# Five books everyone should read before they die **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672 "2007-10-05T19:27:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/61 "2007-10-09T03:24:38Z")
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. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/62 "2007-10-09T14:28:02Z")
So many good choices here-a lot of them Iā€™ve never read. I must get less lazy in my readingā€¦ 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 ā€œMacBethā€ or ā€œTwelfth Nightā€ by Shakespeare (I know, odd combo, but I love them both so muchā€¦) _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: ā€œA Small, Good Thingā€ and ā€œWhat We Talk About When We Talk About Loveā€. 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 womanā€™s spiritual journey-no holds barred. Oh, and if I were to suggest an Ayn Rand, it would be _Anthem_ā€“not the other two. And many, many moreā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/63 "2007-10-25T03:45:46Z")
[QUOTE=TheMerchandise] ā€¦at least, according to you! Iā€™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 [/QUOTE] Speaking of Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climes, I thought Iā€™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. Itā€™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 youā€™re sitting there enjoying your cold frostie. Obviously Tom Robbins is familiar with the place, and so I often wonder when Iā€™m in there if he is, too. (Iā€™ve seen his photo, but I can never remember what he looks like.) ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/64 "2007-10-25T05:13:12Z")
I need to stop reading these threadsā€¦Iā€™m being crushed under the weight of the books I MUST READ RIGHT NOW!!!1!!! Iā€™ll try for some that arenā€™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. Omnivoreā€™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 50ā€™s. Shockingly current. 5. Earth Abides, A Handmaidā€™'s Tale, Brave New World, Parable of the Sower and the 150 other dystopian novels on my list that I know Iā€™ll love but havenā€™t gotten to. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/65 "2007-10-25T18:30:47Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] Speaking of Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climes, I thought Iā€™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. Itā€™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 youā€™re sitting there enjoying your cold frostie. Obviously Tom Robbins is familiar with the place, and so I often wonder when Iā€™m in there if he is, too. (Iā€™ve seen his photo, but I can never remember what he looks like.) [/QUOTE] Oooooh, this is awesome. I love finding myself in real places mentioned in fictional works. Itā€™s an odd bridging of the gap between reality and pretend. > [@](#): > > 1. Botany of Desire-Michael Pollan- A fascinating look at how our desires have shaped our food. I adore all of his books. Omnivoreā€™s Dilemma would be my back up recommendation by him. Iā€™m reading Omnivoreā€™s Dilemma. I find it very fascinating, but itā€™s made me very paranoid about corn. Corn is evil! Itā€™s destroying us all! ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/66 "2007-10-25T20:57:37Z")
**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 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/67 "2007-10-26T04:10:06Z")
[QUOTE=TheMerchandise] Oooooh, this is awesome. I love finding myself in real places mentioned in fictional works. Itā€™s an odd bridging of the gap between reality and pretend. [/QUOTE] Safari Bar does not seem to have its own website, but itā€™s been around for years, decades actually. Thereā€™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. ---
**Author:** ![Saratoga\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Saratoga\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saratoga_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/68 "2007-10-26T13:16:18Z")
For a thread about _Five Books You Should Read Before You **Die** _ thereā€™s a surprisingly lack of religion here. Iā€™d expect to see **The Bible** , **The Talamud** , **The Koran** , **The Teachings of Buddha** , maybe even \*\*The Book of Mormon \*\* (hey, you never knowā€¦). But Iā€™ll go with the flow and list books Iā€™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 Devilā€™s Dictionary** - Ambrose Bierce \*\*Mr. American \*\* - George MacDonald Fraser ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/69 "2007-10-26T13:50:50Z")
Eric Hofferā€™s _The True Believer_ Orwellā€™s _1984_ The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Bhagavad-Gita The Bible. Not necessarily the whole thingā€“I certainly wouldnā€™t demand that anyone struggle all the way through all those ā€œbegats.ā€ 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, Paulā€™s Letters and maybe Revelation. YMMV. One might substitute the Homeric epics for the Bhagavad-Gita or the Meditations. (Okay, maybe Iā€™m cheating by counting them as one book.) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/70 "2007-10-26T14:07:51Z")
Hummmmā€¦ Lolita - Nabakov Catch-22 Heller Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte The Curse of Lono - Hunter S. Thompson Uncle Shelbyā€™s A, B, Z Book - Shel Silverstein ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/71 "2007-10-26T15:31:42Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/72 "2007-10-26T15:58:43Z")
Frank Herbert - Dune. Combines every single one of my favorite studies into one book of fiction. Politics, drugs, economics, religious war, space travel, conspiracyā€“you name it, this book has it. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/73 "2007-10-26T16:09:32Z")
Of Human Bondage - Maugham East of Eden - Steinbeck The Handmaidā€™s Tale - Atwood Kafka on the Shore - Murakami The World According to Garp -Irving ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/74 "2007-10-26T22:13:57Z")
**Rand McNally** , you make a good point. Here are my books, although I donā€™t know if you absolutely need to read 'em before you die. Theyā€™re just books that have made a deep impression on me and that I read over and over again. I donā€™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. Itā€™s about a kid who has just about the worst luck possible after discovering heā€™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 Iā€™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 govā€™t. Down There (like probably a GS-15 or something šŸ˜ƒ ), 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 donā€™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 donā€™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 guyā€™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 ā€˜em because theyā€™re all still convinced that Constance did the dirty deed. The local children taunt Merricat every time she goes into town on errands: " ā€˜Merricat,ā€™ said Constance, ā€˜would you like a cup of tea?ā€™ ā€˜Oh, no!ā€™ said Merricat, ā€˜Youā€™ll poison me!ā€™ " 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 charactersā€™ 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. Itā€™s also a cool murder mystery. Man, I canā€™t believe I just wrote all this. Iā€™m actually procrastinating and trying to avoid writing something that I need to do for work and that I donā€™t want to! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2007, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/75 "2007-10-27T02:28:00Z")
Iā€™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. Itā€™s witty, funny, and very satisfying. Now, excuse me while I go dig up my copy. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/76 "2007-10-27T03:23:34Z")
[QUOTE=Auntbeast] 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. [/QUOTE] Yes, I believe that was Randā€™s greatest gift to us. I reread \*The Fountainhead \*for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2007, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/77 "2007-10-27T13:08:09Z")
[QUOTE=Creaky] **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. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2007, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/78 "2007-10-27T13:15:56Z")
My list is not very highbrow, I readily admit, but oh wellā€¦ _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 ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/79 "2011-08-19T16:57:00Z")
_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 Tiffanyā€™s_ - Truman Capote _The Borrowed Years: America on the Way to War (1938-1941)_: ā€œā€¦when most of my friends and I were singing and dancing and laughing away the last hours of youth [ā€¦] the lights, as they used to say, were going out all over Europe.ā€ Must reads? Perhaps not, but all very good. ---
**Author:** ![Mary\_Jo\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@Mary\_Jo\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mary_Jo_M)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672/80 "2011-08-22T06:10:29Z")
Iā€™d say: Enderā€™s Game by Orson Scott Card Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin I Donā€™t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norman Geisler Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (and all of Gawandeā€™s other books/articles) Anthem by Ayn Rand [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-books-everyone-should-read-before-they-die/421672.md?page=5)