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Mine is
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This Book has changed lives of Millions of people around the world, and For years it has been a best seller. Here is one line from it and thats the Theme.
When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream
I have read the book a Dozen times over the years and i read it again whenever i need inspiration
The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer
I've only just read this one recently. It's not my usual fare and I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but by the time I finished this book I really felt like I had lived alongside the book's characters, in their time. I was more than a little disappointed to finish the book.
Added bonus: it's nearly 1000 pages long and not a single paragraph of unnecessary 'fill' to be found.
(and Catch-22 as my runner-up)
Are there any others like me - voracious reader but no favorite?
I read books all the time, but just as mass entertainment. Like an Arnold movie. I'm not looking for inspiration, I'm looking for an hour or two of zoned out. Two days after I've read a book I'd be hard pressed to tell you what it's about.
Thank goodness my local indie bookstore knows my tastes, tracks all the books I've read, and specifically keeps in stock titles targetted at my tastes. All I have to do now is drop in and say 'got any good books?' and the proprietor hands me my next three novels :).
Not much of a plot, but still a fairly useful read
Should be in about 15 years.
On the Road was an important book for me at a young age. Need to revisit it, might not resonate as much now. I gave it to a niece and eight months after she read it she joined the army and is shipping out to one of the hot spots. Er, ah... not the effect I expected.
I'm an atheist, but I have to agree that the bible, particularly the psalms, proverbs, and the books dealing with Saul and David, contain a wealth of useful information for helping to navigate a path through the experience of being human.
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai was a good one. So were various by Mishima, like Temple of the Golden Pavilion and The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea.
If you are anything Latin American (either descendant or live there), this is a important book.
Second runner up would be The Art of War, although that is more a hand book for life and business, then an entertaining book like the first one mentioned.
never felt the "childhood awe" in any other book like i did that one.
As an A's fan who enjoys the economics of sports - it's such a delightful read.
If you wonder why, pull it up on Google Books (or Amazon) and pick a random page to read.
Any Other Book Fans around ?
Yes there are I am sure. I hesitated to reply because of the difficulty of picking one.
One previous reply cheated by choosing the Bible (which consists of several books).I cannot even pick one per category.
Religious books: several by CS Lewis that influenced me a lot when I was younger, the Gospel of St John, Science and the Renewel of Belief by Russell Stannard.
Fiction: Pride and Prejudice, The Pickwick Papers, Gaudy Night (Dorothy Sayers), Brother to Dragons (Charles Sheffield), The Man Who Was Thursday.....and lots and lots more
Biography: Wild Swans, Surely you are joking Mr Feynman
etc.
I am going to push the definiton of a 'book' bit and say the six thousand page long novel that is encompassed in the 20 or so Aubrey/Maturin novels, by Patrick O'Brian. First in the series: Master and Commander.
An absolutely breathtaking series about friendship, honor, doing the right thing. A bit hard to get through, perhaps, because of the arcane technical language and details, but so worth it.
I am on my third go-round working start to finish - both reading on paper and listening on Audio, depending on what I find at the Library. A true source of pleasure for the past decade for me.
Amazing, amazing writing, wonderful story. Brilliant.
May I link to Wikipedia for an overview?
[en.wikipedia.org...]
AWA
Nowadays we are still purchasing "real printed books”
The internet, for all it's advances, still hasn't become the resource of books that I thought it might become. One can find books to buy.. one can read book snippets.. one cannot call up a book and read it, for the most part. I know that things are moving in that direction, but we are far behind my vision of a virtual library.
This is just an OT observation. Any discussion should be started in a new thread. Now, back to your favorite books.
Kenny
