I suppose since I'm starting this topic that I should go first. For me, its a three-way tie. 1st is George Orwell's 1984, which I find to be a fascinating lesson on the overreliance on technology and big government. 2nd is Marx's Kapital, a fascinating treatise on capitalism. 3rd is Frazer's The Golden Bough, the seminal study on magic and religion.
Warsai wrote: Thank you for contributing to the Library, Fyrehawke. And welcome to ForumGarden. Quite an interesting topic! I'd have to say that the book that has influenced my life the most has been the Bible. It changed my life forever, and I feel that my life is so much better because I read it. Also, The Republic, by Plato, has not only influenced my life, but the lives of billions who have lived in Western civilization, this book forms the basis for all Western thought. Another book is Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed. It's about the Bolshevik Party's seize of power in Russia. Although it is biased, the author portrays Leon Trotsky as a demigod, it is a very enlightening account of Red October.
Like you Warsai......the Bible. what am I supposed to say.......Agatha Christie, who I collect! I am a huge reader.......I'm extremely interesting in the 1st and 2nd WW........but how could that possibly influence me...........other than both wars held my interest a great deal. I'm more involved in WW11 but have ancestor's in the big War which was WW 1. I couldn't possibly go into the effect that major wars have on us......but in the important segment of our personalities and lifes goals are not decided by war's per se. It is ultimately what we trust who our maker is.
Bothwell wrote: Catch 22 gave me my view on war and the people who run it.
I could not get into Catch 22 at all, maybe its just me but I found it really difficult. I love 1984, brilliant book so clever. If anyone has read a book called The Handmaid's Tale....thats an excellent book too. its by an author called Margaret Atwood and it shows just how far women's oppression could go.
I don't think I could pin down just a few books. I grew up reading classics as a kid, and I think that really influenced how I categorize the world around me.
I go through periods where I think deeply about certain books. Obviously, Anna Karenina has been a huge preoccupation of mine lately...poor woman, she was about doomed either way. Should love take precedence over duty? Is emotion stronger than reason? Are we more important than our children?
Ah well ~
And I'm reading Primal Leadership right now. Good book, I'm getting a lot out of it. It has my basic philosophy of act, don't react. This means I'm floating along with the ideas presented more than I usually do.
It talks a lot about using emotional intelligence to retain control, to persuade others to your point of view, and to not be dragged down by those with less...ah...prefontal lobe activity. LOL.
The book addresses my recent questioning about whether emotion is more powerful than reason. It claims that emotion is a part of reason. Interesting notion, and I rather like it.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
Oh my! I read every single Nancy Drew book. Used to use birthday money to buy tem.... I wrote letters to the Author Caroyn Keene when I was in the 5th grade. She wrote back to me.... What a Thrill!
wenutu wrote: His previous book was The Last Juror...his latest book is The Broker (I bought it to today)...I'm sure that's what you meant really Yes, thats it. Thanks. The Broker is 20 euro here at present. I'm heading up North for a copy.
Serendipity, welcome to FG! glad to meet you ... i am a true bibliophile, and former trial court law librarian (Mass.) , i love books and they always played a large role in my life. when i was a girl i read some WWll history and European history, much of it shaped my future interests. (and of course any true crime treatises.) i almost never read fiction , except Carl Hiaasen who is HILARIOUS and writes about my beloved florida keys...but if i were FORCED to name one author it would be Charles Dickens , in particular "A Christmas Carol" for the eternal moral and story that never fails to inspire and move me... BAH HUMBUG!
Bothwell wrote: Catch 22 gave me my view on war and the people who run it. Catch 22 has also influenced me throughout life, then again you and i have the very same books on our shelves... one other i failed to mention is "The Prophet" . it will always speak to me and my soul, as trite as it has become.
hello again...it's true, different books for different stages in life. i can think of many that fit that description, but i am :-5 because i had forgotten my well-worn copy of Old Man and the Sea. Dickens still my all-time favorite however. and of course Shakespeare. i also appreciate the speeches of Winston Churchill a great deal, not a "book" but i love great wit and wisdom...Oscar Wilde too. STOP ME BEFORE I GO ON AD INFINITUM!! LOL
Two books stand out from my earlier years, both by Pearl Buck. The Good Earth and The Townsman. Both are about people just living their lives. Two completely different cultures, but both very interesting.
As I child, I enjoyed myths and legend and fairy-tales. I remember I was given a large beautifully illustrated book which I cherished. I wish I still had it.
A book about Amelia Earhart stands out in my memory too. I thought she was very brave.
I have always been fascinated with human nature.
I work in the Human Resource Dept. of our company.
