Thread: Books that have influenced your life?

There were a couple:

Goblet of Fire- made me say "What the f*ck you can write sh*t like this and get away with it.

Casino Royale- Coolest book ever under 200 pages.

The Sun Also Rises- Nearly killed my interest in literature altogether.

The Kite Runner- simply a beautiful book.

MacBeth -Shakespeak
Catcher in the Rye -honestly don't remember
Metamorphosis -Kafka
Inkheart -Funke
Tithe -Black

Originally Posted by SparkyLT

MacBeth -Shakespeak
Catcher in the Rye -honestly don't remember
Metamorphosis -Kafka
Inkheart -Funke
Tithe -Black

Salinger. You should read his other novels. They're much more intellectual and philosophical (made evident not just by their themes but by the prose he expresses them through) but are very good. They're underrated, I think.

The Idiot- Dostoevsky
The Picture of Dorian Gray- Wilde
that original Zorro novel I can't remember the name of...
Fathers and Sons- can't remember, Russian
a few short stories by Gogol
The Canterburry Tales- Chaucer, that almost made me drop of of college all together, just to get some distance

I've always been kind of entranced by Russian writers. There's something about knowing how much they went through to write and what messages they put so carefully into their books that draws me to them and prevents me from ever being too critical of them.

A book called The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior. Its a movie now. It's not a particularly great read, but it is written by a motivational writer. And it made me really think about my life.

Is The Count Of Monte Cristo on anybody's list. Ive been wanting to read it for a while. Ive seen the movie, and can only imagine the book is a 100 times better.

I like Way of th ePeaceful Warrior as well. Like Vaulter said, not the most well written book, but something fun to think about.

The Count of Monte Crist should have been on my list and can't believe I forgot it. One of my all-time favorites- it will blow you away.

On the Road,
Grapes of Wrath
To Kill a Mockingbird (obviously)
Non classics:
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, I thought I he was writing about me in that book.
Social Blunders by Tim Sandlin Sandlins characters are way to funny and warped. Both of those books remind you that everyday people can be heroes in their own way

I suppose "Als die Freiheit noch zu haben war" (When freedom was still for the taking) by Arno Surminski. It led to a complete obsession with Canada, which over the years resulted in me emigrating to Canada and now leading a life I never would have dreamed of having when I was growing up.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. The first book I've ever read outside of high-school, and also the book that convinced me I wanted to write my own book. Looking back now, it's nowhere near Clancy's best, but it still remains one of my favourites.

Oh yeah, I'm going to add the fifth Harry Potter book (name's not coming to me), because I didn't even know they published fiction book that big. 997 pages. Yes, I remember.

I was forced to read Goethe's Faust. I secretly loved it.

Gotta hand it to Tolkien although LOTR can be a treck sometimes its helped me gain a better understanding of older english litrature!!

cats cradle and slaughterhouse five.
vonnegut is the best.

also, love is a dog from hell... poetry collection from bukowski. i can recite the damn thing cover to cover. it is surely the only reason i write. the only reason i began to write.

Originally Posted by Galivanting

cats cradle and slaughterhouse five.
vonnegut is the best.

Try The Sirens of Titan by him aswell. It was my favorite of his so far (I've read about 4 of his), it defiantly left a lasting impression to write a book as well as his.

"The silmarillion" by the Tolkinator simply because it opened my eyes to a world of beauty and a plane of thinking i didn't even know existed and taught me what love really should be, vis a vis Beren and Luthien. And also, strange as it may sound "The Farseer" and "Tawny Man" trilogies by robin hobb, simply because they taught me to forever conduct myself in a way that befitted a true man.