books that have changed your life

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  • Ajontheguitar
    Ajontheguitar Posts: 695
    so far my list is

    "The House of God" - Samuel Shem
    "The Great Gatsby" - Fitzgerald

    and this one is a little bit specific to what I do, but "Zen Guitar." If you're a musician of any kind--a must read.
  • SkateboardFi
    SkateboardFi Posts: 1,322 Member
    another one of my favorites is the ear, the eye and the arm by nancy farmer..WONDERFUL book
  • econn
    econn Posts: 157
    Bump:)) This makes me want to read more :)
  • bonjour24
    bonjour24 Posts: 1,119 Member
    the one that springs to my mind as a book that changed my perception on things is Shakespear's Julius Caesar!!
    we had to read it in school, and it changed my attitude towards education (because i enjoyed it!).

    a book that altered my perception of what i could do is The Women's Book of Running! no more excuses now that i've read it- just got to get on and do it.
    and also The Long Way Round by Ewan McGragor and Charlie Boorman. they take their motorbikes from london, through france, russia, mongolia, china, etc, and finish up in new york i think. it's about the people they meet and how they get by not speaking the languages, and just enjoying how hospitable people can be and the different experiences they have. i thought after that about comfort zones, and the things we miss out on by not allowing ourselves to experience things because we are too scared to.

    and as far as my favourite book goes, i'll have to opt for The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy- a totally unputdownable, thoroughly enjoyable read (if you like murder and grime and all that stuff!).
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    The Catcher In The Rye

    yes, i read that book last summer, couldn't put it down!

    I read it for the first time when I was 7 and have read it a million times since
  • bbush18
    bbush18 Posts: 207 Member
    I enjoyed 1984! I'm currently reading Water, Stone, Heart--I loved Will North's first novel, "The Long Walk Home" :)
  • gettinghealthy777
    gettinghealthy777 Posts: 223
    Lark rise of Candleford, the trilogy
  • felon72
    felon72 Posts: 21
    I just finished "The Art of Racing in the Rain", Great book written from a dogs perspective as he observes Human behavior and for some crazy reason longs to be like us.
  • ashesoh1234
    ashesoh1234 Posts: 132 Member
    Mountains Beyond Mountains. Amazing book.
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
    Native Son by Richard Wright
    Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
    Life of Pi by Yann Martel
    The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • BAMA66
    BAMA66 Posts: 240
    I am reading The Shack right now!!

    Great book, it is an entirely new perspective on things.
  • BAMA66
    BAMA66 Posts: 240
    Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
    Native Son by Richard Wright
    Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
    Life of Pi by Yann Martel
    The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    The Catcher in the Rye was a good book even though it was kind of depressing
  • BAMA66
    BAMA66 Posts: 240
    Terry Goodkind's "The Sword of Truth" series
    They made me realize how unbelievable some minds are.
  • BAMA66
    BAMA66 Posts: 240
    I also love anything by: James Rollins, Lee Child, Brad Thor
  • casey12105
    casey12105 Posts: 293
    We the Living by Ayn Rand.....I couldn't stop crying at the end. I LOVE anything by her!!! Also We by Yevgeny Zamyatin was VERy interesting!!!!

    This was the first book I read that had such a huge impact on me. We read it in highschool and I immediately fell in love with Ayn Rand and all of her work.

    Also, Eat, Pray, Love and anything by Augusten Burroughs
  • ennaejay
    ennaejay Posts: 575
    Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

    This is my 3rd time reading it and it still has not gotten old. It's a must read.

    Second this.. who doesn't like romance? :)
    Lark rise of Candleford, the trilogy

    I haven't read the books but you've GOT to see the BBC series off Netflix.

    Books that have changed my life? Hmm. I do have a couple to add:


    Blue Like Jazz -donald miller

    Leaves of Grass -walt whitman

    Martin Zender Goes to Hell -martin zender

    Hope Beyond Hell -gerry beauchemin (free edownload @ hopebeyondhell.org)

    Love Wins -rob bell
  • SkateboardFi
    SkateboardFi Posts: 1,322 Member

    Native Son by Richard Wright

    arrghhh!!! i read this book and i hated it, it was sooo depressing and i just couldn't get with it, but one thing i can say is that i never forgot it.

    another one is 'kindred', 'our nig' and 'not without laughter'

    'push' by sapphire made me cry, and 'for colored girls' almost did
  • edouglas3
    edouglas3 Posts: 13
    "the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy". as nerdy as it sounds, reading that book was the first time I ever felt I was smart.
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    swan song great book
  • SkateboardFi
    SkateboardFi Posts: 1,322 Member
    'the giver' is a greattttt book
    also 'the game'
  • SkateboardFi
    SkateboardFi Posts: 1,322 Member
    one thing i've been doing is going back to my reading lists form like middle and high school and reading those books again, loveee it, i get so much more out of them now since i don't 'have' to read them lol
  • Pfauxmeh
    Pfauxmeh Posts: 259
    The Perks of Being A Wallflower
  • shaverkl191
    shaverkl191 Posts: 131
    1984 - George Orwell
    The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
    The Last Lecture
  • trouserchili
    trouserchili Posts: 42
    Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
    Goals! - Brian Tracy
    Go for No - Fenton & Waltz

    Those 3 books are responsible for taking me from being an unsatisfied factory worker schlep to a successful business owner. True life changers that I heartily endorse.
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,809 Member
    Wurthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. This was the first book I ever stayed up all night to read and when I finally feel asleep while reading the book, I dreamt about the characters. For me this book was the beginning of my love of reading and that is how it changed my life.
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member

    Native Son by Richard Wright

    arrghhh!!! i read this book and i hated it, it was sooo depressing and i just couldn't get with it, but one thing i can say is that i never forgot it.

    another one is 'kindred', 'our nig' and 'not without laughter'

    'push' by sapphire made me cry, and 'for colored girls' almost did
    Yeah, that's how I felt about Native Son as well. I mean, I could get with it, but it was just like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    1. Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg.
    2. The Stranger by Albert Camus.
    3. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury.
    4. Animal Farm, by George Orwell.
    5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
    6. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold.
  • paradog
    paradog Posts: 378 Member
    Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
    Disposable People by Dr. Kevin Bales
    Problem from Hell by Samantha Powers
    Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
    Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman


    damn that was five there are so many more!
  • SkateboardFi
    SkateboardFi Posts: 1,322 Member

    Native Son by Richard Wright

    arrghhh!!! i read this book and i hated it, it was sooo depressing and i just couldn't get with it, but one thing i can say is that i never forgot it.

    another one is 'kindred', 'our nig' and 'not without laughter'

    'push' by sapphire made me cry, and 'for colored girls' almost did
    Yeah, that's how I felt about Native Son as well. I mean, I could get with it, but it was just like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

    LOL!! exactttlyyyy!!! ugh! i was like..no...No...NOOOOOO noooo..aw.. *finishes* *puts away* *shakes head* LMAO


    and whoever put the color purple i completely agree, GREAT book

    also a good book is 'their eyes were watching god' by zora neale hurston. beautifully written. has anybody read 'the golden compass' by phillip pullman? it was AMAZING with descriptions and plot. read it in 8th grade and it was my introduction into the fantasy realm. i was hooked!
  • shallo
    shallo Posts: 353 Member
    1. Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg.

    6. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold.

    Fried Green Tomatoes is a great book . I have The Lovely Bones on my bookshelf, I will have to get it down and start it.
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