This is not a list of books I’ve read recently, since I’m pretty sure that nobody other than me would really get into those (at least, out of those who read this blog). In fact, I'm pretty sure not even I was into all of them. This is a list of books that have been highly influential in my life, for various reasons. Any listed as “first book only” does not mean that I didn’t enjoy the other volumes – it just means that the volume listed tells a story that either was more influential OR it tells the whole story that the other books elaborate upon (OR, it means I haven’t taken the time to read the other umpteen volumes, since life is short and I have too much else to read.) I’m sure that this list isn’t all inclusive, but it’s close enough.
Links take you to Amazon. I'm not encouraging you to buy them as opposed to checking them out from the library (though, in case, I did pick links to the less expensive copies and better translations), but Amazon's got synopses and reviews to help you decide whether it's the book for you at this time. Titles arranged by genre then by alpha for your convenience. Hope you enjoy.
Non-Fiction:
Last Chance to See (Douglas Adams)
The Mother Tongue (Bill Bryson) *
How the Irish Saved Civilization [first book only] (Thomas Cahill)
Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer)
The Fourth Crusade (Thomas Madden)
A River Runs Through It (Norman Maclean) *
The Deer on the Bicycle (Patrick McManus)
Historical Fiction:
Baudolino (Umberto Eco)
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)
The Source (James Michener) *
An Instance of the Fingerpost (Iain Pears)
The Crystal Cave [first book only] (Mary Stewart)
The Once and Future King (T. H. White) *
Classics:
Beowolf (Anonymous)
Gilgamesh (Anonymous) *
Bacchae (Euripides)
Ars Amatoria (Ovid)
Antigone (Sophocles)
Eunuchus (Terence) *
Aeneid (Vergil)
Other:
Watership Down (Richard Adams)
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams)
Ender’s Game [first book only] (Orson Card)
My Side of the Mountain [first book only] (Jean Craighead George)
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein) *
Dune [first book only] (Frank Herbert)
The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis)
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) *
The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) *
The Silmarillion (J. R. R. Tolkien)
Update I decided to put asterisks (*) after those I suggest reading first. This was extremely painful – like picking a favorite child. I asked myself: which of these are most likely to be influential to just me, and which have the potential to be highly influential (and enjoyable, of course) to the widest audience of my friends and family. The results are above.
Updated 8/31/07 – 8:40am CST
7 comments:
These look promising. Which one should I start with?
Well, since you're already reading the Rand, I'd finish that - unless you're looking for a lighter book to read at the same time. If that's the case, I'd chose The Mother Tongue, The Crystal Cave, or *Dirk Gently.
If you're looking for something with more substance for when you're done with Atlas, it all depends on what kind of book you're looking for. Everything, and I mean absolutely everything, on this list is a great read. Maybe The Source (since it's not as well known) to gain greater appreciation for Israel?
* if you should chose to read Dirk Gently, I'd highly recommend becoming familiar with two poems, first: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan (both by Samuel Taylor Coleridge). The book is enjoyable, though, even without them.
hmmm....i shall give some of these a go...
Regarding the work load and the ease or difficulty thereof: A Ph.D would not be worth anything more than an elongated attendance record if it weren't difficult.
I am pretty proud of myself to have read a couple of the books listed. This is a great feat for me since i have only read less than 20 books ever. This is excluding all the young books such as the Box Car Children series.
I love the fact that you couldn't completely exclude the classics list and the fact that so many have influenced your life, even after your "disclaimer" in the beginning. You are amazing and I love who you are.
As for school, it's nice to see the gleam of knowledge and challenge back in your eyes!
Good hell brother, you make my extensive readings seem a lot like the Dr Suess and gang. I got about two chapters into Dante's INFERNO and just couldn't subject myself to such depth (interpretations needed for each stanza).
You are the learned man...
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