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Reading is the greatest way to teach ourselves about who we are and the world around us. So what are the greatest books you've ever read? Which are the ones that have inspired you the most?
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Last edited by Mego Superboy Prime; Mar 7, '15, 4:29 AM. -
Total Literature nerd here, so I'm sure my list will be vastly different from most others. With the exception of the first book on my list, I've read each of these at least a half-dozen times in my life. And, in some cases, it's well into double-digits. I'm surprised a number of authors didn't make my list. No Hemingway. No Steinbeck. No Twain. No Dickens. No Salinger. No Shakespeare. Also, no nonfiction.
1. Ulysses- James Joyce. Read it for a course my senior year in college. To date, I have never read anything this challenging. By the time I was done reading it, for the first time, I felt like I had "done something" while reading a book. I had to read an annotation alongside of it, just to make sense of all the allusions. When all was said and done, I'd spent about 6 weeks diving into this mofo. I don't think I'll attempt it ever again in my lifetime. Maybe when I'm retired, but we'll probably have robots that can read for us at that point.
2. Where I'm Calling From - Raymond Carver. Not the first book of his I read (Cathedral), but it's an incredible compilation of his best-known works. As a semi-literate dorklord with a casual acquaintance of writing, I'm amazed by Carver's ability to strip a story down to the bare essentials and to slay you with a perfectly placed 5-word sentence. I cannot imagine how much time was spent sweeping away the detritus of most of these stories.
3. The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien. I stumbled across the titular short story in an anthology we had had to read for a creative writing course and was blown away by it. When I found the full collection in a book store my junior year in college, I snapped it up instantly and read it probably a dozen or so times over the next 2 years. The way O'Brien walks the reader through a fictionalized Vietnam experience is masterful. He tells much of the same story from multiple points of view like it's a curiosity in an antique shop. He tilts it and spins it and looks at it from every angle, hoping to make some sense of it. I loved it.
4. How Green Was My Valley - Richard Llewellyn. What an amazing book. I don't know what to say about this one other than it's a masterful examination of conscience. I've read it a number of times, and the more I read it, the more I find myself questioning the narrator, Hugh. Is he reliable? Is his story as "true" as his memory believes it to be? Or, is the story as true as his conscience will let it be? How does that affect the way you read the story? Darnit, now I'm going to have to read it again.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I was a little bit more like Atticus Finch. Heck, I probably need to be more like Boo Radley as well.
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey. One of the greatest final lines I can think of: "I been away a long time." On it's own, it's nothing earth-shattering. But, when you think of Chief, and everything he's been through, just to get to the point where he can finally break free and have that kind of realization, there's so much hope in those 6 words.
7. Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut. Another book on the atrocities of war from someone who lived through it. Just like O'Brien tries to make sense of war by looking at it from multiple angles, Vonnegut attempts to detach himself and make sense of it by detaching his protagonist from time. Does the bombing make sense when you're looking at it before, during, and after it happened?
8. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien. Read this book when I was in 3rd grade. Even though it's not a "grown-up" book, it felt like one at that age. After reading this, all those 3 Investigators, Encyclopedia Brown, and Beverly Cleary books didn't seem quite as interesting any more.
9. Ransom - Jay McInerney. It's not his best-know book (Bright Lights, Big City), but it's my favorite. I just love the way McInerney's character Ransom is always straddling two worlds - running from one, and hoping to be embraced by another. The book couldn't end any other way.
10. Different Seasons - Stephen King. 4 stories that changed my way of thinking about popular writers. King does not get the credit he is due. First, as a nuts-and-bolts writer, he has few peers from an accessibility standpoint (and, if you ever wanted to do any writing, you're doing yourself a major disservice by not reading his book, On Writing). Secondly, from a volume standpoint, his output is incredible. Yeah, a lot of that was during his coked-up and drunk years. But, wow, what a list. In a couple decades, I truly believe that his novels are going to be a staple in college courses and part of the literary canon. He still gets dismissed too easily as a "popular" writer. To those folks, I'm more than willing to point out that Dickens earned the same moniker in his time. Patience folks, King will be there eventually. Also, under strong consideration were his books, It, The Shining, Carrie, and On Writing. -
Some nice choices there Donkey. I think I've read all but Ransom from your list. I'll have to ponder this a bit, and post my list soon.Comment
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I cannot really use the words "inspired" or "greatest", but if I was stranded on a deserted island with only ten books strictly as entertainment,...
Dune - Frank Herbert
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Somewhere in Time - Richard Matheson
The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
About Time - Jack Finney
Uncle John's Gigantic Bathroom Reader
My BiblesigpicComment
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Treasure Island
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Green Eggs & HamComment
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It's tough to narrow it down, but these are some of the biggies for me. These are books that moved my life experience ahead by multitudes.
1. Post Office--Charles Bukowski. No book, ever, has had as monumental an impact on my literary life than the first book I read by Charles Bukowski. It's not his best, but for me it was the start of a life-long love affair with his work.
2. Krazy Kat and 76 Others--Fielding Dawson. This massive short story collection was my intro to Fielding Dawson, whom I had the honor of publishing in a little lit mag back in the early 2000s. Again, an eye-opening experience by a completely different kind of author than Bukowski (both published by Black Sparrow Press).
3. Pet Sematary--Stephen King. Not the first King I'd read, and probably not my absolute fave of his, but I have to pick this one because it was the first book of his that came out after I'd discovered him for myself. It was the first hardcover of his I'd bought, and it was a pretty scary read. I could just about fill my list with Bukowski and King, but I'll try not to.
4. Origins of Marvel Comics--Stan Lee, et al. 'Nuff said.
5. Catcher in the Rye--J.D. Salinger. Some call it overrated, but damn if this book isn't a kick in the pants to read. So lively and funny. This is a multiple read for me.
6. Zodiac--Robert Graysmith. Read my share of true-crime books back in the day, and Zodiac is the only one that literally made my hair stand on end. Even though there's been some controversy surrounding this book in recent years, it is still riveting and engrossing. Another one I've read at least 5 times.
7. Slaughterhouse Five--Vonnegut. Gotta copay Donkey on this one. Masterful work.
8. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues--Haven't read any Tom Robbins in I don't know how long, but once I read this one, I had to read 'em all. Robbins' wacky literary universe gave me a lot to think about, and they were fun as heck to read.
9. Ubik--Philip K. Dick. Got into PKD late in life. So far this is the weirdest and most enjoyable books of his I've read. Hope they can make a movie of it some day.
10. Wonderings--Kenneth Patchen. First collection of Patchen's "painted poems" I'd read, and, again, an obsession was born. Bought and read all I could find. When I finally saw some in person in a little gallery in SF I was surprised to see how colorful they were.
That's 10. I could probably create a totally different list tomorrow, but this is what struck my mind today.Comment
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1. The Stranger, Albert Camus
2. Dune, Frank Herbert
3. A Feast Unknown, Philip Jose Farmer
4. Tarzan of the Apes, ERB
5. Moby Dick, Melville
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
7. Time Enough For Love, Robert Heinlein
8. Sun and Steel, Yukio Mishima
9. The Iliad, Homer
10. The Odyssey, HomerComment
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10 The Great Gatsby.
9. Gerald's Game
8. A Clock Work Orange
7. Eyes Of The Dragon
6. The Road
5. In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash
4. Harry Potter (As a Series)
3. Watchman
2. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
1. Catcher in The Rye"Many Shubs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Sloar that day I can tell you."Comment
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The Stand. Planet of the Whistlers. Little Men. Friday.Comment
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Dracula
Frankenstein
Phantom of the Opera
Hound of the Baskervilles
A Christmas Carol
Conan the Barbarian
Where the Red Fern Grows
Flowers For Algernon
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Shadows of the EmpireComment
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Some great stuff on your list, too. Love Bukoswksi. Got 4 or so volumes of his poetry kicking around on my shelves that pick up from time to time. Such a great, unique voice. I can't tell you how many guys in some of my poetry classes tried to copy his style. It's a futile endeavor.
Also, I total know what you mean about a King book having meaning because you remember the first one you "discovered." I could have put a good half-dozen of his books on my list as well.
And, yeah, it was really hard to leave Catcher in the Rye off the list. As a kid who spent a couple years at boarding school on the east coast (and played basketball and baseball against one of the schools he named), this one resonated big-time with me.
Really great list!Comment
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I devoured King in junior high and high school, but started to lose interest some time after The Tommyknockers. Plus, I got caught up with serious "literature." Now that I'm old and want to enjoy what I read I'm back to King. I re-read the Bachman Books recently and then snatched up four or five of his more recent story collections. Great stuff.
I also ended up burning out on Bukowski. I had nearly all his books, even some rare ones, but after he died and they kept releasing more and more and more, I couldn't keep up anymore.Comment
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Don't know if I can rattle off ten due to the lateness of the hour and the mushiness of my brain, but a few really stand out...
CHILDHOOD'S END - Arthur C. Clark
A SEPARATE PEACE - John Knowles
WATERSHIP DOWN - Richard Adams
THE STAND - Stephen King
RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA - Arthur C. Clarke
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT - Anne Rice
DUNE - Frank Herbert
RIBSY - Beverly Cleary
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - Harper Lee
THE PERIPHERAL - William Gibson
THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT - Harry Harrison
Just a few, for starters...sigpic Oh then, what's this? Big flashy lighty thing, that's what brought me here! Big flashy lighty things have got me written all over them. Not actually. But give me time. And a crayon.Comment
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1.)Hamlet- William Shakespeare
2.)The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich- by William L. Shirer
3.)A Clockwork Orange- Anthony Burgess
4.)Tarzan- Edgar Rice Burroughs
5.)Band of Brothers- Stephen Ambrose
6.)Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
7.)1984- George Orwell
8.)Othello- William Shakespeare
9.)The Maltese Falcon- Dashiell Hammett
10.)Of Mice and Men- John SteinbecksigpicComment
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