Books that literally changed your life?
I plan for it to be the last book I read before I die.
you can't PLAN for that sort of thing!!!
you'd better read it every day, that's the only way you can guarantee it.
Hello everone,
I'm a complete newby here and don't know how active this thread still is. But I like the topic and I have a few books myself that have changed my life:
Ayn Rand - The Fountainhead
I must admit I only bought this book because it was on the Gilmore Girls but it turned out to be not only a mind-bogglingly good read but also showed me a new philosophy. Ayn Rand's objectivism isn't altogether my thing but parts of it have stayed with me and I actually live by them. My life has improved so much since then... I feel a little like Cinderella.
anything by Robin Hobb
Not so much because of the plot itself but because of how daring she is with her characters. She creates these personalities that the reader grows to like (or sometimes not) and then she does the most horrible things to them that could come to mind. It rips your heart out and makes you hurt all over. I would love to be able to write like that. 
I'm a complete newby here and don't know how active this thread still is. But I like the topic and I have a few books myself that have changed my life:
Ayn Rand - The Fountainhead
I must admit I only bought this book because it was on the Gilmore Girls but it turned out to be not only a mind-bogglingly good read but also showed me a new philosophy. Ayn Rand's objectivism isn't altogether my thing but parts of it have stayed with me and I actually live by them. My life has improved so much since then... I feel a little like Cinderella.
anything by Robin Hobb
Not so much because of the plot itself but because of how daring she is with her characters. She creates these personalities that the reader grows to like (or sometimes not) and then she does the most horrible things to them that could come to mind. It rips your heart out and makes you hurt all over. I would love to be able to write like that. :)
i feel immediately protective of you for mentioning Gimore Girls so early after joining. i've only been here 2 months and still would never offer up i know exactly which episode Rory and Jess talked about that book.
oops.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one...
if it helps, i just stumbled upon a thread about facebook (i love you monkeymike but i'm helping someone feel cooler, ok??), so we can officially throw aside any gilmore girls feelings of dorkiness!!
*steps into the impromptu confession booth*
an ex-girlfriend and i used to watch that together. i liked the tight dialogue, plus it was just amusing. i've always wanted to visit a small town like that, it's actually what i see in my mind's eye when i picture derek's candyshop in tuam.
plus, alexis bledel is adorable! i was rooting for her in sin city, even if she lacked moral fiber.
*steps out of confession booth, feeling lighter and happier*
i love you, berto!!!!
It's because Kerouac was a junkie hack. What type of fraud publishes his journal as fiction?
In response to sleeping on the lawn of a gas station: nothing spectacular. I've slept in the grass on the side of a highway. I could romanticize it by putting it in a book but truth be told, it wasn't one of my proudest moments.
I've always been pretty critical of the beat writers because I think they (especially Kerouac) robbed writing of its integrity and are part of the reason no one respects literature anymore. Notable exception: Ken Kesey (does he count as beat?). Hell, even he turned into a junkie hack after he started hanging out with the Dead. My favorite part about Fear and Loathing is how Hunter Thompson takes on the "acid is mystical" hippies like Huxley (even though I love him), and Leary. Unfortunately most just see Fear and Loathing as another On the Road which says "drugs are cool!" and totally miss how he's equating drug use to gambling and other vices.
"[B]eing good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two." - Ray Bradbury
I didn't get Thompson knocking drug use in F&L-LV. He didn't seem to knock it any more than he knocks life itself.
"They sold you hippies grunge, hip hop, now liberty activism."
In response to sleeping on the lawn of a gas station: nothing spectacular. I've slept in the grass on the side of a highway. I could romanticize it by putting it in a book but truth be told, it wasn't one of my proudest moments.
I've always been pretty critical of the beat writers because I think they (especially Kerouac) robbed writing of its integrity and are part of the reason no one respects literature anymore. Notable exception: Ken Kesey (does he count as beat?). Hell, even he turned into a junkie hack after he started hanging out with the Dead. My favorite part about Fear and Loathing is how Hunter Thompson takes on the "acid is mystical" hippies like Huxley (even though I love him), and Leary. Unfortunately most just see Fear and Loathing as another On the Road which says "drugs are cool!" and totally miss how he's equating drug use to gambling and other vices.
You've very strange views about these people.
I thought I had this quoted at the beginning.
Oh and I have another book to talk about!
Dharma Bums! It's confounding that a lot of readers, at least in my expirience, have never even heard of Kerouac. I've read Dharma Bums, Mexico City Blues(As much as a could)and On the Road.
The ideology he trapped in his books is definitely from a bygone era, which is really interesting. And also very important.
There was a part in one of his novels where he asks a gas station attendant if he can take a nap out on the lawn of the station. Perhaps that's nothing spectacular to anyone else, but its kind of gut punched me. Imagine that scenario in 2009. I don't think it'll ever happen again, or am I just being narrow-minded?
Ooops. Kinda sounded like a random rant. I'd assume the idea of Fear and Loathing condemned drug use is what you found odd. I guess a better way of putting it is that Thompson was arguing against the idea of the "doors of perception." Geniuses think genius stuff while on acid and morons think moronic stuff. It's not liquid enlightenment as Timothy Leary would have us believe. He wasn't saying "drugs are bad," rather that "drugs get you high, no more, no less."
"[B]eing good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two." - Ray Bradbury
Makes sense. I've found that to be generally true, though my usage variety is quite limited.
"They sold you hippies grunge, hip hop, now liberty activism."
Mostly what i thought was weird is that you blame them for taking integrity and respect out of writing. Being a writer has never been a respected position except for the rare few. Also, none of the beat writers advocate drugs, except for maybe Ken Kesey who made it his mission to spread the wonders of LSD to everyone.
That being said, i've never liked Kerouac. When Truman Capote heard how he wrote On The Road he said, That's not writing, that's typing. And it's more or less true.
That being said, i've never liked Kerouac. When Truman Capote heard how he wrote On The Road he said, That's not writing, that's typing. And it's more or less true.
That was what I was getting at. Writing whimsically without putting any thought into the end product may by chance produce something great, but it's not likely. It's kind of like Andy Warhol. I just don't see the aesthetic value. Beat writers liked the concept of being a writer more than writing itself. I feel that way about pretty much anyone who thinks they can just start hacking away and create a novel without any prewriting or research or at least some sort of mental outlining. I'm not opposed to journals like Kerouac's, people should write what's important to them. It just pisses me off that he had it published and wasted my time with it.
"[B]eing good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two." - Ray Bradbury
I don't know what prewriting is or what that would mean. I don't outline and i don't do research.
Everyone has a method and his worked for him. Like the man or not, he influenced a lot of people. And sometimes that's enough. Usually it is.
I want to write a book where I do absolutely no research whatsoever for it. And just have all kinds of things that would need research as part of the story and just make up shit that almost sounds like it could be true as "the facts."
That being said, i've never liked Kerouac. When Truman Capote heard how he wrote On The Road he said, That's not writing, that's typing. And it's more or less true.
That was what I was getting at. Writing whimsically without putting any thought into the end product may by chance produce something great, but it's not likely. It's kind of like Andy Warhol. I just don't see the aesthetic value. Beat writers liked the concept of being a writer more than writing itself. I feel that way about pretty much anyone who thinks they can just start hacking away and create a novel without any prewriting or research or at least some sort of mental outlining. I'm not opposed to journals like Kerouac's, people should write what's important to them. It just pisses me off that he had it published and wasted my time with it.
"These novels will give way, by and by, to diaries or autobiographies - captivating books, if only a man knew how to choose among what he calls his experiences that which is really his experience, and how to record it truly."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
that's the quote from the beginning of Tropic of Cancer, the book that most changed my life - because it was the first time i realized you could actually write WHATEVER YOU WANT.
screw structure and outlining and research, if you have IDEAS and the DISCIPLINE to buckle down and write, and the COURAGE to stop making excuses to yourself as to why you aren't writing (haven't studied enough, bad grammar may make me seem silly, i haven't taken the right classes) and just WRITE WHAT YOU FEEL AND WHAT YOU WANT, something amazing might happen.
it might not.
have you read anything from that era besides On the Road? it's like saying everything with James Dean or Marlon Brando in it is worthless because you didn't like Rebel Without a Cause. you can't judge an entire era by it's accidental poster book or movie.
i recomemnd Diane DiPrima, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. even if Kerouac isn't your taste, he drew attention to writers of this caliber.
is there a book that you LIKE? that mattered to you?
i've mangled this thread in a thousand ways and ending with those questions is my small attempt at putting it at least in the DIRECTION of back on track.
Ugh. To each his own.
is there a book that you LIKE? that mattered to you?
Several, but I had to look at my bookshelf to figure out which ones really changed me. Les Misérables, even though I saw it as a play first, taught me about compassion. A Tale of Two Cities changed my perspective of love. Catch-22 taught me that dumb people are everywhere and it's not something to stress out about. Great Expectations, Of Mice and Men, and The Jungle taught me that not all in life is grand. Siddhartha and Steppenwolf taught me a lot about spirituality. Every one of Kurt Vonnegut's books have been a significant read. The Catcher in the Rye was like the right book at the right time. The Art of War greatly improved my chess playing. I guess you get something out most authors, even if you disagree with what they say or how they say it, because you become conscious of another perspective.
"[B]eing good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two." - Ray Bradbury
The Catcher in the Rye was like the right book at the right time.
that's the perfect way to put that.
i'm especially partial to Sirens of Titan - and Slapstick, obviously. i like that consciousness of a lost audience, i was nervous with him through Slapstick.
i was nervous with him through Slapstick.
When I read The Secret History I remember her describing how cold he was sleeping in a loft with only a partial roof in a Vermont December... how the cold made his bones hurt and I could feel it. Such great writing.
"I thought I had mono once for an entire year. Turns out I was just really bored."
Wayne Campbell
The copy of Still Life With Woodpecker that i read was a passed around book - it had been through many states in its ragged paperback form, and somehow came back to the town where it started when i read it. it went on after me, same state, different town.
it pissed me off that the guy who started the passing along didn't tell everybody to write their names on the back inside cover or something, just to have some sort of record of how many times it had been loved. but i guess that would have taken some of the mystery out of it.
and Tom Robbins is awesome all around.
If you like Vonnegut's Slapstick, you should check out the incredible Slapstick of Another Kind. Featuring Jerry Lewis and Madeline Kahn as incestuous mongoloid retard twins.
that's the most horrifying thing i've ever seen.
EVER!!!!!
Proud Highway, the first collection of Hunter S. Thompson's letters, was probably the first book I read post school (ie. read for enjoyment). By default that has to have the most effect as it has lead to my house being littered with books these days. Not sure why I started with his letters before ever seeing or reading Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas or anything else he had done.
It certainly made seeing "Gonzo" and putting names to faces a much more enjoyable watch.
I find revisiting books like "Catcher In The Rye" and taking them out of the context of 'forced reading' and into 'recreational reading' makes them infinitely more enjoyable and me more appreciative of them.
Hmm I've really wanted to contribute to this thread, but there's so many books. Possibly Lord of the Flies at 14 (I had a good teacher which helps) opened my eyes, then Catch 22 at 16. I loved the mix of humour, desperation and horror. I could still re-read that again and love it.
"What cha readin' fer??"
Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
What I have shown you is reality. What you remember... that is the illusion.
DSM-IV. I hate that book.
So...We are still going to die. Right?
Now, this ^^, this is real humor.
Nevermind
Infinite Jest has broken my jones for longer books. I read it over a month's time and I really can't recommend it. While some parts are great some are just there. THe novel as a whole doesn't really go anywhere... A 1072 page novel should go somewhere! It's like this weird short story collection that doesn't tie in to anything. The characters in the several different stories don't really interact. It doesn't "tie together". It just is. You just have to appreciate every single word for what it is and not where it's going. Which is fine for a short story, I mean, I LOVE Brief Interviews W/ Hideous Men, but I really can't get behind IJ. My DFW recommendation is to start w/ his essay books, then read his short stories/ Broom of the System, then read Infinite Jest. If that seems like a lot, then there's a good chance you might not like the book anyway.
BACK ON TRACK!
My first foray into man v. society/ disestablishmentarianism themes was The Chocolate War. I've reread it since middle school and it's still a great book.
I have never related more to Shannon McFarland (Invisible Monsters) than I do right now.
What I have shown you is reality. What you remember... that is the illusion.
The power of One by Bryce Courtenay This book probably has changed my View of the world and how I see my self more than any other book.
Mines a silly story about a book changing my life.
When I was a kid I devoured Roald Dahls books but then when I ran out and couldnt get hold of the good stuff I lost intrest in reading.
Years later I got hooked on the old Alfred Hitchcock books, The 3 Investigators, they were fuvking awesome, but same story I ran out eventually and lost intrest once again.
Roundabout I turned 15 I was in the Supermarket with my Mum, I got bored waiting so picked up Insomnia by Stephen King, I vaguelly knew of the guy so faced with staring at cans of beans for 30 minutes I decided to read a bit. When it was time to leave i bought the book, returned home and read it through the night. Now Ive read all Kings books, moved onto a bit of Clive Barker, yada yada yada Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck, joined the Cult and in 3 years have a few adventures here...
Which reminds me I was going through my old books today and found my origanl first Chuck book, Choke it was and still my favourite!
Someone ripped off your face?
I wanna know if this happened or not.
Someone ripped off your face?
Naw, don't be silly.. I met a transsexual during my stay in hospital, who happens to be my older brother.
What I have shown you is reality. What you remember... that is the illusion.
You never met your brother until your stay in the hospital?
also, is he now your older brother or did she used to be your older brother?
So Choke is your favourite, but which one's your favorite?
"They sold you hippies grunge, hip hop, now liberty activism."
So Choke is your favourite, but which one's your favorite?
boring.
"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"
Choke the book or the observational spelling?
I just thought the comment about the misspelling was unnecessary and boring.
"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"
It's not even a misspelling.
"What cha readin' fer??"
It's not even a misspelling.
*yawn*
I want to go ahead and guess that The Beach is going to change my life. I'm still about 40 pages out from the end, but it's giving me the impression that in it's totality, it's going to get me where I need to be had.
hmm... brittish english and american english...I see...
I still don't find the comment amusing though.
"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"
Books don't really change my life. I change books's lives by giving them the honor of being read by ME.
I'd say The Bell Jar; I've not felt the same way after finishing a book since.
Im glad someone mentioned william burroughs as he made quite an impression on me. i think his level of creativity amazing, he never follows any rules, never any set situation, he twists everything into his own adaptation. he is more than anyone else, the person i'd most love to bump into for a chat in a cafe..yes...i have fictionalized that. I think he was probably a bit of an egocentric so wouldnt stoke his ego as so many have surely done..thats the price you pay for being extraordinarily good at something...everyone sings your praises..and you end up believing it. the best thing about writing is its ability to inspire and burroughs seriously makes me want to go out and live my life.
That makes me very, very happy. I'll have to reread it again soon.
i can't thank you enough for suggesting it to me. while i was reading it i almost felt my life become a shadow of Homes' book blended with Raw Shark Texts; an attempt to reconnect with the inner-man I used to know and love in the past and simultaneously recapture every present moment.