F70
The books that changed us
April 25 2016
The books that had a big impact on me were Palgraves Golden Treasury of poems,given to me by my sister when I was ten and Emile Zola's Germinal which my history teacher gave to me when I was fourteen. Q
Comments
RHP User
8 years ago
useful, valuable, and entertaining are my Dictionaries and Thesaurus'. Since childhood I have accumulated them, mostly as hand me downs/inheritance, but also some purchased new. They are key to full and proper understanding of so many other texts, and therefore the opportunities that open up. Beside seeking specific definitions when required, I frequently flick through and read random words and their definitions simply to see what new things I might learn. Sometimes this sparks for me a new avenue for enquiry. I find the older dictionaries particularly interesting because they help identify very clearly just how much our language changes/develops over time. Sadly it seems these changes are not always for the better. In any event, a good grasp of language facilitates greater learning and communication; all the better to grasp the concepts conveyed by all of the authors in all of the other texts.
RHP User
8 years ago
The diary of Anne Frank had a profound effect on me. I read it in school as a teenager and I guess because of the age I was, could relate to how hard it must have been for her at that age, confined in that small space, along with other people outside of her own family, and going through the changes into puberty. There didn't seem to be any privacy and I was in boarding school, going through those same changes into puberty, and felt the same way. Though no comparison to their ordeal, I was a teenager. Over the years, I understood it more, it saddened me more, it still does. She apparently asked her father to buy her a diary for her 13th birthday, around the same time they went into hiding, and of course her story is now well known. I have a copy stashed away somewhere. I'd like to read it again now, have to see if I can find it.
They were eventually betrayed and deported to Nazi concentration camps. Otto Frank was the only one of the 8 people to survive the war. Anne died of Typhus aged 15, not long before the prisoners were liberated by British troops in 1945. So sadRHP User
8 years ago
Off the top of my head, the books that actually changed my frame of referencing ...
Short History of Nearly EverythingThe God DelusionThe Botany of Desire1984
I'm sure I've been somewhat swayed by everything I've read, but they're the ones that pop in my head first.RHP User
8 years ago
3 books led to life long enjoyment. 1 'ON THE ROAD" by jack Kerouac. This book opened up the American beat movement for me. 2 " POST OFFICE" by Bukowski, raw, honest no barriers led to a life long love affair with the man. 3 FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, got to love a man that has a lawyer on hand to advise on what drug is needed for a particular situation. The best authors are the ones that have no barriers, are brutal with honesty, savage with criticism, and have no need for fiction cause they are so interesting in the way they live. With authors you want to get at the hidden truth of what was really happening in their heads , rather than telling yet another boring story filled with flowery descriptions like most books and stories are.
RHP User
8 years ago
...but I think it was the books...or more likely, their themes...I read as a teen and a young man that made the greatest impression on me...maybe because I was more impressionable then.
As well as Sci-fi and fantasy novels, I loved superhero comic books..particularly the ones with mature themes behind them.
One was Marvels Squadron Supreme...reprinted in graphic novel format these days...a 12 part story, 1 per month in real time...of an all powerful, Avengers/Justice League-type superhero team that, after a global cataclysm, decides to take control of their world for the good of humanity and rebuild it into a Utopia. Because they can. Outlawing guns and War, instituting behavioural modification instead of imprisonment and so on. With the televised promise to achieve it in 1 year and then power would be returned to elected officials. The human rights obstacles are obvious...and with democracy within their own ranks, some Squadron members rebel in protest.
Some examples for books...I was impressed by "Make room, make room!"( Soylent Green ) and Asimov's "Foundation" series and related novels. The sheer scope of his imagination...staggering.RHP User
8 years ago
Cronicles of Narnia. By C.S.Lewis
RHP User
8 years ago
''The Varieties Of Religious Experience: A Study In Human Nature''
RHP User
8 years ago
The first adult book... "The wreck of the Mary Deare" Hammond Innes... a great tale... not a great book... but it opened my eyes to tales beyong the Famous Five and Secret Seven...
As an adult... to many to list...
PurePeony
8 years ago
Off the top of my head, a few of the books that are either influential or have left a deep impression on me are :
- Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom
- Veronika Decides to Die, Paulo Coelho
- What's the Economy for Anyway, David K Batker
- itsu the cookbook
- Dog Days, Ross Garnaut
- Australia : Boom to Bust, Lindsay David
- Hokkaido Highway Blues, Will Ferguson
- Tess of the D'Urbevilles, Thomas Hardy & the accompanying poem, "Tess' Lament"
- Who Switched Off My Brain, Dr Caroline Leaf
- Why You Act the Way You Do, Tim La Haye
I am sure I have missed out a few that are worth mentioning but that's a start!PurePeony
8 years ago
I suddenly recall yet another great book - Seven Kinds of Smart, Thomas Armstrong.
It explained why I am simultaneously smart AND dumb! LOL!!!RHP User
8 years ago
''Niebla''
If you don't happen to read Castilian or Basque' ...don't bother with the white-bread translations.
Of course if you're female, naked and don't mind having someone read to you... I'm sure we can discover our own interpretations of the Spanish classics.
I do trill a vicious... ''rrrrr''.PurePeony
8 years ago
Quoting 'MidnightCruisin'
''Niebla''
If you don't happen to read Castilian or Basque' ...don't bother with the white-bread translations.
Of course if you're female, naked and don't mind having someone read to you... I'm sure we can discover our own interpretations of the Spanish classics.
I do trill a vicious... ''rrrrr''.
You've just redefined "bedtime reading".
PatchworkGirl
8 years ago
Oh, oh, oh ... Where do I start?
Lord of the Rings.
Are you there God? It's me, Margaret.
The Hobbit.
Bliss
The selected works of TS Spivet - still the only book I've ever gotten to the end of, then started it again straight away.
American Gods.
Good Omens.
You KNOW I'll be back to this topic. And Koolgrey, your post made me drool a little. 😘
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
I found helped me when a close family member was born with a disability was 'When Bad Things Happen to Good People' by Harold S Kushner. I still refer to it at times when you want to yell 'Why Me'. Only 174 pages so is easy to revisit.
RHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'PurePeony'
You've just redefined "bedtime reading".
...I'd take a shot a Basque' in braille.
Let your fingers do the walking and I'll do the... talking?RHP User
8 years ago
Story of a young boy critically injured when hit by a car.
Never ceases to amaze me how strong, brave and determined people are.
- Posted from rhpmobile
Single_Guy4U
8 years ago
Got me interested in the outdoors, the bush, and adventure.
RHP User
8 years ago
By Brian Froud. A fabulous book with gorgeous illustrations and short stories about different fairies, flowers and the folk lore surrounding fairy people. I must find it again and read it. Didnt change my life as such but transported me to a magical land that little girls would wish was true. The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Made me realise how crazy it was at that time. Shocked me at the end, I couldnt stop thinking about it for weeks. These 2 very different books stand out in my memory
RHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'social_suicide'
3 books led to life long enjoyment. 1 'ON THE ROAD" by jack Kerouac. This book opened up the American beat movement for me. 2 " POST OFFICE" by Bukowski, raw, honest no barriers led to a life long love affair with the man. 3 FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, got to love a man that has a lawyer on hand to advise on what drug is needed for a particular situation. The best authors are the ones that have no barriers, are brutal with honesty, savage with criticism, and have no need for fiction cause they are so interesting in the way they live. With authors you want to get at the hidden truth of what was really happening in their heads , rather than telling yet another boring story filled with flowery descriptions like most books and stories are.
Excellent choices
Me:
SlaughterHouse 5Blood MeridianIn Cold BloodOne Flew Over the Cuckoos NestOn the RoadTibetan Book of Living and DyingCatcher in the RyeTo Kill a MockingbirdAnything written by the Bard
Special Mention to:
Green Eggs and Ham
So many books, too little timeRHP User
8 years ago
As a teenager -
Chronicles of Narnia - was an amazing fantasy.
QBVII - I realised that humans can be unbelievably cruel.
The Other Side of Midnight - I realised I loved reading trashy novels
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'misskez'
The Other Side of Midnight - I realised I loved reading trashy novels
...you had promised not to tell!
sweetgem
8 years ago
That's the name of the book. A book that is written with true stories of murders that took place in Australia. The first stories mentioned in the book was Port Arthur massacre occurred in 1996 when Martin Bryant shot a cafe full of tourists and some in the carpark as well. I didn't and couldn't finish that book due to some of the murder cases stated were too heartbreaking to read as some cases involved little children got murdered! From that book reading experience, I know I cannot handle reading too many of the real life murder cases and know what type of stories should I avoid reading too much in order to prevent myself from getting depressed mentally!
- Posted from rhpmobile
MsJonesy
8 years ago
The brand new set of encyclopedias my parents bought for we kids (no computers in those days!). Opening them up, learning about so many different things that a little kid in a country town had never seen or read about.
lovman8
8 years ago
And no one book stands out as life changing. I feel that I have gained something from every book I have read whether it be some insight or self knowledge or pleasure or even if I haven't enjoyed and thought it rubbish it has been part of my life experience that makes me what I am
PatchworkGirl
8 years ago
I loved mine too, and I still have a soft spot for a set of them whenever I see them.
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
MsJonesy you reminded me of our set of encyclopedias which, like a lot of books, had a distinct odour, not shared by any other books we had. Those unique smells seem to make them familiar, special, and if you passed by that book in an old bookshop, you'd recognise the smell before you picked the book up, delicious
I was given a magic roundabout picture book, I still have it, when I was a child and loved it. It had the most delicious, distinct smell, almost like a garden but mixed with a candy smell. I don't know whether they did that to warm children to the books more, perhaps just the paper and ink used for printing. But the perfumed pages and beautiful pictures, it was a thin Dean publication, made me cherish that book. I've had it all this time and if I get really close, I can still pick up a faint hint of that smell
We also had a set of 4 large Disney books in a cardboard case 'The Wonderful Worlds of Walt Disney' - 4 large hardcover books: Fantasyland - Worlds of Nature - Stories from Other lands - America. America was my favourite. I read this or parts of it, so many times. I was fascinated by America, the American history and countryside, the Wild West, it seemed so exciting, like another world. Though I don't have our original set, I've since found these books in op shops, have a boxed set again and numerous individual books. I line them up and get a nostalgic rush just looking at the spines, weird I knowGrouse33
8 years ago
I devoured it like a bastard. Holden Caulfield is a great depiction of the turmoils that can beset us in adolescence and has given me a lifelong lexicon. If I really dislike somebody, I'll use Holden's description of his roomate Stradlater: 'he was a very conceited guy'.
Goodvintage
8 years ago
Have over 10,000 books in my collection...still reading...lol
RHP User
8 years ago
I appreciate uplifting books in particular... because I get into books emotionally.
I love my dictionary, one of which sits beside me. And my copies of, The Fables of Aesop and the Complete Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach holds a fascination for being the story of the individual who wouldn't be tied down.
Now ask me about the programs that have made their mark Q. ;-) PeachyRHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'Grouse33'
I devoured it like a bastard. Holden Caulfield is a great depiction of the turmoils that can beset us in adolescence and has given me a lifelong lexicon. If I really dislike somebody, I'll use Holden's description of his roomate Stradlater: 'he was a very conceited guy'.
I haven't read this book but it reminded me of a line from the Patch Adams movie where Patch (Robin Williams) says to his roommate (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
"Why don't you like me? You're a prick and I like you!"RHP User
8 years ago
RIP Robin and Philip
RHP User
8 years ago
My wife is reading it at the moment , hoping she isn't looking for ideas lol
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'Mooche'
Quoting 'social_suicide' Excellent choices
Me:
SlaughterHouse 5Blood MeridianIn Cold BloodOne Flew Over the Cuckoos NestOn the RoadTibetan Book of Living and DyingCatcher in the RyeTo Kill a MockingbirdAnything written by the Bard
Special Mention to:
Green Eggs and Ham
So many books, too little time
Ditto to Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood". Add Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy", Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland", and Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl".
0z_boy
8 years ago
Old books and op-shops make me sneeze.
RHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'want2now'
Have over 10,000 books in my collection...still reading...lol
where on earth do you keep them all?PatchworkGirl
8 years ago
Fahrenheit 451. I found it just so chilling.
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'lovman8'
And no one book stands out as life changing. I feel that I have gained something from every book I have read whether it be some insight or self knowledge or pleasure or even if I haven't enjoyed and thought it rubbish it has been part of my life experience that makes me what I am
That's pretty much what I wanted to say. Although Douglas Bader's biography Reach for the Sky was a significant book for me as a boy in my young years.RHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'Summersolstice'
The Bible.
I was made to read it as a kid, and it's a least partially responsible for me becoming an atheist.
I thought you were jewish0z_boy
8 years ago
Ive never read the Bible but in my younger days I have used a few pages of it to roll up the green article with.
hahah Im gunna burn in hell for that one! Thats only one of the reasons why Im gunna be buried in asbestos undies :DAnyway I think Im gunna be in good company if sodomy is punishable by eternity in hell.RHP User
8 years ago
Yep same end result with the bible, atheist here too
RHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'lovman8'I have always been a keen reader..........
And no one book stands out as life changing. I feel that I have gained something from every book I have read whether it be some insight or self knowledge or pleasure or even if I haven't enjoyed and thought it rubbish it has been part of my life experience that makes me what I am
Peachy...Grouse33
8 years ago
How beautiful are your feet in sandals,*O noble daughter!Your curving thighs like jewels,the product of skilled hands.3Your valley,* a round bowlthat should never lack mixed wine.Your belly, a mound of wheat,encircled with lilies.4a Your breasts are like two fawns,twins of a gazelle.5b Your neck like a tower of ivory;your eyes, pools in Heshbonby the gate of Bath-rabbim.Your nose like the tower of Lebanonthat looks toward Damascus.*6
RHP User
8 years ago
If you've read it you will understand. If you haven't take a punt.
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
As I mentioned to you Q... The Bible is the 4th book I keep by my side. The particular copy I have is a gift from a friend. The Bible has been a thread throughout my life. I won't belabour you with boring details but I'm not talking about man's practice of it's tenets rather that my experiences have been singular at times and if I'm going to credit/ or discredit, lol, a particular book, I have to admit to it being The Bible. Peachy
warung
8 years ago
portnoy's complaint Phillip Roth
PurePeony
8 years ago
Quoting 'Summersolstice'
The Bible.
I was made to read it as a kid, and it's a least partially responsible for me becoming an atheist.
The Bible. I love the stories, Proverbs and Psalms. I always have a lot of questions that I kinda know shouldn't be asked. :P
I told my friends that when Judgement Day comes and God questions me and asks me to account for my sexual activities, I'm going to say that when he created me, he added a tad too much horny pepper, insatiable pussy salt, wantitallthe thyme, fuckmegood basil, wetnmoist soy sauce, hotashell mustard, and various other seasonings, soooooo... excuse me for my horniness! :P I was given a massive problem that I had to solve myself... with the help of a few gentlemen... not all at once though! LOL!PurePeony
8 years ago
A man who reads non-fiction books, The Age / Australian Financial Review, professional journals or "serious" magazines on current affairs / business / investment / National Geographic / Science mags... SEXXXY!!!
A lady who reads any of the publications listed, SEXXXier!!!
And if either the man or the lady reads before bedtime, putting on reading glasses, HOT HOT HOT!!!
And if the lady puts on her reading glasses to read before bedtime, resting her head partially on her man's shoulder / chest, with one hand holding her book / mag / touchpad and the other hand fondling and fidding with her man's bits... lemme live that dream!!!PurePeony
8 years ago
Quoting 'Grouse33'
How beautiful are your feet in sandals,*O noble daughter!Your curving thighs like jewels,the product of skilled hands.3Your valley,* a round bowlthat should never lack mixed wine.Your belly, a mound of wheat,encircled with lilies.4a Your breasts are like two fawns,twins of a gazelle.5b Your neck like a tower of ivory;your eyes, pools in Heshbonby the gate of Bath-rabbim.Your nose like the tower of Lebanonthat looks toward Damascus.*6
I wish I lived in the days when women were plump and voluptuous, and they were considered sexy!
I look at my belly fat, and I think, "I'm going to survive the Zombie Apocalypse because I've got fat reserves to keep me going!" :D (Sigh... I so miss my ex colleague! We used to espouse shit about the Zombie Apocalypse and have way too much fun at work, giggling all the time. :P We used to make elaborate survival plans just for the heck of it and it made us laugh till tears rolled down our eyes.)
And ah! A few other books that sorta changed my life and opened my eyes to the twisted, macabre sense of humour :
- the Bunny Suicides series;
- Tales from the Far Side by Gary Larson;
- the Bitter with Baggage series.
Ah... it's all coming to me now!
- The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald. I heard it recited on BBC after school one day and I was so enchanted by it, I caught the story telling on radio everytime it came on! It inspired me to get the book and read it. The prose was so beautiful and back then, I relied on the exquisitely and delightfully descriptive prose to visualise the scenes in my mind's eye. Very captivating!
- Lord of the Flies, William Golding
- 1984, George Orwell
- Animal Farm, George Orwell.
I do an absolutely brilliant lamb impersonation of the chant, "Four legs good! Two legs Baaaa-ad!" :DRHP User
8 years ago
From primary school days l liked the Blinky Bill, Snuggle Pot Cuddle Pie and Jungle Book stories.
From teenage years Go Ask Alice (scared me for life) had to read it in high school. Brave New World
Adult yrs the Power of One, Perfect Storm, Wonderland Avenue:tales of glamor and excess, Cane and Able, U2 Until the End of the World, Fist of God, these stories l just couldn't stop reading until done.
The book with the highest impact for me would be Crossroads by Mark Donaldson. When a couple of life changing events occurred in my life l was at crossroads and from his book (particularly the first half) and telling his story straight up as he did l was like "men can talk". If a guy can put his story out there in public, in a book without any advise or opinion, just say it as it is, to me this ment when l rang up for help for the forth time l didn't hang up, made an appointment and actually went and started the process to start again. I was ready thanks to his book.
Yet another great question, thanks for reminding me about the stories l've enjoyed along the way.
Cheers
AdamRHP User
8 years ago
Read it in my early teens, completely changed how I interacted with people.
And just a few years ago, I got introduced to The Clan of the Cave Bear series.....RHP User
8 years ago
...contains a poem by the author (written when he was aged 16): Hats Off To The Heroes A sign of intelligence to choose what you likea sign of maturity to choose what is right, A sign of character to voice what you likea sign of integrity to voice what is right, A sign of bravery to do what you likea sign of heroism to do what is right.
RHP User
8 years ago
...The Da Vinci Code which i then followed up with its prequel Angels and Demons.
They both convinced me that a book can be so shit that public opinion can still get it wrong and say it's a great read. I couldn't believe how bad they were!
Couldn't even finish reading the second one it was that shit!
BiLinguists
8 years ago
Cosmic Trigger – Robert Anton Wilson (and a few more of his)
Counting Heads – David Marusek
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Omnivore's Dilemma
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test – Ken Kesey
The Way of Zen – Allan Watts
My Idea of Fun – Will Self
And of course...
The Ethical Slut – a must-read for everyone here!BiLinguists
8 years ago
@PurePeony, forgot about The Far Side books – pure genius!!
RHP User
8 years ago
Derryn Hinch shame shame shame moment. Went back to a hotel room one night with a group of people, family actually, cousins, it was a formal birthday bash at a venue, having consumed a large amount of beverages My sister grabbed the bible (good Catholic girls we are) out of the drawer, stood on the bed and started preaching, reading it really loud. So bloody funny, and the next day, a great aunt was in the next room and heard all of this. Guess who got the blame? Me of course, I was the naughty one, so by the time we got to breakfast where the rest had already settled and had time to chat, the word had got around about this little incident. Can't remember whether I just let them think it was me, she was convinced but then couldn't blame her really, natural assumption
I'll burn in hellRHP User
8 years ago
I never realised that I was the essence of sexy as I sit in bed at night in my boxer shorts reading my science, archeology and Nature magazines! Fire Fighters move aside - here comes science book nerd! LOL
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
Like a few others, I was all about fantasy/sci-fi as a kid. I raced a friend through LOTR in year 8. Thomas Covenant series was also a standout.
The Bible has been a collection of books of influence for most of my adult life, even though I don't read them now and am not a believer.
'Emotional Intelligence' was an important read for me, and one that resonated strongly.
'Guess How Much I Love You' was the all time favourite to read with my kids.
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
Reading enriches the soul, feeds the mind, encourages deeper thought- anything that does that will profoundly change a life
So to the books
1. Narrow Road to the Deep North- sublime, gorgoues, grotesque and evocative- humbled by its words. Thank you Flanagan2. Route 66 -Kerouac3. Catcher in the Rye- 4. Gatsby5. Too Big Too FailPurePeony
8 years ago
... that this book I've read reviews about is going to influence me greatly :
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, Marie Kondo
Added into the Book Depository shopping cart! :D
I was about to add, "A Bird in the Hand" by Diana Henry as well, when I realised that it's a cookbook, not a book for a mind in the gutter! Hehehe! :PRHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'PatchworkGirl'
Fahrenheit 451. I found it just so chilling.
- Posted from rhpmobile
...that's a good one. I love stories like Fahrenheit or Soylent Green that are not that implausible or that far removed from where we are today. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?RHP User
8 years ago
I have a habit of re-reading my favourites at least once a year. I started my reading journey with trashy Jackie Collins novels, then moved on to authors like Harold Robbins, Stephen King etc, then went through a Crime (fiction) phase. I did the "Self-help" books (not sure any helped). I loved True Crime - but realised it was giving me a rather cynical view of the world.
Now I primarily read fantasy - a lovely escape from reality. The Wheel of Time (14 books), Magician series (27 books) and Anita Blake (23 so far) are some of my favourites.
But my all time favourite books that had an impact on me are:
To kill a mockingbirdThe power of one, Tandia & April Fools Day (love Bryce Courtney)The Lord of the RingsPuberty Blues
ShazRHP User
8 years ago
Old man of the sea, it taught me how my father was dealing with getting old ( and now myself) as to how we are or can be perceived
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
very interesting (and long) read...
RHP User
8 years ago
"The road" by Cormac McCarthy. I read it alone whilst travelling Asia in my late twenties. Well before the movie came out. I remember just wanting to go home and see my son. Jay
RHP User
8 years ago
as the Ethical Slut,everyone should read Sex At Dawn a prehistory of modern sexuality by Ryan and Jetha..I found it an illuminating read Q
RHP User
8 years ago
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are pretty damn good...but before I got there, I read the Belgariad series by David Eddings. Fantastic pulp fantasy! Probably my benchmark for fantasy still. Better than Magician or Earthsea trilogy, I thought. For an entrance to sci-fi, try The Amtrak Wars by Patrick Tilley. it's like Tom Clancy a thousand years from now. Techno sci-fi for the alternative future buff.And speaking of alternative Earths...try West of Eden, an Earth where the asteroid never struck, and evolved, intelligent dinosaurs became the dominant lifeforms, not mammals. Very Planet of the Apes-like.But up with the best is Lord Valentines Castle by Robert Silverberg. A huge, human and alien settled world with 8000 years of history that is now an interstellar backwater with a largely agrarian society and a population of 20 billion.I could go on and on...
PatchworkGirl
8 years ago
Belgariad - yep! I loved the Magician series too. As for Dan Brown, and his female counterpart Jodi Picoult, it just goes to show what you can achieve with a decent formula. Religious overtones + intelligent skeptic + easily digestible buzz + not-so-shocking shock twist ending = pulp best seller. And don't get me started on vampires that sparkle like they've been playing in their little sister's craft collection, and choose to spend their eternity in high school. I mean, really?
Oops sorry. That's another thread entirely.
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
Quoting 'Koolgrey'
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are pretty damn good...but before I got there, I read the Belgariad series by David Eddings.
I loved the Belgariad and Mallorean series - though I had to push myself through the Sapphire rose series, I think the world setting just wasn't as compelling. I had a similar experience with Dragonlance, inhaled the early ones - but the latter books in that setting just left me pushing through for the sake of getting through them.
"The Coming Plague" is a collection of stories from the CDC, USAMRID, etc about the eradication of smallpox, the first ebola outbreaks, marburg, machupo, lassa, 4 corners hantavirus outbreak, etc. It's a thick book, but I read that thing cover to cover.RHP User
8 years ago
I'm up to page 1073/1344 it's a good read but it won't change me...
RHP User
8 years ago
Woman's weekly lol
:p
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
I love Bryce, rest his soul!
Have you read the Clan of the Cave Bears series? I think you would love them.....RHP User
8 years ago
Four fires, a brilliant novel
(By Bryce Courtenay)Grouse33
8 years ago
By Dave Eggers. Billed as a fictional autobiagraphy of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the 'lost boys of Sudan', who walked across the country unaccompanied by adults to escape civil war and find refuge in Kenya. Eggers collaborared with Deng to write the book. So it's a true story, but told artfully. It has stayed with me for years. Eggers and Deng use the proceeds of the book to fund reconstruction work in South Sudan, and it has, as a result, changed many people's lives. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Dave Eggers first novel 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius' almost lives up to its title too.0z_boy
8 years ago
Quoting 'Stirry'
Woman's weekly lol
:p
I thought that was a monthly thing?
- Posted from rhpmobilePatchworkGirl
8 years ago
I've read You shall know our velocity by Eggers, but not his other stuff. I'll look out for them.
- Posted from rhpmobilePatchworkGirl
8 years ago
Allaboutlight, I loved Narrow Road to the deep north. It was compelling. I read Stoner by John Williams, and whilst it's wildly different, I was struck by the tenuous similarity in theme - a man who loves words, and recognises the power of books, who finds true love but not in the woman he is married to. Without saying more and being attacked for spilling spoilers, at the time I found that quite heartbreaking!
- Posted from rhpmobileGrouse33
8 years ago
By my ex - and it wasn't meant as a compliment. I've been too scared to read it since
PatchworkGirl
8 years ago
Oh no! I loved Stoner. If you're the protagonist, then that must make her the protagonist's wife - and I know who my sympathies lie with in that scenario. He's wonderful.
- Posted from rhpmobile
S_W_A_G_G_E_R
8 years ago
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
Jonathon Livingstone seagull
Tuesday's with Morrie.
And a special mention to the Bible, one of the best book of fables ever.RHP User
8 years ago
Yet another great topic Freya. Believe it or not I have just finished a book series that was an absolute high-water mark for me. I have loved books since a child and have read hundreds. I don't consider myself a literary critic - it's like movies for me, if I have a good time I really don't care how high or low-brow they are.
Anyways, the series I just finished was by Larry McMurtry and are best known as the ''Lonesome Dove'' series (although they originally were not marketed as such). Yes, they're Westerns. They were made into a TV series in the late 80's, which I never saw.
Now, stay with me, because they are not Westerns of the ''High Noon'' variety. They cover a core group of characters from their young adult days during the Frontier West days, when settlement expanded Westward into Indian and Mexican country. The books each cover a period of their life and the changing nature of the Frontier as the Indians are eliminated or pushed onto reservations.
The books run you through the gauntlet of emotions - laughter, tears (did indeed tear up when in the ''wind-up'' section of the final book), horror (graphic, graphic violence), excitement (people at work would laugh at me in my lunchbreak as I squirmed in my seat making whooping noises). All of the books, I suppose realistically, depict just how fragile life was back then - the elements could kill you, the wildlife could kill you, the Indians could kill you, disease could kill you, your friends could kill you. There is no such thing as ''the good guys all make it through'' in these books either. Regular and beloved characters die suddenly and often horribly.
Like all great books, I simply could not stop reading them. They consumed my life for 6 weeks, and as I said I was a touch sad when the journey finally ended - again, no happy ending which really was just perfect. I miss them even now. I often like to re-read books I love but I fear I could not with these, the sense of wonder that I felt when delving into the world he created would probably not happen twice, and I may be disappointed.
My god, I loved them.RHP User
8 years ago
Subject: FW: Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 10:21:00 +1100
Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device, trade-name BOOK. BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere - even sitting in an armchair by the fire - yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works: BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet,doubling the information density and cutting costs. Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken anywhere, anytime and used merely by opening it. BOOK never crashes or requires re-booting. The browse feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an "index" feature, which pin-points the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval. An optional 'BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session-even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK. You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an operational programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS) . Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as precursor of a new entertainment wave .............PatchworkGirl
8 years ago
Oh I love that, ontology!
- Posted from rhpmobileRHP User
8 years ago
I can't take credit for that one myself - was forwarded to me many years ago. I was reminded of it whist reading through this thread. I've retained various such gems over the years. I'll share more of them as opportunity and relevance occur. : )
RHP User
8 years ago
Her pithy sharp observations of the human condition. She is the least romantic of writers much misunderstood.
I think of her whenever I encounter the pompous,and recognise the pretentious in moi 😎Q
MadhattersCat
8 years ago
i think the better word for the non believers would be agnostic not atheist.
Atheism is a practiced non religion where as agnostic is more like couldn't give a fuck.
Thats why i like my dictionary.RHP User
8 years ago
a large black Labrador, was sitting up in the seat at the movies, wagging his tail, growling at the villain and barking excitedly at the hero's escapades.
The man in the seat behind was intrigued. "Excuse me", he said, tapping Roxy's owner on the shoulder. "That dog is extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it".
"He surprised me too", said the owner, "He hated the book".
OzRednecks
8 years ago
Opal Carew books are fabulous. Very erotic. Made 50 shades seem rather lame (to me anyway)
Love a bit of vampirism so Anita Blake series, Dark series and Black Dagger Brotherhood are books I have read over and over.
Having rather large breasts, I have never really enjoyed having them touched or sucked. Don't know why, just didn't, then along came the Dark series and those books actually changed that about me. Now I love it when my hubby sucks on them. Sends me into orbit :)RHP User
8 years ago
casting couch?!
RHP User
8 years ago
In the Ausralian today,a cartoon by. John Kudella...a man with a sandwich board which says...THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE A GOD I DON'T KNOW SORRY...Q
precious142
8 years ago
Girl in an all girls boarding college.....The Happy Hooker by Xaviera Hollander was a must read.
The one and only copy was passed around the whole class , not much of the book remained when we finished with it!!!!RHP User
8 years ago
Responding to me precious?
RHP User
8 years ago
Nothing to Hide: The False Tradeoff between Privacy and Security
Daniel J. Solove(John Marshall Harlan Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School)Yale University PressRHP User
8 years ago
Life: A user's manual by Georges Perec
Evil Angels or (Lunes de fiel) Bitter moon(was the movie based on the novel by Pascal Bruckner
All the books from J. R. R. Tolkien(Silmarilion, Lord of the rings, hobbit and many more)
The Gazebo by Emily Grayson
Capital volume 1 by Karl Marx
Numero Zero by Uberto Eco
Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Doblin To kill a mockbird
All the books from Stephen King
To kill a mockingbird by Harper leeRHP User
8 years ago
Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea
Mark BlythProfessor of International Political Economy at Brown University
xxSexyNayxx
a month ago
Twilight series is the first novels I ever read and finished (hated reading before) the are the reason I love books, and the lovely bones is a book I enjoyed but it also left me disturbed not sure if I will ever reread or watch the movie again
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