Five books everyone should read before they die [Archive]

Stranger On A Train

10-05-2007, 04:38 PM

Just five? Shooting from the hip, I'd pick:

The Cry Of The Owl -- Patricia Highsmith
Mildred Pierce -- James M. Cain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -- Mark Twain
The Art of Eating -- M.L.K. Fisher
Zorba The Greek -- Nikos Kazantzakis

Come back tomorrow--or indeed, in eve a few minutes--and I'll probably give you five more, like:

The Unbearable Lightness of Being -- Milan Kundera
Keep the Aspidistra Flying -- George Orwell
The Grifters -- Jim Thompson
Euclid's Elements -- Euclid of Alexandria
The Gulag Archipelago -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Don Quijote de la Mancha -- Miguel de Cervantes
Gulliver's Travels -- Jonathon Swift
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold -- John le Carré
...et cetera, ad nausum.

Hell, the only proper way to answer this is that there are vastly more than five books you should read before you die. A coworker of mine once reported that her boyfriend/fiance had only read "for pleasure" four books in his life. That strikes me as being terribly sad.

Stranger

blinkingblinking

10-05-2007, 04:46 PM

Douglas Adams- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Robert Heinlein- Stranger in a Strange Land
Orson Card -Ender's Game
Jerome Salinger- Catcher in the Rye
Jane Austin- Pride and Prejudice

Quartz

10-05-2007, 05:02 PM

Shakespeare - Complete Works
Dickens - Complete Works
Austen - Complete Works
Feynman - Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman?
Tolkein - Complete Works (when it gets compiled into one volume).

Bobotheoptimist

10-05-2007, 05:14 PM

Point of Impact - Stephen Hunter. Great action with cranky ol' retired Marine sniper hunting down the guys that killed his dog.
Moonheart - Charles De Lint. Magic and mystery in the streets of Ottawa. Great escapism fantasy.
Time Enough for Love - Robert Heinlein. Because I couldn't choose between all the great Heinlein novels
Band of Brothers - Stephen E. Ambrose. Miniseries on HBO (I think) based on this book. Follows 101st Airborne "E" company through Europe.
Neuromancer - William Gibson. Because this is the cyberpunk novel and what I sometimes dream technology could become

RMutt

10-05-2007, 05:22 PM

Catch 22 - Heller
Lord of the Rings - Tolkein
To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee
Slaughterhouse 5 - Vonnegutt
Candide - Voltaire

I'm glad you kept it to five, but it's a hard restriction to keep! How can I not mention Salinger, Roth, Updike, Darwin, Faulkner, so many more...

Dunderman

10-05-2007, 05:29 PM

Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut (other candidates: Galapagos, Sirens of Titan, Player Piano)
Othello - William Shakespeare (other candidates: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream)
The Demon-Haunted World - Carl Sagan (I haven't actually read this one (not for want of trying), but if even half of what I've heard about it is true, it belongs on this list)

RealityChuck

10-05-2007, 05:32 PM

The Sot-Weed Factorp by John Barth
Replay by Ken Grimwood
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
McTeague by Frank Norris
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

Miller

10-05-2007, 05:33 PM

The Turner Diaries, Tommyknockers, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and any two of the Left Behind books.

That way, dying won't seem so bad.

Dunderman

10-05-2007, 05:43 PM

Replay by Ken GrimwoodOh sod it, how did I forget this one? Strike that Sagan book that I haven't even read from my list, substitute Replay.

koeeoaddi

10-05-2007, 05:48 PM

A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey

Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About, by Kevin Trudeau

Find It, Fix It, Flip It!: Make Millions in Real Estate--One House at a Time, by Michael Corbett

Godless: The Church of Liberalism, by Anne Coulter

If I Did It, by O.J. Simpson

Okay, here the the real ones.

At least one tragedy and one comedy by Shakespeare: Hamlet and As You Like It

All Quiet on the Western Front

To Kill a Mockingbird

Pride and Prejudice

A Soldier of the Great War

susan

10-05-2007, 05:50 PM

Miller, you forgot Love Story.

koeeoaddi, you forgot the first edition of Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) (or as I called it, The Big Golden Book of Lies).

Miller

10-05-2007, 05:53 PM

I believe "repressed" would be the more accurate term.

ivylass

10-05-2007, 06:48 PM

I'm going to cheat and include one series:

The Oz Books, by L. Frank Baum
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker

Euthanasiast

10-05-2007, 07:11 PM

The best five books to understand who we are, how we got here, and why we act the way we do (read them in order):

A Brief Hostory of Time Stephen Hawking
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors Carl Sagan (or you can substitute Darwin's little book, though I wouldn't)
The Demon Haunted World Carl Sagan
The God Delusion Richard Dawkins
The End of Faith Sam Harris

Bayard

10-05-2007, 09:00 PM

A suggestion, tell us why we should read those books before we die. Why are those five books on your list so important? What kind of meaning do they convey?

Just making a list of books you like doesn't really make me want to read them unless I think there's something I could get out of them.
Fair enough. Now that I have more time:

The Unvanquished by William Faulkner
A good place to start with Faulkner. It's not heavily stream-of-consciousness, and it hits a lot of his main themes, most importantly the fallout down the generations of the Civil War. I like it because it's in some ways more hopeful than The Sound and The Fury or Sanctuary or a lot of his other work. The main character, Bayard (no relation), recognizes that his social system is cracked, that his father got what was coming to him, and that individuals have to break social norms rather than simply allow a perverse morality to continue. Nothing particularly ground-breaking in that, but it's very well done, and the writing is...well, it's Faulkner. The man was a verbose, repetitive, self-indulgent, freakin' genius.

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

The flip side to The Unvanquished, in which the main character goes along with a perverse system, all along "warming [himself] with [his] secretly virtuous insides". It's moving, less over-the-top surreal than most of Vonnegut's other work, and beautifully written. He creates images that are still fresh in my mind even several years after the last time I read it. It's a powerful argument that there is no such thing as an inner person, only the sum of our actions.

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
This is a non-fiction account of the Rwandan genocide. Gourevitch explains how thousands of people could be convinced to hack their neighbors to death, mostly because men on the radio told them to. He traces the completely arbitrary and irrational beginnings of the Tutsi and Hutu divide, and shows how political leaders exploited it to such an extent that even previously decent people went out and massacred their friends. If you wonder why a lot of us get wound up when people in the media villanize and dehumanize a group of people -- based on race or whatever -- read this book.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
This book was hilarious, and reading it made me really happy. Everyone ought to be happy sometimes.

and...
I can't think of a fifth one, and I have to leave now. So, uh, the OED?
Uh, because it would, uh, give you a real big vocabulary? OK, now that I have more time, I still don't know what to put down as my fifth. So...::rolls mental D20::...Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. Mostly because, the more things change, the more the stay the same.

Stranger On A Train

10-05-2007, 09:39 PM

I still don't know what to put down as my fifth. So...::rolls mental D20::...Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. Mostly because, the more things change, the more the stay the same.Ooh, good one. That one was so good, John le Carré had to steal the plot for The Tailor Of Panama.

Stranger

AuntiePam

10-05-2007, 10:10 PM

A suggestion, tell us why we should read those books before we die. Why are those five books on your list so important? What kind of meaning do they convey?

Just making a list of books you like doesn't really make me want to read them unless I think there's something I could get out of them.

Well, The English Passengers (in addition to being entertaining, witty, educational and humorous) made me think about colonization, especially its impact on native people.

Lonesome Dove I liked because of the characterizations, the scope, adventure, action, tension, and because I'll never go on a cattle drive. It was realistic, not romanticized, and never dull.

The Dollmaker gives some much-needed dignity to people we often think of as "hillbillies". It's set during WWII. Gertie Nevels' husband decides to go to Detroit to find work in a defense factory. His wife stays behind for awhile, and through incredible hard work and ingenuity, manages to save almost enough money for the family to buy their own land, which was the main reason her husband went to Detroit. Then she's pressured by her mother to move the family to Detroit -- "a wife should be with her husband". Gertie's strong, but she's not strong enough to resist her mother. Gertie takes the kids and moves to Detroit, without ever telling her husband what she'd accomplished. You gotta let the man be the man, ya know? Anyway, tragedy ensues. The Nevels story will break your heart, and you'll get an insight into a cultural shift.

The Book of Joby is also entertaining, witty, and humorous. It's a coming of age story that combines the Biblical book of Job with Arthurian legend. I liked it because the author wasn't afraid of stepping on Biblical or Arthurian toes -- he had a story to tell and he told it in his own way. I think that's brave. The book is a real page-turner, and nothing seems contrived. The story is natural. You believe in those people and understand why they do what they do.

Fevre Dream is a vampire story, also told without apology, or worrying about whether or not it fit with vampire legend. Vampires on a Mississippi riverboat in the late 1800's. Mark Twain meets Dracula, sorta. Martin is an exquisite writer.

TripleTee

10-05-2007, 10:44 PM

Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand
Lord of the Rings- Tolkien
Huckleberry Finn- Twain
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea- Verne
The Complete Sherlock Holmes- Doyle

I will list my reasons why these 5 books when I have more time.

dropzone

10-05-2007, 11:54 PM

23 out of how many, including some I never intend to read?

I'm gonna live FOREVER! :D

Windwalker

10-06-2007, 05:01 AM

Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami
The Hotel New Hampshire, by John Irving
The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
A Girl Named Zippy, by Haven Kimmel
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkein

The God of Small Things is probably the most beautifully written book I've ever read. I wish Roy had not gone over to the Dark Side of political activism. A Girl Named Zippy is an exceptionally cute and entertaining account of childhood in middle America. Hotel New Hampshire and Norwegian Wood are great (and very different) coming-of-age (and more) stories. Lord of the Rings is the necessary fairy tale about good vs. evil.

Cicero

10-06-2007, 05:45 AM

I have no credibility. For Christmas last year I got a book called 1,000 Books you must read before you die and apart from those by Dostoyevsky, I have read few.

TheMerchandise

10-06-2007, 06:54 AM

Some of my books I picked based on the writing and narrative of the book itself, and some for loftier life reasons.

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, by Tom Robbins
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel

John Irving is a modern master of classic-style narrative. A Prayer for Owen Meany is my favorite of all his works. I've gone through six copies, simply reading out a few and then loaning some out and never getting them back. The ending blows me away every in time I read it, leaving me in tears and in awe.

Tom Robbins has books disguised as rants... or rants disguised as books. Either way. Several times in my life, Robbins has put to print thoughts I was trying to formulate for myself, but could quite manage to put into cohesive sentences. And Fierce Invalids... has some wicked awesome n uns.

The Blind Assassin has some wonderful lessons on family and love and regret. Plus, my list was shockingly lacking in female authors. Plus, Margaret Atwood is a female author who rises above that terrible pigeonhole of the "female author" and become just a beautiful and thoughtful author.

Motherless Brooklyn's main character is an impossible one: A private detective with Tourette's Syndrome. Instead of being all the things a private eye should be -- suave, cunning, sneaky, silent -- he's twitchy and freaky and awkward. And it feels so real! Plus, I have a major crush on Jonathan Lethem and I know if I keep recommending his books, he will come to my house and want to be my boyfriend.

Finally, The Pigman was a favorite as a child. It put some important lessons into my pre-pubescent mind: Treat people as you would be treated, think of the consequences of your actions, don't take advantage people who genuinely care about you. Obvious lessons, yes, but not always to 11-year olds.

Bayard

10-06-2007, 01:00 PM

That one was so good, John le Carré had to steal the plot for The Tailor Of Panama.

Stranger
"Steal" is such a harsh word. Let's call it a homage. Actually, I have yet to make it through a John Le Carre novel. I did really enjoy the movie The Tailor Of Panama, however. I thought Brosnan was wonderfully smarmy.

John Mace

10-06-2007, 03:18 PM

Ferd Burfel

10-06-2007, 05:39 PM

In no particular order, and for no other reason than my love of the storytelling is as great on every re-read as it was the 1st time.

1. Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
2. The World According to Garp by John Irving
3. The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart by Lawrence Block (actually, the entire series, but if you force me to pick one, this is an excellent representation.)
4. The Past Through Tomorrow by Robert A. Heinlein (OK, it's a collection of short stories and novellas, but they follow Heinlein's Future History.)
5. (tie) Coma by Robin Cook
(tie) The Firm by John Grisham
(tie) Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton (all page-turning thrillers)

Honorable mention: Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Where Eagles Dare by Alistair McLean

Intelligently Designed

10-06-2007, 06:06 PM

Geez, TheMerchandise, do you know how tough it is to narrow it down to five? ;) Anyways, my list may not be the same six months from now, but here goes.

Replay by Ken Grimwood
Post Office by Charles Bukowski (in fact, all of Buk's works)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Words by Jean-Paul Sartre
Underworld by Don DeLillo

Chez Guevara

10-06-2007, 06:44 PM

Anyways, my list may not be the same six months from now, but here goes.Ditto.
.
.
.
Brideshead Revisited

A Bright Shining Lie

Catch-22

In Search of Lost Time

The Twelve Caesars

Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor

10-06-2007, 06:44 PM

well...

Huckleberry Finn
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
The Ancient Engineers by L. Sprague De Camp
Fear & Loathing On The Campaign Trail 72 by Hunter S. Thompson
The Complete Plays Of William Shakespeare.
The Straight Dope by Some Guy Whose Name I Can't Recall

Charlie Tan

10-06-2007, 07:10 PM

OK, I'll play:

The Pretentious List:

The Iliad by Homer
The Odyssey by Homer
The Aeneid by Virgil
La Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri
and finally
Paradise Lost by John Milton

Reading these in order provides the framework for all of Western Literature.

The Fun List:

A cold six thousand by Elroy
Perfume by Süskind
Lolita by Nabokov
The talented Mr Ripley by Highsmith
American Tabloid* by Elroy

Because this is how evil, depraved and ugly people really are. The good guys don't win and the assholes get away with murder.

*I'm still waiting for Police Gazette. If it's as good as AT and A Cold 6000, making it a trifecta, I'm hoping for an omnibus to include all three.

TripleTee

10-06-2007, 07:14 PM

Two people have mentioned "Atlas Shrugged". If you were only going to read one of Rand's book, I'd say make it "The Fountainhead". It's much more readable, and isn't so heavy handed on the philosophy. If you don't like it, no need to read "Atlas". If you do, then "Atlas" is there waiting for you.

I almost hesitate to bring this up, as it is not my intention to turn this thread into (yet another) Rand bashing fest. I hope that doesn't happen...

I completely disagree. If you are going to read only one of Rand's books, it needs to be "Atlas Shrugged." The "Fountainhead" can be twisted to mean, "Follow your dreams and be an individual," assuming you squint enough and ignore the plain meaning. "Atlas Shrugged" cannot. I know plenty of people who like "The Fountainhead" but do not like "Atlas Shrugged" for this very reason. They have convinced themselves the former means something different than the latter when, in fact, both books expound on the same philosophy.

If you are only going to read one book by an author, it ought to be their crowning achievement, and "Atlas Shrugged" is certainly Rand's.

Shamozzle

10-06-2007, 07:21 PM

For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway
On The Road - Kerouac
The Great Railway Bazaar - Theroux
Breakfast of Champions - Vonnegut
Any Bukowski

Sage Rat

10-06-2007, 07:22 PM

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Elfquest - Wendy Pini
The Art of War - Sun Tzu
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Honesty

10-06-2007, 07:31 PM

Sadly, I only have one.

Magic's Pawn - Mercedes Lackey

Paladud

10-06-2007, 07:32 PM

King Rat by James Clavell

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Atlas Shrugged (or We The Living) by Ayn Rand

Ender's Game by OSC

The Black Company by Glen Cook

WRT some of the other posters:

If The Blind Assassin is your top Atwood pick, you really should read more Atwood :) Edible Woman, Oryx and Crake, and Handmaid's Tale are much better IMO.

The Turner Diaries, Tommyknockers, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and any two of the Left Behind books.

That way, dying won't seem so bad.

I suggest trading the first two for more Richard Bach novels for the full effect.

TheMerchandise

10-06-2007, 07:38 PM

If The Blind Assassin is your top Atwood pick, you really should read more Atwood :) Edible Woman, Oryx and Crake, and Handmaid's Tale are much better IMO.

Oh, have 'em and love 'em. But loved Blind Assassin most-est. :)

Zoe

10-06-2007, 10:44 PM

Note to Intelligently Designed--

You mentioned One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. You might be interested in knowing that his son Rodrigez Garcia is a director, writer and cinematographer. He worked on some of the episodes for Six Feet Under, Carnavale, and the Sopranos. He will be co-directing a new series "soon" with Gabriel Byrne and Diane Weist. It's about a psychologist who needs therapy.

My five books of the moment:

GREEN MANSIONS by W.H. Hudson
TRINITY by Leon Uris
A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving
LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL by James Herriot

If you haven't read A Prayer for Owen Meany you must. My granddaughter's teacher recommended it to her when she was a senior. When she finished, she insisted that I must read it. Her grandfather read it aloud to me. It has some of the hysterical passages in it -- and some of the most poignant.

brendon_small

10-07-2007, 12:36 AM

Post Office by Charles Bukowski (in fact, all of Buk's works)

I think this one would go in my five, but since it was mentioned, I will politely second it and add a different into my list.

1. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott.

This is from my high school algebra teacher. A wonderful book that started many discussions about higher planes, philosophy, the Matrix movies, and life. I recommend it to everyone, with the recommendation that they also seek out that quirky teacher who I thought was so cool.

2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

A wonderful book about life as a kid, and written by (imho) a great author. I think this book is my favorite of his, perhaps one of my favorites altogether.

3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain (plus the short story "The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg")

Basically one of my favorite books from when I was in high school, then I read it again for two different college classes and took a much better look at it. Such a great perspective on society's problems that it isn't funny. (TMTCH because it is a good example of how people behave in situations, and the real meaning of right and wrong)

4. 1984 by Orwell

I consider it a good read, and it brings up an important discussion about what is known about whom. The idea of an all controlling force that is Big Brother, just spooky and thought provoking.

5. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

A novel that shows you life through the eyes of someone different than yourself, their experience with becoming more like the average person, and what happens to them. Really makes a person think about things. Plus, it is written in an interesting way.

Plus, I would like to add, short stories by Henry James (are they really able to be called short?). I never read Henry James before college, but once I got here I took a whole class on just his works. One of the best classes I ever took, so I always recommend him when I can.

Brendon Small

Beaucarnea

10-07-2007, 01:22 AM

One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez
He paints pictures with words- his verse reads so swiftly you’ve bought myth as fact before you’ve had a chance to doubt.
A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving
Foreshadowing sublime; read all in one breathless rush. I’ve only been so emotionally invested in a character one other time. And recommend it to your kids, or any young people in your sphere; from this story they will learn how to live big and certain.
Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card
If you aren’t a fan of science fiction, you will pass this one up based on the cover. Take it home anyway, and find a few hours to read in one sitting. Then rave about it, loan it to your friends, and do not expect it to be returned. I actually had my own copy come back to me once, and from a stranger.
Ethics for the New Millennium Dalai Lama
If you’ve a temper, this will lesson it. If you’ve a prejudice, this will tame it. If you’ve a thorn in your side, this will teach you how to endure it. And if you don’t find your particular insight in this one, try any in His Holiness’s series.
Prodigal Summer Barbara Kingsolver
Quick read with complicated interwoven stories. Kingsolver, a biology major, neatly entwines biodiversity, conflicts in relationships, and the inherent sexuality of a woman undefined by cultural constraints. (yeah.)

Zoe, you always make the greatest connections- thank you for posting the info about Marquez. I've some media to track down! And I'm with you and others on Owen Meany. I've never ached so much for a hero. I love this tale.

Siam Sam

10-07-2007, 02:05 AM

In no particular order:

The Penguin History of the World, by JM Roberts. 1100 pages of small print, and I've read it twice now, both times feeling absolutely stupid about stuff I didn't know. A good overview no matter what your political stripe.

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. Surprisingly readable and provides a valuable insight into the Zeitgest of the time. As one of my old History profs put it, this is one of those books you must read in order to be considered a human being.

Remembrance of Things Past or In Search of Lost Time, by Marcel Proust (will take you a full year, or at least it did me). Again, a fascinating insight into a certain time and place.

The Razor's Edge, by Somerset Maugham. This book was THE catalyst that made me break out of Texas and out into the wide world. Bill Murray was sufficiently impressed with it, too, so much so that he reportedly agreed to do Ghostbusters only if they let him film this book.

Don Quixote, by Cervantes. Regarded the first modern novel and another one on my History profs list of books to read in order to be considered a human being.

The OP mentioned Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins, but I was disappointed in it. Among other things, having spent some time in Laos myself, the notion of any ex-US serviceman from the Vietnam War living there in such a capacity is a little TOO much for my suspension of disbelief, as is the notion of Lao villagers sitting in rapt attention week after week for years listening to academic lectures. He even gets the raunchy shows in Bangkok's Patpong red-light district wrong. Surprising, since he's supposedly spent so much time in Southeast Asia himself. But even if I were unfamiliar with this area, I don't think I would have liked it. Much of his more recent work I've found substandard, and nothing he wrote before or since holds a candle to Jitterbug Perfume.

I think One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez is at least in the top 10 if not in the top 5, as is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Paladud

10-07-2007, 11:09 AM

Oh, have 'em and love 'em. But loved Blind Assassin most-est. :)

Sorry for the presumption.

Kalhoun

10-07-2007, 11:16 AM

...at least, according to you!

I’m going to bypass such trivial works as The Great Gatsby and Moby Dick and go with:

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, by Tom Robbins
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel

This thread is also my sneaky way of compiling an interesting list for a new book-buying spree.
I LOVE Fierce Invalids! Philip Roth's American Pastoral is on my list as an all-time great read.

OtakuLoki

10-07-2007, 12:54 PM

As other posters have mentioned this list is very much an ephemeral thing: If you ask me tomorrow you'll probably get a different list. I'll stand by the value of all these works, but there will be many others that are almost as compelling that won't make today's list.

Alexander Solzhenistyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (http://www.amazon.com/One-Day-Life-Ivan-Denisovich/dp/0374529523/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6847236-6065439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191778881&sr=8-1). If you don't know what this book is, it's the account of one day in the life of a prisoner in a Gulag. The writing is plain, the continual privation of the prisoners comes through vividly, and there is no hope, no resolution for what is going on in the book. In spite of that I have always been stunned by how beautiful the book is. It's not a happy work, but it's heartbreaking.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince (http://www.amazon.com/Little-Prince-Antoine-Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry/dp/0156012197/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-6847236-6065439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191778948&sr=1-2). It could be only a children's book, but it's so much more than that. Lyrical, and thought-provoking. I can't say more about it, except: where else would you learn that elephants need to be afraid of giant snakes? ;)

C. S. Lewis' works. I'm torn between specifically reccomending The Screwtape Letters (http://www.amazon.com/Screwtape-Letters-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652934/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-6847236-6065439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191779021&sr=1-2) or A Grief Observed (http://www.amazon.com/Grief-Observed-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652381/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-6847236-6065439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191779145&sr=1-2). Choose one of them for yourself. Both reward re-reading. Screwtape is a series of letters from a senior devil to his nephew, on the way to tempt his mortal into sin. A fascinating look at what evil is in a modern world, and an often damning (literally) condemnation of many of the more poisonous traits in Christianity. Grief is a lightly edited version of four notebooks Lewis kept after his wife, found late in his life, died relatively shortly after they married. The pain, and anger and doubt all comes through vividly. A fascinating look at a deeply religious man dealing with a loss all the greater for that he'd never expected to have the boon in the first place of romantic love. The movie Shadowlands seemed to me to be based, in part on these writings, but the movie cheated, by ending before Lewis' character reaffirmed his faith.

And now for something completely different. Or so some people might think: Any one of Richard Feynman's books of essays. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6847236-6065439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191779230&sr=1-1) is the more well-known of these books, but I really love the title essay from What Do You Care What Other People Think? (http://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/0393320928/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-6847236-6065439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191779230&sr=1-2) Both books deal with observations by one of the finest minds in the twentieth century, illuminated with self-honesty, and a wicked sense of humor. What I really like about What Do You Care is the way that Feynman credits his late wife with teaching him about what was really important in life.

Finally, since I think everyone should also read some fluff, now and then, I'll suggest Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-5567399-2800918?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Huckleberry+Finn) - the classic coming of age story, and struggle between what the protagonist has been told is right, and what he believes right to be.

phungi

10-07-2007, 04:32 PM

Because Salinger's Catcher in the Rye didn't tell the "whole story", add:

Franny & Zooey
Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters & Seymour - An Introduction
9 Stories

Knorf

10-07-2007, 08:50 PM

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
Roughing It by Mark Twain
Middlemarch by George Eliot

Honorary mention:
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
My Antonia by Willa Cather

Sci-Fi 5:

Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LaGuin
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

lissener

10-07-2007, 09:05 PM

Riddley Walker
Independent People
Hunger
Kristin Lavransdatter
The Dwarf

elfkin477

10-08-2007, 03:41 AM

I can't think of any of the classics I've read that are worth inflicting on anyone, so here are some more entertaining titles instead.

Jennifer Government by Max Barry
Although absurdist, this book has enough reality to it to make you wonder if it's possible.

Here On Earth by Alice Hoffman
Very real, very screwed up people show us how very badly true love can be when it runs its course.

War For The Oaks by Emma Bull
Possibly the very best urban fantasy ever written, and as a bonus it has one over few non-human leads that it's still possible to fall in love with. You'll want a Phouka too, I promise.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Atwood is very good at two things. One is writting short stories. The other is dystopias. This is one of the latter.

When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penmen
The 12th century characters in this novel leap off the page and set up housekeeping in your brain. I like all her books, but this one is my favorite.

Max the Immortal

10-08-2007, 06:05 AM

This thread makes me feel shamefully under-read, but I'd like to toss in Life of Pi, by Yann Martel.

tnetennba

10-08-2007, 06:14 AM

Riddley Walker

:high fives lissener: Russell Hoban is a personal favorite.

I'll say Charlotte's Web, Huck Finn, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Native Son. At least as books Americans ought to read. And they're all really accessible, so there's no excuse for not reading them.

Indian

10-08-2007, 06:21 AM

1984 by orwell can be one of the 5 . It portrays a dystopian world so powerfully, that it may leave you shaken for a while.

Since the author drew inspiration from real life communist countries, it was disturbing enough for me.

wonderlust

10-08-2007, 09:27 AM

War For The Oaks by Emma Bull
Possibly the very best urban fantasy ever written, and as a bonus it has one over few non-human leads that it's still possible to fall in love with. You'll want a Phouka too, I promise.I have this book, I've seen it recommended a kajillion times, I've been reading de Lint for years, but still I haven't read War for the Oaks. Thanks for your nudge. I'll read it next. :D

TheMerchandise

10-08-2007, 09:36 AM

In no particular order:

The OP mentioned Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins, but I was disappointed in it. Among other things, having spent some time in Laos myself, the notion of any ex-US serviceman from the Vietnam War living there in such a capacity is a little TOO much for my suspension of disbelief, as is the notion of Lao villagers sitting in rapt attention week after week for years listening to academic lectures. He even gets the raunchy shows in Bangkok's Patpong red-light district wrong. Surprising, since he's supposedly spent so much time in Southeast Asia himself. But even if I were unfamiliar with this area, I don't think I would have liked it. Much of his more recent work I've found substandard, and nothing he wrote before or since holds a candle to Jitterbug Perfume.

I think One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez is at least in the top 10 if not in the top 5, as is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Are you maybe thinking of Villa Incognito? Which isn't that great, actually.

The action in Fierce Invalids takes place primarily along the Amazon and Syria.

Jeez, unless my mind is blanking a big part of the book...

betenoir

10-08-2007, 10:47 AM

The Bible, You don't have to believe it...lord knows I don't... but it's part of our cultural heritage. Ok you don't have to read all the begats and such, but Genesis, Exodus, Revelation and a few others if you want to understand your fellow humans

!984. Which stadly will also tell you quite a bit about your fellow humans. (And if you want to right anything Politics and the English Language...and pretty much anything by Eric Blair.)

Guns Germs and Steel. Mandatory.

Alice in Wonderland.

Anna Karinia

Siam Sam

10-08-2007, 10:23 PM

Are you maybe thinking of Villa Incognito? Which isn't that great, actually.

The action in Fierce Invalids takes place primarily along the Amazon and Syria.

:smack: Yes, as a matter off act I am thinking of Villa Incognito, now that you mention it. I admit I liked Fierce Invalids now that I've got it straight which one it is. Still, I can't imagine anyone liking any of Robbins' books better than Jitterbug Perfume. That was his big 5-star epic. But thanks for setting me straight.

But looking over this thread, I'm seeing more "Books I Personally Like, but They May Not Have Universal Appeal" than I am "Books Everyone Should read."

I will never forgive myself for not making my old History prof write out his list of books you need to read in order to be a human being, like Don Quixote. Each time one of these works popped up during the course of his lectures, he'd say, "It's one of the books you need to read in order to consider yourself a human being."

Siam Sam

10-08-2007, 10:24 PM

Oh, and a side note to Fierce Invalids: He mentions Safari Bar in Patpong rather prominently. Yes, it exists, and I spend some time there myself. :D

eleanorigby

10-09-2007, 09:28 AM

So many good choices here-a lot of them I've never read. I must get less lazy in my reading...

Here are 5, but there are many more (of course)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Her use of language-the sheer clarity of it continually pleases and astounds me.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. Learn more about what it means to be human and individual through his essays and sketches of the inhumanity of disease and deficits.

A Little Black Book of Stories by A. S. Byatt. Fairy tales for grown ups. Intriguing stories of Love, Passion and Death.

Either "MacBeth" or "Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare (I know, odd combo, but I love them both so much....)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. There are other Great American Novels, but this one seems most accessible to the age we live in now, IMO.

Other Choices (not that you asked)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Thought provoking no matter your age.

Two short stories by Raymond Carver: "A Small, Good Thing" and "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love". The first deals with loss and rebirth, the second with love and fear.

Poetry of W.H. Auden. I like his lean-ness and sparsity.

On Being Born and Other Difficulties by F. Gonzalez-Crussi. A fascinating look at us, from evolutionary history to the ethics of modern obstetrics.

My Life and Welcome to It by James Thurber

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. A book of one woman's spiritual journey-no holds barred.

Oh, and if I were to suggest an Ayn Rand, it would be Anthem--not the other two.

And many, many more....

Siam Sam

10-24-2007, 10:45 PM

...at least, according to you!

I’m going to bypass such trivial works as The Great Gatsby and Moby Dick and go with:

Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, by Tom Robbins

Speaking of Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climes, I thought I'd mention to the OP and other fans of the book that last night (Wednesday night), I whiled away a pleasant evening in Safari Bar, prominently mentioned in the book. It's a great place, one of the better bars in Patpong. A large-ish bar, with cheap beer and wall-to-wall 1980s music. Quite a few cuties running around in various stages of undress, and even the Old Mamas still working there give an expert bar massage, which is a neck, shoulder and back rub while you're sitting there enjoying your cold frostie. Obviously Tom Robbins is familiar with the place, and so I often wonder when I'm in there if he is, too. (I've seen his photo, but I can never remember what he looks like.)

Auntbeast

10-25-2007, 12:13 AM

I need to stop reading these threads...I'm being crushed under the weight of the books I MUST READ RIGHT NOW!!!!1!!!! I'll try for some that aren't already listed.

1. Atlas Shrugged-Sorry naysayers, in spite of the preaching, I love the story and the idea that great is great. When I get sick of the lowest common denominator world I live in, I reread this.

2. Botany of Desire-Michael Pollan- A fascinating look at how our desires have shaped our food. I adore all of his books. Omnivore's Dilemma would be my back up recommendation by him.

3. The Covenant-James Michener- A beautifully told story of South Africa.

4. Alas, Babylon-Pat Frank-Post-apocolyptic novel written I believe, in the 50's. Shockingly current.

5. Earth Abides, A Handmaid''s Tale, Brave New World, Parable of the Sower and the 150 other dystopian novels on my list that I know I'll love but haven't gotten to.

TheMerchandise

10-25-2007, 01:30 PM

Speaking of Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climes, I thought I'd mention to the OP and other fans of the book that last night (Wednesday night), I whiled away a pleasant evening in Safari Bar, prominently mentioned in the book. It's a great place, one of the better bars in Patpong. A large-ish bar, with cheap beer and wall-to-wall 1980s music. Quite a few cuties running around in various stages of undress, and even the Old Mamas still working there give an expert bar massage, which is a neck, shoulder and back rub while you're sitting there enjoying your cold frostie. Obviously Tom Robbins is familiar with the place, and so I often wonder when I'm in there if he is, too. (I've seen his photo, but I can never remember what he looks like.)

Oooooh, this is awesome. I love finding myself in real places mentioned in fictional works. It's an odd bridging of the gap between reality and pretend.

2. Botany of Desire-Michael Pollan- A fascinating look at how our desires have shaped our food. I adore all of his books. Omnivore's Dilemma would be my back up recommendation by him.

I'm reading Omnivore's Dilemma. I find it very fascinating, but it's made me very paranoid about corn. Corn is evil! It's destroying us all!

Eutychus

10-25-2007, 03:57 PM

Ancient Lights by Davis Grubb
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Atlas by Glen Baxter

Siam Sam

10-25-2007, 11:10 PM

Oooooh, this is awesome. I love finding myself in real places mentioned in fictional works. It's an odd bridging of the gap between reality and pretend.
Safari Bar does not seem to have its own website, but it's been around for years, decades actually. There's a short review of the place here (http://www.thailand.com/travel/nightlife/nightlife_bangkok_patpongsafari.htm). And the beer prices quoted are actually a little higher than they are now. Singha, my favorite, goes for only 60 baht all night long, which is about US$1.75.

Saratoga Sam

10-26-2007, 08:16 AM

For a thread about Five Books You Should Read Before You Die there's a surprisingly lack of religion here. I'd expect to see The Bible, The Talamud, The Koran, The Teachings of Buddha, maybe even The Book of Mormon (hey, you never know...).

But I'll go with the flow and list books I've actually read and liked and that are unlikely to be required reading for any school in the world:

At the Edge of the World - Collected short stories of Lord Dunsany
The Maltese Falcon - Dashiel Hammett
Memoirs of an Amnesiac - Oscar Levant
The Devil's Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce
Mr. American - George MacDonald Fraser

LonesomePolecat

10-26-2007, 08:50 AM

Eric Hoffer's The True Believer

Orwell's 1984

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

The Bhagavad-Gita

The Bible. Not necessarily the whole thing--I certainly wouldn't demand that anyone struggle all the way through all those "begats." But one should at least have some familiarity with the Pentateuch and the Gospels, and a few other books such as Ecclesiastes, Job, The Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ruth, the Acts, Paul's Letters and maybe Revelation. YMMV.

One might substitute the Homeric epics for the Bhagavad-Gita or the Meditations. (Okay, maybe I'm cheating by counting them as one book.)

Zebra

10-26-2007, 09:07 AM

Hummmm...

Lolita - Nabakov
Catch-22 Heller
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
The Curse of Lono - Hunter S. Thompson
Uncle Shelby's A, B, Z Book - Shel Silverstein

aldiboronti

10-26-2007, 10:31 AM

Homer, The Iliad
Livy, The History
Montaigne, The Essays
Shakespeare, Hamlet
Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

It is, of course, an impossible choice and there are a hundred others equally deserving of a place.

ForumBot

10-26-2007, 10:58 AM

Frank Herbert - Dune. Combines every single one of my favorite studies into one book of fiction. Politics, drugs, economics, religious war, space travel, conspiracy--you name it, this book has it.

lobstermobster

10-26-2007, 11:09 AM

Of Human Bondage - Maugham
East of Eden - Steinbeck
The Handmaid's Tale - Atwood
Kafka on the Shore - Murakami
The World According to Garp -Irving

Creaky

10-26-2007, 05:13 PM

Rand McNally, you make a good point.

Here are my books, although I don't know if you absolutely need to read 'em before you die. They're just books that have made a deep impression on me and that I read over and over again. I don't own more than 50 books, but these are some of the ones I do own. I honestly could only think of four.

1. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Just an all-around awesome adventure book. Takes place in mid-eighteenth century Scotland not long after the Jacobite Rebellion, which resulted in England chasing Bonnie Prince Charlie outta Scotland to France and the subsequent political ripples. It's about a kid who has just about the worst luck possible after discovering he's heir to the family fortune. His nasty uncle has him kidnapped and sent away to sea, presumably to become a slave in the Carolinas. Kid meets Alan Breck, Jacobite rebel, while on board ship. Ship hits rocks in storm and sinks. Kid gets to shore and the real adventure starts. This book just really engaged me. Great story, real characters, and a painless way to learn cool Scottish history. Robert Louis Stevenson himself said that this was his favorite thing he ever wrote. No wonder there have been several good movie adaptations, all of which I've seen and liked for different reasons.

2. The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis.
Like it says in the title, a series of letters sent to the demon Wormwood, assigned to a human on Earth, from his uncle Screwtape in Hell. Premise is that Hell is like this big government bureacracy. Uncle, who is big cheese in the gov't. Down There (like probably a GS-15 or something :D ), is keeping a watchful eye on Nephew as he tackles his first assignment, a very ordinary human guy. Nephew works tirelessly at grabbing yet another soul for the Big Bad Guy, trying all kinds of demonly tricks. Demon Nephew better get it right because Demonly agents apparently don't get second chances. The book to me seemed so incredibly spot-on about human behavior in general: our thought processes, dealing with guilt, distress, pride, whatever. I don't think you necessarily have to be Christian to appreciate this book. C. S. Lewis said somebody asked him once how he managed to make the guy's struggle with the darker side of himself (or with demonic influence if you will) so real. C. S. Lewis was like, all I did was describe how I feel, just living.

3. The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck.
Written during World War II about an unnamed country (probably Norway) occupied by an unnamed invading army (probably Nazis). The book follows the timeline of invasion and occupation during wartime and how both the invading soldiers and the people of this tiny but strategically important country react. The story goes from gently eccentric and almost humorous to very, very sad. I loved this book for its simplicity and pathos and the fact that you got to see how the soldiers felt as well. Taught me a lot at a relatively young age about what people will do when pushed to the limit and how war, necessary or not, just makes everybody sad and exhausted and bereft.

4. We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Odd and weirdly endearing story of the Blackwood sisters, Constance and Mary Katherine, who live in a big ole house with their wheelchair-bound Uncle Julian outside of the town their ancestors presumably founded. The book opens in the aftermath of a scandal involving the multiple homicide (arsenic poisoning) of most of the Blackwood family by Constance the older sister, who was obviously acquitted. The townspeople have always hated the Blackwood sisters for their wealth and standing, and now they got a real reason to hate 'em because they're all still convinced that Constance did the dirty deed. The local children taunt Merricat every time she goes into town on errands: " 'Merricat,' said Constance, 'would you like a cup of tea?' 'Oh, no!' said Merricat, 'You'll poison me!' " Shirley Jackson really seemed to understand how hateful and evil people can be when swept up by the mob mindset, and how much it stings to be a real outcast. Her understanding of her characters' psychopathology makes it seem normal. Her understanding of rage and love is great. She tells a really good story about horrifying things in a beautifully simple and detached way. It's also a cool murder mystery.

Man, I can't believe I just wrote all this. I'm actually procrastinating and trying to avoid writing something that I need to do for work and that I don't want to! :eek:

Lazlo

10-26-2007, 09:28 PM

I'm replying mainly to bookmark (heh) this thread, but I do have one offering:

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

It just makes me feel good to reread this. It's witty, funny, and very satisfying. Now, excuse me while I go dig up my copy.

panache45

10-26-2007, 10:23 PM

1. Atlas Shrugged-Sorry naysayers, in spite of the preaching, I love the story and the idea that great is great. When I get sick of the lowest common denominator world I live in, I reread this.
Yes, I believe that was Rand's greatest gift to us. I reread The Fountainhead for the same reason.

Bayard

10-27-2007, 08:08 AM

3. The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck.
Written during World War II about an unnamed country (probably Norway) occupied by an unnamed invading army (probably Nazis). The book follows the timeline of invasion and occupation during wartime and how both the invading soldiers and the people of this tiny but strategically important country react. The story goes from gently eccentric and almost humorous to very, very sad. I loved this book for its simplicity and pathos and the fact that you got to see how the soldiers felt as well. Taught me a lot at a relatively young age about what people will do when pushed to the limit and how war, necessary or not, just makes everybody sad and exhausted and bereft.

This is another of my favorites. Sometimes, in other books, Steinbeck gets sappy and heavy handed. But, here, the writing is just lyrical and gorgeous. It has a great understated power. Wonderful book.

Crafter_Man

10-27-2007, 08:15 AM

My list is not very highbrow, I readily admit, but oh well...

Unintended Consequences by John Ross
1984 by George Orwell
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Animal Farm by George Orwell
On the Beach by Nevil Shute

Fiddle Peghead

08-19-2011, 11:57 AM

Luce and His Empire - W.A. Swanberg: insightful, biting biography of Time magazine co-founder.

The First Casualty - Philip Knightley: during war, your government and press will lie to you, often in collusion.

Nice Guys Finish Last - Leo Durocher and Ed Linn: vivid, hilarous, and touching, the autobiography of the baseball legend.

Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote

The Borrowed Years: America on the Way to War (1938-1941): "...when most of my friends and I were singing and dancing and laughing away the last hours of youth [...] the lights, as they used to say, were going out all over Europe."

Must reads? Perhaps not, but all very good.

Mary Jo M

08-22-2011, 01:10 AM

I'd say:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norman Geisler
Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (and all of Gawande's other books/articles)
Anthem by Ayn Rand

Dendarii Dame

08-22-2011, 03:11 PM

Borders of Infinity, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Feet of Clay, by Terry Pratchett
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
The Golden Treasury of Poetry, edited by Louis Untermeyer

What all these books have in common is that they lead me to read other wonderful books by that author, even if they weren't the first book in the series. In the case of the last, it opened up a world of poetry for me.
Which reminds me of something I heard David Brin say at a science fiction convention: "Want some Heinlein, little girl? The first one is free..."
Oh, I'd better add, Have Spacesuit, Will Travel by Robert Heinlein.

Jaledin

08-22-2011, 03:19 PM

Didn't read whole thread. Mongo sorry.

The NT translation by Jerome
The Iliad
"In Search of Lost Time," or however it was translated.
The Aeneid
The Georgics

Horace Odes can be substituted for Proust, I guess. I honestly don't know how it's called in English, although I had to buy a translation for some stupid class.

Moirai

08-22-2011, 05:53 PM

Ishmael

Ambivalid

08-22-2011, 09:08 PM

In no order;

1. Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman
2. The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield
3. In Cold Blood, Kurt Vonnegut
4. The Shining Stephen King
5. The Bible (not done yet myself...)

Ruby

08-22-2011, 09:44 PM

What about the zombies. Why are there no zombies?

ministryman

08-23-2011, 11:27 AM

The Bible - I hear there's a closed book test at the end.....

MacGyverInSeattle

08-23-2011, 04:09 PM

So many of my favorites are already mentioned here, Tolkien, Card, Heinlein, Pratchett, Goldman, Feynman, Adams,
So many others that I have read and didn't like as well.
Keeping in the trend of some, I will only mention ones that are not on here yet.

What dreams may come (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Dreams_May_Come). Richard Matheson. Not the movie, it stunk.
The book is based on many years of research into life after death by interviewing people who had been revived after being dead for a time and physic experiences.
The book agrees with my own experiences into the paranormal done long before the book was written.
Why, for instance, when you head to heaven in a trance or death, does everyone first come upon rolling hills of rocks, round river washed rocks as I did in my many trances, long before I had read any of this.
Then they threw out all the research and details when they made the movie. Phooey!
The world this fictional story is set in is pretty much what I had come to expect when I die, Then the book came out and made it much more real for me.

The sex lives of Cannibals (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sex_Lives_of_Cannibals) Maarten Troost.
Very fun read of the experience of a modern young American trying to adapt to life on a south Pacific atoll.

American Gods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods) Neil Gaiman.
This is right up there as one of the best books I have ever read. It is a very fun fantasy.

The life and times of the thunderbolt kid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_and_Times_of_the_Thunderbolt_Kid) Bill Bryson.

And I have to break the rules
The complete Diskworld series (http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Main_Page) by Terry Pratchett

Melysnl

08-23-2011, 05:33 PM

The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter Thompson (funniest book EVER)
American Psycho, Brett Easton Ellis
The Drifters, James Michener
The Secret History, Donna Tartt

woodstockbirdybird

08-23-2011, 05:44 PM

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century by Greil Marcus
Going Native by Stephen Wright
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Complete Works of Mark Twain by Mark Twain

Tapiotar

08-23-2011, 05:51 PM

What a great thread! So many people have mentioned books I've enjoyed and forgotten, and I've put others on my Amazon wish list.

I'm looking around the 3,000 + volumes in my apartment, and trying to choose some that I think are more than just idisyncratic favorites. I'll try not to list the same ones others mentioned:

Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from East and West, edited by Daniel Ladinsky. Some lovely word packets and images that make fireworks in the mind

The Riddle-Master of Hed, by Patricia McKillip. A fine fantasy evocation of how a person can evolve into something like a god.

The entire Discworld series, by Terry Pratchett. Because it covers every topic of interest to humans, with satiric insight softened with compassion, and humor. Oh, all right, someone else has mentioned them already, and they references to current events and fads will make them go out of date faster than some others, but dang! they are good.

Loving What Is, by Byron Katie. Simple psychological technique that changes everything, that ends suffering for those who use it. Totally secular way to get to the same goal most religions have at their heart, before they get corrupted by power-seekers.

The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien. Okay, it's been mentioned. But I've reread it more than any other book, and it has the capacity to transport me entirely from this world into its own. It teaches the lessons of self-sacrifice, the struggle with temptations and with one's own lower self, and love of others, with great beauty and with passion. So I have to include it.