I was sitting here mulling things over .. and as often is the case realized my thoughts were probably prompted by books I've read..

nothing unusual there.. but taking into account I haven't read a book for close to 20 years.... I realized that maybe we could pass on to younger members that the written words have a great impact also ...

a picture is worth a thousand words ... there are many thousands of words in a good book though..

so.... leaving religion (and photo's) out of it... thought I might ask.. what are the top 5 books that folks think may have had an impact on the way they view life.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Persig (god, I hate being a cliche, but there it is)

Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life, by Rick Fields

Real World Photoshop, by David Blattner and Bruce Fraser

Ringworld, by Larry Niven

Growing a Business, by Paul Hawken

ah.... but one crossed the line... no photo's .... sorry . and the last thought out response ?

Ah, then substitute Internet Unleashed, 1993 edition

done....

Ishmael - Daniel Quinn

In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations - Jerry Mander

Diet for a New America - John Robbins

Spiritwalker - Hank Wesselman

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Jeanie

Chaos by James Gleick

Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman by Richard Feynman (actually, any book by Feynman is a wonderful read!)

Night by Elie Wiesel

The Real Frank Zappa Book by Frank Zappa... :D


...I'll throw in one more - Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Rondon... Interesting thread. You got me rollin'...

Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach. (Strong reinforcement for the "Attitude of Gratitude" model for living.)

Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical & Financial Destiny!, Anthony Robbins. (Biggest breakthrough: I have the power to choose my attitude.)

The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires: How to Achieve Financial Independence Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible, Brian Tracy. (The title is very misleading; it was definitely used for marketing purposes. The focus is on work habits and attitudes for success.)

Unleashing the Power Within: How to Change Who You Are to Get What You Want, Joe Land.

A Whack on the Side of the Head; A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, Roger van Oche. (The ultimate book on spurring creativity.)

Success Is Never Ending. Failure Is Never Final, by Robert Schuller. (Came in especially handy when I was unemployed [for the first time in my life] for nearly a year and was having a heck-of-a-time finding work. Then I was hired by Microsoft, and lemons eventually turned to lemonade.)

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Disciplin for Children 2-12, Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D. (Utilizing these techniques have made the first almost 6 years of parenting a lot more sane. Based on feedback we get from parents and teachers, they're working well.)

The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything, John D. McDonald.

White Fang and Call of the Wild, Jack London.

OK. I'll shutup now :o and go back to (re)reading what I think is the absolute best Photoshop book on the planet, one reviewed and discussed many times at RP, one written by Katrin. ;)

~DannyR~

Ishmael was marvelous. They totally butchered it for the movie, though. Very sad.

"The Mother West Wind Stories" that I read as a child reinforced my love of nature and animals, and my belief that every thing on this Earth has its purpose and justification for existence. These stories also strongly taught ethics, and probably made even more sense to me than my parents' teachings about the importance of hard work, respectful treatment of each other, and doing the right thing every day.

"Marshmallow" is also a child's book -- a simple story of an old lady, her cat, and the addition of a baby bunny to the household. The storyline included cute little poems, and the book was illustrated (no photos, Ron -- I'm not breaking any rules) with soft, lovely charcoal drawings. I love this book! I'm sure that I already loved cats when I first read the book (or had it read to me), but after I read it, I also loved poetry, illustrations, and bunnies. "A house is not a home without a bunny!" :)

"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (first read one summer while I was in college) opened my eyes to the Beauty of the written word -- this was the first time that I enjoyed the descriptions of the people, their surroundings, etc. instead of scanning it quickly to get to the "good stuff" -- the plot turns, the action, the character development. To this day, I can turn to ANY page in the three books and enjoy what I read, instead of having to go to the beginning of a chapter to be in synch with the storyline. I also think of Frodo and Sam when I am faced with a big challenge -- I try to be a brave hobbit.

nice looking stuff so far.... thought I better post mine before people thought I was copying their thoughts... well ... thats a stretch... but for now came up with these..

atlas shrugged
wind from the carolinas
saigon
charley
mosquito coast
...
odd choices I'm sure.... but this is the lounge... not the pro side... always was influenced by them....

CJ .. we really must do something with that avitar

I read Flowers for Algernon (Charly) as a kid, loved it. Saw the movie only recently, but I didn't care for that.

Didn't read Mosquito Coast, but the movie still comes to mind anytime I see one person ruining someone else's dream.

My opinion of Ayn Rand's books doesn't belong in a nice forum like this :)

Danny- Are you a self-help guru in your spare time? :D

Originally posted by Doug Nelson
Ishmael was marvelous. They totally butchered it for the movie, though. Very sad. Didn't see the movie - and am very glad I didn't!
Jeanie

Originally posted by Doug Nelson

My opinion of Ayn Rand's books doesn't belong in a nice forum like this :)

I got a good chuckle from that comment Doug...I was thinking the very same thing!

Danny- Are you a self-help guru in your spare time?

With kids 4 and 6-years old (and growing quickly), who has spare time (except like now when they're asleep)? :)

I believe I heard somewhere that a "guru" is one with the ability to lead others from darkness to light. If that's true, I'm afraid I'd fall into the category of "rugu," that is, one who leads others from light into darkness! ;)

Seriously, Greg, like just about everyone I've had a few stretches in life that were a little (well, actually a lot) more challenging than others and found inspiration along the way from some of these books.

Since the early 1980s I've made a point of having "a great day (not just a good day)" every day, regardless of the weather, traffic, stupid drivers, the stock market, relatives, world affairs, what's going on at work, etc. In all fairness some days have definitely been 'greater' than others, but at a minimum each was great in its own way. It's been my observation that not many people seem to enjoy life and living as much as I do, so I guess you could say that I've gotten pretty good at "self-helping-myself." (...but I stop well short of going blind.)

Then a little over a year ago I discovered this little application called Photoshop and all the cool PS videos, add-on software and books you can get a ridiculously cheap prices on eBay and half.com, plus I stumbled on RP.com. Now I'm REALLY havin' fun!

well fellows guess I missed something.. whats wrong with ayns thoughts ?

Originally posted by Doug Nelson
I read Flowers for Algernon (Charly) as a kid, loved it. Saw the movie only recently, but I didn't care for that.

Didn't read Mosquito Coast, but the movie still comes to mind anytime I see one person ruining someone else's dream.

My opinion of Ayn Rand's books doesn't belong in a nice forum like this :)

There was a good film about her life, out a while back. In the '70s, I was quite impressed by her writing. I remember on called Anthem that I liked.
greg

Isn't it weird how you rarely hear people discuss movies that changed their life?

sadly I think the only movie they ever made was 'fountain head"... really wanted to see "atlas shrugged" filmed ...
think that was gregory peck in fountain head eh ?

I think folks should read more classics. I bet they don't even talk about the 19 Century in school any more.
I have probably read between 500 and a 1000 books so it's difficult to recall.

I loved Dracula, the original.
Walden or Waldens Pond may have changed me. I think everyone with a brain should read it.

The Naked Ape brought me to a more educated place on evolution.
Also Lucy, on a paleoentologist who discovered a 5 million yr old woman.

The Diary of Anne Frank, changed me.

Brave New Worlds

1984

Stranger in a Strange Land

well .... if nothing else.... looks like we'll have debate

You mean like the Scopes trial?

I read all the time, can't imagine going 20 years without reading. I find that different books speak to me at different ages. Sometimes when I reread them later, they seem less powerful. But at varying times in my life...these are some of the books that meant a lot to me:

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest....Ken Kesey (also at that
(Sometimes a Great Notion)

2. Angle of Repose....Wallace Stegner

3. The Wall....John Hersey

4. The Accidental Tourist...Anne Tyler

5. Their Eyes Were Watching God...Zora Neale Hurston

6. A Confederacy of Dunces...John Kennedy Toole

I'm sticking with fiction this time. I could name more, but I'll stop.

Sharon

The Accidental Tourist...one of my favorite alltime books :)

Originally posted by Doug Nelson
The Accidental Tourist...one of my favorite alltime books :)

I liked the film a lot, as it was my first glimps of Jeena Davis.

Originally posted by rondon
well fellows guess I missed something.. whats wrong with ayns thoughts ?

Well, nothing is really wrong with them, I just do not agree with her on a lot of things! She obviously spent a long time formulating her philosophy and her books have been very influential...but I think her philosophy has achieved more of a cult status than anything else...sort of like L. Ron Hubbard. Her own personnel life is a testament to the impracticality of her philosophy.

I can't help but think that her writing, with it's "rational self interest" and views on Capitalism, was required reading for Enron executives... :D

Well maybe I did miss something.... I never followed her life... just read 2 of her books... besides atlas shrugged .. I read fountainhead..
The only thing I came away with were the dangers of too much goverment... nepotism... etc...
and maybe a loss of indivualism.

is it too late to retract atlas shrugged and substitute "candy"

Rondon - please don't retract Atlas Shrugged. I was going to list it if you hadn't.

Hard to limit it to five, but here are the ones I thought of right away:

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
2. Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
3. Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
4. The Velveteen Rabbit (a children's book) by Margery Williams
5. Available Light by Marge Piercy (or any other of her poetry books)

The Diary of Anne Frank mostly because I was lucky enough to see inside the Hide away they had to survive in for 2 years and visit Dachau concentration camp.

I loved Flowers For Algernon.

Also the Rama series by Arthur C Clark and Gentry Lee

Of course I can't forget The Lord of The Rings

Watership Downs was really good too.

That's about all I can think of at this moment.
DJ

I enjoy reading, and could read before I went to school. However, now having to wear specs, I find it a bit of a mission to locate my reading specs (there's computer specs, reading specs, driving specs) hence I don't read as much as I used to.

Important books for me:
Black Beauty The first "big people's" book I read (in grade 1 or 2). I still have this particular book in my collection.
A Layman's Guide to the Nuclear Age Someone gave me this book in grade 4 or 5. This set the course for my university career.
On the Beach by Nevil Shute. Made me realise very early on how transient the human race is. (I have a complete leather bound collection of Nevil Shute books, all of which have been read and re-read many times.)
Lord of the Rings Given to me by a girlfriend before I went to university. Like CJ, I feel that Tolkien's descriptive writing makes you see the scene. One of the best books I've read about the fight between good and evil. I'm busy re-reading Fellowship of the Ring at the moment, and am impressed at how well the current movie follows the book.

I also enjoy "antique" science fiction (John Wyndam and HG Wells). And of course, one mustn't forget Sherlock Holmes.

I enjoyed most of Ayn Rand's books, but her philosophy is impossible to attain, so I treated them more as fantasy stories than anything else.

Originally posted by DJ Dubovsky
The Diary of Anne Frank mostly because I was lucky enough to see inside the Hide away they had to survive in for 2 years and visit Dachau concentration camp.

I loved Flowers For Algernon.

Also the Rama series by Arthur C Clark and Gentry Lee

Of course I can't forget The Lord of The Rings

Watership Downs was really good too.

That's about all I can think of at this moment.
DJ

IMO the Diary sums up and condences all the hurt and pain the Jews went thru in the horrible war.
greg

Greg,
I think the part that affected me most was getting to know this teenager and realizing she was no different than any of us with all the dreams and hopes of a future she would never experience. Then seeing how they lived and feel their terror at the slightest noise and finally knowing what happened in the end. When I went to Dachau, and I'm not even Jewish, but I couldn't imagine 6 million people until I saw a huge endless wall covered in concentration camp locations. There were so many of them. It has to affect you no matter who you are. And Anne Frank's diary put a name and personality to those unknown 6 million faces.
DJ

I will need more time to think of the books that had a great influence upon me. I have always enjoyed reading about people and their lives. All of us, including the greats, have had our ups and downs. It is interesting and educational to observe how people react to stress and adversity. A substantial number of successful people have failed several times.

Although I have gained considerable insight from the many motivational books that I have read over the years, I have been mostly influenced by how others have lived their lives. This becomes even more interesting when their actions and roles are studied within the context of historical events.

Alan

Well I’ll throw in my 2 bob’s worth……
I'm over the limit too !!!



Laurie Lee; As I set out.


The record of the authors trek through 30’s Spain as a young boy mainly on foot and with the civil war looming in the background. Proved to me you could visit and appreciate countries on little money and meet the people not other tourists.


George Orwell; Down and out in Paris and London.


One of Orwells lesser known works chronicling his adventures on the breadline before the war. His experiences were self inflicted as a touchstone for his writing, he was never poor. His description of ordinary life in Paris is riveting stuff.


Giovanni Guareschi; The world of Don Camillo


Endless fictional confrontations between catholic priest and communist mayor in 50’s Italy.


Times Atlas:

I’ve planned a thousand trips within its pages. And managed to complete some of them !

Clive Cussler; Any

His stuff has killed the tedium of innumerable flights and train journeys. Adventure nonsense with brand names !


Stephen Brook; Any

Bemused Englishmen travelling the US.

Finally anything by

Frederick Forsyth
George Melly
Anybodies Diaries bring on the anecdotes !


Finally interesting how Ann Frank and her family were betrayed by her countrymen.