I have always loved to read. Beyond just a pastime, books have been my friends, an escape, solace. But there are 2 that have left lasting impressions above and beyond the others. As a child, it was King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. As an adult, it is The Good Soldiers by David Finkel.
I’ve enjoyed so many books over the years and most have stuck with me. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why these 2 surpassed the others because many books tell great stories, have great characters, and are beautifully written.
They’re obviously very different books but emotionally they are the same. They affected me so deeply and the memories are so rich, I feel I’ve actually lived them both.
The follow up to Good Soldiers, Thank You for Your Service, is more well known because it was made into a movie with Miles Teller. I have read it and it’s wonderful, but The Good Soldiers transported me to Iraq, put a rifle in my hand, and killed my friends.
I am looking for books like this. Any genre, any age group. Any book that is so ingrained you feel like it’s a part of your life story.
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Tuck Everlasting, the Secret Life of Bees, A Monster Calls, the Great Gatsby, All the Bright Places, and Perks of Being a Wallflower
Toll the Hounds - Steven Erikson
Its a very sad book about how grief affects people and intertwines with love, and how we can move past it. I’d honestly recommend it to people even without prior series context
A common suggestion, but Lonesome Dove is the book I was most engrossed in.
In terms of ones that have had an impact on my life in general, Stoner by John Williams changed my perspective on how meaningful life is.
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. It literally saved my life in my 20s by letting me know healing was possible
Siddhartha by Hesse. I annotated the f out of that book.
King of the Wind is such a wonderful read.
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiesson
No Longer Human and Notes from Underground.
Think Again by Adam Grant is without doubt the most important non-fiction book on the planet.
Fiction: the count of Monte cristo.
Confederacy of Dunces.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. No, I didn’t become some drug seeking journalist, but it turned me on to a different view of, well, everything. I was reading nothing but Stephen King and history books, fresh out of 12 years of catholic school, and this book broke the mental dam. I started reading Irvine Welsh, Kerouac, anything off the beaten path, compared to what I was used to reading and internalizing. It really opened my mind, and made me more of an accepting person, something the previous 12 years did not.
Gonzo journalism, it’s a life changer.
Stranger In A Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Had me fall back into love with reading after a long hiatus. I have always enjoyed sci-fi and there were so many cool concepts in that book that you really needed to use your imagination to appreciate them. When the Martian man is told to go hide in the bottom of the pool, while they are being invaded and he discovers he can astral project was one of the coolest scenes that I have ever read.
Mao’s Last Dancer, I was 12 and it was my first autobiography. It showed me just how vastly different some kids grew up compared to me and that the world was far bigger than I ever realised.
For me, it’s To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. At first, I started at a languid pace but slowly, I fell in love with the language and the characters of Scout and her brother Jem. It resonated with me. Honestly, I found it hard to read, but thanks to my sister who encouraged me, I got the spirit and read it twice. The book explores themes of racial prejudice and the persistence of outdated attitudes and beliefs in certain areas. The character of Atticus, for me, has been the most impactful in my life. It taught me how to look at things with a positive perspective and see good in others.
Surprised not to see “The Brothers Karamazov” by Fiodor Dostoevsky mentioned yet.
Outstanding take on the meaning of life, on bad and evil, religion, the human soul and psychology. And I will never forget the ending, an optimistic beacon to help me through the bad times, and to make me remain humble and kind during the good ones.
I love Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. One of my favorite books ever. Released the same year I was born, when I was younger I felt that Bach wrote that book specifically for me. I’ve read it hundreds of times in the last 45ish years. I’ve given copies to each of my children, although they don’t have the same feelings about the book as I did at 7-8 years old reading it for the first time by myself. That book started the foundation that I would build my life upon. I still have the original copy I was given, although it is not the copy I currently read.
Richard Bach also wrote Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah and as a young man, starting out in my career my very first professional mentor gave me a copy of this book and it changed the way that I viewed the world. I’ve only read this book dozens of times in the past 30 years, but it is still one of my favorites.
I think it’s time for me to give each of these books another read.