[Broken Parachute]

I've always loved A Painted House by John Grisham.

[Bob Payne]

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut and Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem.

[CubbyNick42]

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Native Son - Richard Wright
The Green Mile - Stephen King
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Moneyball - Michael Lewis
The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer

black boy by richard wright
Not a lot of Wright fans out there. I haven't read Black Boy, but Native Son is spectacular.

[drewhilty]

the great gatsby. everyone in my english class really hated this book
treasure island
The hobbit

[CyrusE]

Fight Club - Palahniuk
Survivor - Palahniuk
The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway
jPod & Generation X - D. Coupland
Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time - ?
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
In Cold Blood - Capote

[yeknom]

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut and Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem.
bingo on cats cradle.

[FondestMemory]

i don't LOVE a lot of books. the two that i do though are:

watchmen - alan moore, dave gibbons
the catcher in the rye - jd salinger

i read each one at least twice a year, and love them more and more each time.

i like a lot of books though. pretty much anything palahniuk, hornby or bret easton ellis.

[Until The Bombs]

Born Standing Up - Steven Martin

The first memoir I've ever read. I don't know why I was compelled to buy it, I'm not a particularly big Steve Martin Fan. Great read though.

[utgjames]

Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck
The Old Man and The Sea - Hemingway
The Watsons go to Birmingham [author unknown]
My Boring Ass Life - Kevin Smith
The Things They Carried [author unknown]
This is Your brain on Music

[.Nihilist.]

invisible monsters

[odizzle_word]

Ulysses by James Joyce
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Moby Dick by Herman Melville

I haven't read Jane Eyre yet, but I agree with the rest of your list. James Joyce is one of my favorite writers and Moby Dick is one of my favorite books.

[TheDemosRock]

I'm a big fan of anything by Kurt Vonnegut.
My favorites are Timequake and Slaughterhouse-Five. Cat's Cradle and Player Piano are close behind.

[FOBPrettyNPunk]

Timeline - Michael Crichton

[Sventhegreat]

Although there were some slower parts in it, one of my favorite books was the kite runner. i didn't expect anything going into it, and it ended up being really good!

[Momo32T]

1. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
3. Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck
4. Native Son by Richard Wright
5. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
6. The Beast by Walter Dean Myers
7. Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
8. The Stranger by Albert Camus
9. Caleb Williams by William Godwin
10. Fountain And Tomb by Naguib Mahfouz

[Exsanguination]

The Rules of Attraction - Bret Easton Ellis
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Virgin of Flames - Chris Abani
Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger

[notoaststereo]

you shall know our velocity - dave eggers

[hot time in DE]

The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
Paradise Lost - John Milton

I'm also really big on biographies.. I have about 4 going on at one time right now:

Edie: An American Girl (Edie Sedgwick)
Slash the Autobiography
Front Row the Unauthorized Biography of Anna Wintour
and
"Becoming Almost Famous by Ben Fong Torres

and Chuck Klosterman's IV.

[YearsGoneBy]

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
1984 by George Orwell

[AShannon04]

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolf
1984 by George Orwell

I've been meaning to read that. I've heard awesome things.

As for my favorites, I'd have to say A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. The Giver was awesome as well when I read that back in the day.

[fixatedon1star]

catcher in the rye
rules of attraction
perks of being a wallflower
running with scissors

all been said before.. guess i'm not original :(

[Anderson]

I think most of my favourites have already been mentioned.

1984
To Kill A Mocking Bird
In Cold Blood
Watchmen
Fever Pitch

I really like Nick Hornby and I like High Fidelity but Fever Pitch just resonated with me that bit more, but then I do watch A lot of football.

[recall reality]

The Cosmos - Carl Sagan
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea - Jules Verne
The Stand - Stephen King
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

...just a few that kind of stick out. Theres plenty thats been mentioned that I've absolutely loved, from Vonnegut and Orwell to Crichton. I suppose I'm sort of a sucker for some good science fiction/social commentary.

[CubbyNick42]

Timeline - Michael Crichton
Have you read much of his other stuff? I went through a Crichton phase about six or seven years ago and read just about everything he'd done to that point. I liked The Andromeda Strain and Sphere a lot. I thought Timeline was a little weak though.

[FOBPrettyNPunk]

Have you read much of his other stuff? I went through a Crichton phase about six or seven years ago and read just about everything he'd done to that point. I liked The Andromeda Strain and Sphere a lot. I thought Timeline was a little weak though.

I've been meaning to read some of his other work. I started Airframe, but never picked it back up again. The introduction about time travel and physics is a little slow, but the book just has a fantastic story.

[hero_dujour]

the perks of being of wallflower- stephen chbosky
speak- laurie halse anderson
a seperate peace- john knowles (read it for school, loved it)
da vinci code - dan brown
twilight, new moon, eclipse- stephanie meyer
the time traveler's wife- audrey niffenegger

btw, I've read catcher in the rye as well, but didn't find it amazing
is that because I'm not a guy? seems like its all males that love it

[Jessooker]

btw, I've read catcher in the rye as well, but didn't find it amazing
is that because I'm not a guy? seems like its all males that love it

i love catcher in the rye, i guess it's just personal taste :shrug:

[hero_dujour]

i love catcher in the rye, i guess it's just personal taste :shrug:

hmm yeah i guess thats it lol

[Neo Cassady]

The Rules of Attraction - Bret Easton Ellis
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Virgin of Flames - Chris Abani
Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger

With the exception if Virgin of Flames (which I haven't read), you spot on listed my top 3.

[boykosaurus]

Siddhartha, Cather in the Rye, and The Kite Runner.

[WakeUpBlondie]

The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde


I'm reading that right now for school, it's too good.

[_jonas]

i loved atlas shrugged

[lindZ629]

Current ones:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon
You Shall Know Our Velocity - Dave Eggers
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen

Of all-time...I'm not too sure