Books that literally changed your life?
The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald. The first one, The Great Brain, is the first book that made me cry. When I finished the series, I ventured into the adult section where the author's three memoirs were. I discovered how writers change an experience to make it mean what they need it to say. I realized there is a metaphorical as well as literal way to communicate an experience. That's heavy for an 11 year old!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Maggie Smith. It made that connection between reading and my own life. I experienced empathy as more than an emotion, more like an agreement between me and all people. (I was a VERY serious kid, ok!)
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger It cured my suicidal teenage angst and I became a truly joyful person. (I still get depressed, sad, etc,. It was and is my bible)
Letters To A Young Poet by Ranier Maria Rilke: It taught me me to trust myself above all others. Another "bible" for me.
Until I Find You by John Irving. It opened up my heart and I reconciled with my father after years of simply tolerating him because he lived with my mother.
There might be more.
This reminds me of the time that I got sent off to rehab (again)and I inadvertently bought A Million Little Pieces at the air port newsstand. It was before all the hubbub about it being a lie and what not and I honestly had no idea what it was about, I just liked the cover. It was colorful–it looked like cupcake sprinkles. So, then I started drinking. It was like 7 in the morning so the only alcohol available near my gate was beer at the hot dog place for some reason. Then, I got on the plane and asked for a bloody mary, you know cuz it's a classy morning drink. I proceed to get hammered and I start reading. By the end of the flight, I'm sobbing and the poor 13 year old skate punk in the window seat next to me is completely freaked out and trapped in there, I might add. Then I think I cried all over the Croation driver guy that drove me to the rehab. Then I don't really remember anything but apparently I was splayed out on the steps outside and I told a 1980's music video star/actress that I was buddha. She didn't believe me but we got to be friends anyway.
The End
This signature does not quote anything. Evar.
Are you saying you're friends with Tawny Kitaen?
There is hope, but not for us.
SHHHHHHH.
NO.
This signature does not quote anything. Evar.
I didn't like to read for fun until I was eight and someone in my family gave me the entire Little House on the Prairie collection. I went through every one of them back to back and ever since then, I can't imagine my life without books. I think of the kind of life I would have had without the influence of literature and I'm grateful to have found the spark when I did.
I don't have any books to list that specifically changed my life, but I have lots and lots of them that are dear to me for different reasons.
The Day on Fire by james ramsey ullman, it's a faux bio of rimbaud who i kinda wanted to be, the african part is silly but the rest rocks.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
I think this is the only thing I read where I said to myself, "I was born to read this. This is who I am." It gave birth to a new dimention and sensibility within me.
First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
I knew about the devastating things that occur to people in other coutries, but this was the first time I had any real understanding of the actual horror. This book changed me as a person. I was not socially aware before reading it. If I could get everyone to read just one book, it would be this one.
The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Jim Mason
I had been a pescetarian years before reading this book, but it was the first book I read that gave me an in-depth look into the evils of factory farming.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
For a little while, I thought it would be super cool to open my own restaurant! Then I read this book.
I don't have any books to list that specifically changed my life, but I have lots and lots of them that are dear to me for different reasons.
I loved those. I still have the complete set. Also the cookbook. Farmer Boy and On The Banks of Plum Creek are my favorites. I've visited Pepin, Wisconsin where she was born. There is a museum and replica of the little house in the big woods. (I have family near there so it wasn't like I bought a plane ticket just for this) Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060264187/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
I didn't read for fun until this book(s) would be a great thread!
I think this is the only thing I read where I said to myself, "I was born to read this. This is who I am." It gave birth to a new dimention and sensibility within me.
Is that why you chose your user name?
I'm pretty sure his user name comes from "Bug" a horrible movie about junkies.
"I AM THE SUPER MOTHER BUG!!"
I don't have any books to list that specifically changed my life, but I have lots and lots of them that are dear to me for different reasons.
I loved those. I still have the complete set. Also the cookbook. Farmer Boy and On The Banks of Plum Creek are my favorites. I've visited Pepin, Wisconsin where she was born. There is a museum and replica of the little house in the big woods. (I have family near there so it wasn't like I bought a plane ticket just for this) Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060264187/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
I didn't read for fun until this book(s) would be a great thread!
I also have the coobook!! Or had. It's at my parents' somewhere. I was so into her books when I was little too, and just pioneering lore in general. When you grow up in the prairie states, you basically can't walk without stumbling over a Laura Ingalls Wilder historical location, or a landmark on the Oregon Trail.
There is hope, but not for us.
The Savage Nation, by Michael Savage made me a staunch conservative from sophmore year in high school till I met libertarians around my senior year of high school, and considered myself a minarchist by the next year.
I'll be cliché and say Fight Club. A freshman in college, this was the existential slap in the face I needed to recognize the fleeting nature of my being. The film actually hit me first, but the book obviously was necessary to make the film, and was read shortly after I saw it.
The book I've finished about three hours ago, Non-Violent Resistance by Mohandas Gandhi has won me over to the belief that resistance by force is non-productive, even in the face of offensive force.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie made me way humbler when dealing with ideas I oppose.
"They sold you hippies grunge, hip hop, now liberty activism."
"I AM THE SUPER MOTHER BUG!!"
It's from the play.
And Bug Man wasn't a junkie!
"They sold you hippies grunge, hip hop, now liberty activism."
"I AM THE SUPER MOTHER BUG!!"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470705/
anyway Watch Out by Joseph Suglia was a life changing read for me, I realized i'm not nearly as horrible a person as i could be!
"I AM THE SUPER MOTHER BUG!!"
It's from the play.
And Bug Man wasn't a junkie!
Very good, yes, it's from the play, which I own a copy of, and which I've read many times, and which I worship. (Though I do enjoy the movie very much.) I really, really like Tracy Letts. He recently won the Pulitzer for August: Osage County. Which I saw, and I sat two seats away from Glenn Close. The guy sitting in-between us fell asleep during the play, and starting wheezing. It was irritating, but I felt too shy to give him a nudge, and I kept hoping Glenn Close would do it for me, but she failed me.
to be super duper honest this book changed my life, i was in jail for ten months and going mad from the idiots when i got this sent in.
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs totally changed the way I think about writing.
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."
-Ernest Hemingway
shit man don't go that way, that's a dead end man, people only read it cause its him but the books is crap.
I was obsessed with Burroughs for a while, and went through a whole experimental writing phase before I decided I really enjoyed traditional storytelling way more, no matter how cool the whole experimental thing was.
its art but that doesn't make it fun to read.
Art isn't supposed to be fun, Morey. That's what makes it ART. Duh.
There is hope, but not for us.
Well, he's not one of my influences, I write in no way like him. But that novel was the first "experimental" novel I read, so it naturally had an impact on me. Besides, that's the only book I've read by him, and it was tough to stick with it.
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."
-Ernest Hemingway
Robert Cormier strongly influenced me as a kid, especially I Am the Cheese. In fact, and I'd forgotten about this until recently, I tried to write for the first time after reading one of his novels in middle school. The overarching themes of isolation and redemption are with me to this day.
The Phineas Poe Trilogy, especially the last two books. Along with my awesome high school lit teacher, this is the reason I am a writer and an English major. Yeah. Possibly the biggest impact writing has had on me, ever. Plus his shorts, which I think I ape in my writing more than I'd like to admit.
Crime and Punishment, though this should probably go before Poe since I read it first. I was going through a shifting-personal-philosophy period my senior year of high school. This was extremely formative in shaping how I see the world now. Though, my interpretation of it may differ somewhat from yours, I think. Maybe I should say, my reading of this was formative.
I don't have any books to list that specifically changed my life, but I have lots and lots of them that are dear to me for different reasons.
I loved those. I still have the complete set. Also the cookbook. Farmer Boy and On The Banks of Plum Creek are my favorites. I've visited Pepin, Wisconsin where she was born. There is a museum and replica of the little house in the big woods. (I have family near there so it wasn't like I bought a plane ticket just for this) Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060264187/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
I didn't read for fun until this book(s) would be a great thread!
I also have the coobook!! Or had. It's at my parents' somewhere. I was so into her books when I was little too, and just pioneering lore in general. When you grow up in the prairie states, you basically can't walk without stumbling over a Laura Ingalls Wilder historical location, or a landmark on the Oregon Trail.
I didn't know there was a cookbook! I did go through a phase where I insisted on referring to bacon as "salt pork" whenever my mother made it for breakfast, though.
i used to make this stuff i called grub, it was meat and potatoes fried beyond recognistion (sic) served in a tin plate with a wooden spoon, my sister and i ate this almost every night.
Fight Club--got me interested in reading.
The Sea Wolf--got me interested in philosophy.
I don't have any books to list that specifically changed my life, but I have lots and lots of them that are dear to me for different reasons.
I loved those. I still have the complete set. Also the cookbook. Farmer Boy and On The Banks of Plum Creek are my favorites. I've visited Pepin, Wisconsin where she was born. There is a museum and replica of the little house in the big woods. (I have family near there so it wasn't like I bought a plane ticket just for this) Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060264187/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
I didn't read for fun until this book(s) would be a great thread!
I also have the coobook!! Or had. It's at my parents' somewhere. I was so into her books when I was little too, and just pioneering lore in general. When you grow up in the prairie states, you basically can't walk without stumbling over a Laura Ingalls Wilder historical location, or a landmark on the Oregon Trail.
I didn't know there was a cookbook! I did go through a phase where I insisted on referring to bacon as "salt pork" whenever my mother made it for breakfast, though.
That's awesome. My sister and I asked my mom for pig tails for dinner because of how much Laura and Mary enjoyed that pig tail in the first book. My mom was perplexed, but bless her, she bought and cooked them for us. (Not so good)
That's awesome. My sister and I asked my mom for pig tails for dinner because of how much Laura and Mary enjoyed that pig tail in the first book. My mom was perplexed, but bless her, she bought and cooked them for us. (Not so good)
Are there any "nasty bits" that you do enjoy?
That's awesome. My sister and I asked my mom for pig tails for dinner because of how much Laura and Mary enjoyed that pig tail in the first book. My mom was perplexed, but bless her, she bought and cooked them for us. (Not so good)
Are there any "nasty bits" that you do enjoy?
You made me blush!
I don't much care for organ meats. I will not try brains. I have tried tripe, tongue, chicken feet, and crickets. I have made sausage including buying and washing intestines. I do love blood sausage.
The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Jim Mason
I had been a pescetarian years before reading this book, but it was the first book I read that gave me an in-depth look into the evils of factory farming.
This arrived! I can't wait to start it. Thanks again for the recommendation.
I don't have any books to list that specifically changed my life, but I have lots and lots of them that are dear to me for different reasons.
I loved those. I still have the complete set. Also the cookbook. Farmer Boy and On The Banks of Plum Creek are my favorites. I've visited Pepin, Wisconsin where she was born. There is a museum and replica of the little house in the big woods. (I have family near there so it wasn't like I bought a plane ticket just for this) Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060264187/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
I didn't read for fun until this book(s) would be a great thread!
I also have the coobook!! Or had. It's at my parents' somewhere. I was so into her books when I was little too, and just pioneering lore in general. When you grow up in the prairie states, you basically can't walk without stumbling over a Laura Ingalls Wilder historical location, or a landmark on the Oregon Trail.
I didn't know there was a cookbook! I did go through a phase where I insisted on referring to bacon as "salt pork" whenever my mother made it for breakfast, though.
That's awesome. My sister and I asked my mom for pig tails for dinner because of how much Laura and Mary enjoyed that pig tail in the first book. My mom was perplexed, but bless her, she bought and cooked them for us. (Not so good)
Didn't they also blow up the bladder like a balloon and play with it?
There is hope, but not for us.
I don't have any books to list that specifically changed my life, but I have lots and lots of them that are dear to me for different reasons.
I loved those. I still have the complete set. Also the cookbook. Farmer Boy and On The Banks of Plum Creek are my favorites. I've visited Pepin, Wisconsin where she was born. There is a museum and replica of the little house in the big woods. (I have family near there so it wasn't like I bought a plane ticket just for this) Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060264187/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
I didn't read for fun until this book(s) would be a great thread!
I also have the coobook!! Or had. It's at my parents' somewhere. I was so into her books when I was little too, and just pioneering lore in general. When you grow up in the prairie states, you basically can't walk without stumbling over a Laura Ingalls Wilder historical location, or a landmark on the Oregon Trail.
I didn't know there was a cookbook! I did go through a phase where I insisted on referring to bacon as "salt pork" whenever my mother made it for breakfast, though.
That's awesome. My sister and I asked my mom for pig tails for dinner because of how much Laura and Mary enjoyed that pig tail in the first book. My mom was perplexed, but bless her, she bought and cooked them for us. (Not so good)
Didn't they also blow up the bladder like a balloon and play with it?
Yes! We did not think to ask my mom to pick up a bladder. 
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I just plain love this book
"What you don't understand you can make mean anything."-Misty Marie Kleinmann
"Sometimes a Great Notion" by Ken Kesey and " The Trial" by Kafka,
before I didn`t like to read
The Art of Hapiness - Dalai Lhama & Howard C. Cutler
it really changed the way I see other people. After reading this book, hating anyone is hard, if not impossible.
"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."
"Jemand musste Josef K. verleumdet haben, denn ohne dass er etwas Böses getan hätte, wurde er eines Morgens verhaftet"
Hey roos, wow, that's a powerful recommendation. I added that book to my books for later in my Amazon cart.
when i was in 5th grade i found a porn paperback in the gutter, before i read that i had no idea how many names there were for penis's and vaginas, its also where i discovered the word pudendum.
I warmly recommend this book to anyone. It changed my way of thinking a whole lot. It's all based on altruism and compassion. With just those components and a peaceful mind you can achieve true happiness. It's tremendously inspiring actually.
"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."
"Jemand musste Josef K. verleumdet haben, denn ohne dass er etwas Böses getan hätte, wurde er eines Morgens verhaftet"
I warmly recommend this book to anyone. It changed my way of thinking a whole lot. It's all based on altruism and compassion. With just those components and a peaceful mind you can achieve true happiness. It's tremendously inspiring actually.
This is the second book you've got me to order! Stick around, please! 
I'm glad to be helpfull and be able to get more people to read what I think is good litterature. Yeah, I probably will stay around, I enjoy the discussions.
"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."
"Jemand musste Josef K. verleumdet haben, denn ohne dass er etwas Böses getan hätte, wurde er eines Morgens verhaftet"
Yeah, I probably will stay around, I enjoy the discussions.
Good to know.
So what are some of your favorite books or authors?
Let's see...
Everything written by J.D. Salinger. the way all the books tie into eacch other in this amazing web is just...wow. I hear their going to publish one of his stories this year that was supposed to come out years ago but he had changed his mind. Cant wait!
Especially the book Nine Stories. That last one called "Teddy", is pure amazingness. His books puts things WAY into perspective.
Mirka, I cannot believe someone else liked the "Great Brain" books as much as I did. I still have all of them, and they are dogeared as hell, but I hope my kids (if, god forbid, I ever have any, so not ready) enjoy them even more.
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.
Yes, it is cliche, but I really do love this book. This epic struggle to find a place in the world, to surpass your lot in life, to know what it is to be driven by revenge or love, to discover the function of your heart and how it breaks, and how it can come to be mended...it's beautiful.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde.
I have read this book more than any other, and every time I do, I get something new from it. The story itself, the philosophy, even the style of writing, it's captivating. Much like in Crime and Punishment, the main character discovers that the punishments imposed by conscience are far worse than any awarded by law.
The Muse Asylum, by David Czuchlewski
Of obsession, of anonymnity and it's consequences, of love...this book is far too intricate to sum up in just a few words. Do yourself a favor and read it.
"...you want to be truly unselfish? Love someone or die for someone. Those are the only good deeds you can perform without any hope of personal gain."
Did you read his memoirs, HC? Papa Married a Mormon, Momma's Boarding House and Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse. It's really interesting how he changed the real events of his life into ones suitable and understandable to children.
The Muse Asylum sounds interesting. I'll check it out.
I haven't seen them,, but I will definitely make an effort to find them. The stories were so good, I even enjoy reading them now!
"...you want to be truly unselfish? Love someone or die for someone. Those are the only good deeds you can perform without any hope of personal gain."
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.
I hate Dickens with the fire of a thousand suns!
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Nothing else in my entire life has been as significant as when i was first given this book to read about five years ago. Read it twice in two weeks and four times before the year was out. Destroyed me in ever conceivable way and rebuilt me, hopefully better this time. But yeah, this book is everything to me. Raskolnikov's been a part of me since then. Always will be, methinks.
Charles Bukowski had a huge effect on me when i was younger, too. I don't read Bukowski anymore, but i think i learned a lot from reading him. His books comforted me at a very difficult time, anyway. Showed me even misery can be all right, that sometimes you just need to smile and keep going, that loneliness isn't as bad as it seems.
Arthur Rimbaud, sometimes i still think he's my hero.
Then there's all sorts of books that changed the way i look at words on a page or just narratives in general. Things like THE MAGUS, HOUSE OF LEAVES, THE BOOK OF LAZARUS, DERMAPHORIA, PHINNEAS POE TRILOGY, just about anything Stephen Graham Jones, MOBY DICK, and probably countless more that i can't think of.
I bought this based on your recomendation Janey. Its a real Everest of a book so I'm not sure when I will get round to it, looking forward to reading it.
"Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace changed my life in major ways. I read the whole thing (1000+ pages) while in hospitalization for depression, which a large chunk of the book itself revolves around. The book had a ton of technical information about depression, and had incredibly involved and sympathetic subplots revolving around things like drug addiction, psychosis, and perfectionism. It spoke to me from a place that no other book ever had, before or since.
There is hope, but not for us.