What books would you recommend that someone has to read in their lifetime?

Question

What books would you recommend that someone has to read in their lifetime?

Answer 1

Here are all the books that I was told to read this summer. They are all pretty much classics.





King Solomon's Mines -- Sir H. Rider Haggard

Dantes Inferno -- Dante Alighieri

The Picture of Dorian Gray -- Oscar Wilde

Captian Blood -- Rafael Sabatini

Last of the Mohicans -- James Fenmore Cooper

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde -- Robert Louis Stevenson

Tresure Island -- Robert Louis Stevenson

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -- Jules Verne

Slaughterhouse-Five -- Kurt Vonnegut

The Three Musketeers -- Alexandre Dumas

Brothers Karamazov -- Fyodor Dostoevsky

For Whom the Bell Tolls -- Ernest Hemingway

Dharma Bums -- Jack Kerouac

Catch-22 -- Joseph Heller

Seek: Reports from the Edges of America & Beyond -- Denis Johnson

The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry -- Christine De Pizan

The Art of Warfare -- Sun Tzu

Don Quixote by Miguel -- Cervantes

The Hobbit/ LOR -- JRR Tolkien

Leviathan -- Thomas Hobbes

The Thin Red Line -- James Jones

The Naked and The Dead -- Norman Mailer

A Farewell To Arms -- Ernest Hemingway

On the Road -- Jack Kerouac

The Count of Monte Cristo -- Alexandre Dumas

All Quiet on The Western Front -- Erich Maria Remarq

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -- Robert Pirsig

The Snows of Kilimanjaro -- Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms -- Hemingway

War and Peace -- Tolstoy

Lord of the Rings -- Tolkien

Answer 2

Literature in a nutshell:



All primary texts of the Big 5 religions and whatever else of the other religions that you can fit in there. A good dose of secondary too.



Added in a bunch of classics: Socratic dialogues, Plato's Republic, The Iliad, the Odyssey, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Juvenal, Suetonius, Aristophanes, Sophocles



Poetics, Aristotle



The Birth of Tragedy and Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche



On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin



Some of Gregor Mendel's papers



The Decline and Fall of Rome, Gibbons



95 Theses, Martin Luther



Prithviraj Raso epic, Chand Bardai



Writings of Rumi



Suleiman's verses



At least a Shakespeare play or two



Paradise Lost, The Divine Comedy, Pilgrim's Progress, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Camus



Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, Ottobah Cugoano



Narrative, Olaudah Equiano



Mein Kampf, Hitler (an important text in the history of the world)



Rousseau's The Social Contract, Montaigne's Essays



Moliere, Ibsen, Sartre, August Strindberg, Bertolt Brecht, Tennesee Williams



John Donne, William Blake, Walt Whitman, Tagore, T.S. Eliot



Black Elk Speaks, Speeches of Chief Joseph



The Tale of Genji



Confucius' Analects



Sun Tzu, Art of War



The Prince, Machiavelli



... let me know if I forgot something!

Answer 3

Fifth Business by Robertson Davies

Night by Elie Wiesel

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

Answer 4

From what you read you would love the Shannah series by Terry Brooks.



Read them in order they are brilliant.

Answer 5

The first 12 I could think of as great books - probably missed some absolute crackers - but try these



1984 - George Orwell - Such an interesting premise, and gets closer to the truth every day



To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee - brilliantly written



Perfume - Patrick Suskind - He describes the smells of historical Paris so well, I was almost retching after the first chapter



The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - mark Hadden - Might be considered a kid's book, but who cares it brilliantly deals with the life of boy with Aspergers.



Veronika decides to die - Paulo Coelho - possibly a little bit too happy (despite the title), a bit too much like a self-help book - but definately worth a read



The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - I'm just coming to the end of this, and it's about Nazi Germany, the dealings of jews, is narrated by death - and yet is still a pleasant book to read



House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski - I thought this was just a gimmick with the diffferent printing styles, but eventually it just grabs you in.



Spares - Michael Marshall Smith - Really good sci-fi based around cloned humans being used for body parts when the original person is injured/ill



Choke - Chuck Palahniuk - I can't remember if it was this one or Survivor that I loved - but try both



A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini - Just brilliant



Persepolis- can't remember the author's name - a really easy to read but powerful graphic novel



and finally the best imho :



The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby - Just a beautiful account of the author's thoughts after an accident had left him unable to move except for one eye - narrated by blinking when the guy by his bed mentions the right letter !!!!!

Answer 6

My all time greats? I like these because they help shape your thinking. Its possible to be inspired by them without taking on their ideas, and help you understand how others think differently, without being any different in a fundamental way.



War and Peace by Tolstoy

Anna Karenina by Tolstoy

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky

Beyond good and evil by Nietsche

1984 by Orwell

Republic by Plato



If you’re not up to a massive intellectual slog, I suggest

The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger

The Stand by Stephen King



Both will have you seriously thinking without being a good reader.

Answer 7

--Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

Reservation life is down pat, characters often become amazing, book moves beyond the 'every day' --and it's all fairly typical N.A. stuff, with an addition.



--The Hobbit by Tolkien

Doubt I have to say 'why' on this.



--Burning Chrome by William Gibson

'Just' a short story, in the book of the same name... one of the best short stories I've ever read.



--One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Truly a one-of-a-kind book, and a great story.



--The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Can't think of a better book about Camelot.



--The Wizard of Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin; one classic fantasy, the other classic sci-fi.



--Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry ...his best book, and a great one.



--E.B. White/Writings from the New Yorker/1927-1976 edited by Dale... Best essayist ever; terrific selection.



...and I haven't EVen gotten started here...

Good question but really difficult to answer.

Answer 8

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom [again]

He's simply a fantastic author, and though he is more notable for The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Tuesdays With Morrie was an all around better book.

I bought it for my mother as a Christmas gift a few years ago, and she has since read all of Mitch Albom's other books.

:D

Answer 9

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson. I absolutely love it and the film is my favourite film.



Also, Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son. I just really enjoyed reading it.

Answer 10

The Twilight Series: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn: Stephenie Meyer



Blue is for Nightmares Series

(Blue is for Nightmares

White is for Magic

Silver is for Secrets

Red is for Remembrance)

Project 17

by Laurie Faria Stolarz



The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling



Things Change

Nailed

Chasing Tail Lights

By Patrick Jones



A Walk to Remember

A Bend in the Road

The Notebook

The Wedding

The Guardian

Nights in Rodanthe

Dear John

At First Sight

By Nicholas Sparks



She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb



Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen



Running With Scissors

Dry

By Augusten Burroughs



Wicked by Gregory MacGuire



Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky



Go Ask Alice: anonymous



Crank by Ellen Hopkins



Sam's Letters for Jennifer

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

by James Patterson



Ordinary People by Judith Guest



Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger



Night by Elie Wiesel



The Vampire Diaries Series

(The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury, Dark Reunion)

by L.J. Smith



Homefree by Nina Wright



Prep

Lovesick

by Jake Coburn





Slaughterhouse-Five

Cat's Cradle

by Kurt Vonnegut



To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee



The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis



The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White



Carrie by Stephen King



The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd



The Watcher by James Howe



The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold



In My Enemy's House

Daniel's Story

By Carol Matas



The Outsiders

That Was Then, This is Now

By S.E. Hinton



Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennet and Jeff Gottesfeld



The Other Shepards by Adele Griffin



The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osbourne



Goosebumps by R.L. Stine



What Kind of Love? by Sheila Cole



The Giver

Gathering Blue

by Lois Lowry



Harmless

A Brief Chapter In My Impossible Life

By Dana Reinhardt



The Pigman

The Pigman's Legacy

The Pigman and Me

My Darling, My Hamburger

by Paul Zindel



Sweethearts

Story of a Girl

By Sara Zarr



Peeps

The Last Days

by Scott Westerfeld



Bloom

by Elizabeth Scott



Speak

By Laurie Halse Anderson



What Happened To Cass McBride

by Gail Giles



Remembering Raquel

By Vivian Vande Velde



Hiroshima

By John Hersey



Elsewhere: Gabrielle Zevin



Sweet Blood: Pete Hautman



Lucas: Kevin Brooks



Uninvited: Amanda Marrone



hope this helps!

Answer 11

The BBC ran a poll a few years back and they captured the 100 most popular books. Search for "Big read top 100" should find it. I won't reprint the whole thing, but the top 20 were

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien

2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman

4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling

6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne

8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell

9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis

10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller

12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë

13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks

14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier

15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger

16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres

20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy



Some of these may date, like 3, 5, 13 and 19, but I bet in 50 years time the list will be pretty similar.

Judging by your list you might like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Suzanna Clarke

Answer 12

I'm Science fiction and Fantasy fan, so my choices wont appeal to the majority.



The Wheel of time series by Robert Jordan. The series has gone on a long time but the characters are beautifully crafted. Robert Jordan passed away last year, he dictated the end of the series I'm told and the final book should be something special.



Iain Banks' culture and other sci fi novels. Each is a work of art in the view of pure on the edge writing in an universe that most writers could never create, such is the scale and depth he wields.



The Deathstalker Series by Simon R Green, everything that Star Wars failed to be, has the gritty edge George Lucas could never have included. And Owen is one of those great characters you instantly like and enjoy reading about.



There are others I would include like Fiona McIntosh's 'The Quickening Series', but these are the best I have read, the ones I come back to when I don't have a new book to read.

Answer 13

I have read hundreds of good books!

Some faves are all of Stephen KIng, John Saul, Alan Titchmarsh's novels.



Harry Potter series, The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, Lord of the Rings, The Hobit, Jane Erye, Lady Chatterley's Lover.



Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follet, The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon.



And loads more that I could mention!!

Answer 14

The Bible



Ocean Star by Christina Dimari



The Hiding Place by Connie Ten Boom



Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet



The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder



Do Nothing to Change Your Life by Stephen Cottrell



any of Alexander McCall Smith's books



Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck



Children's Books:



The Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin



and many other books!!!!

Answer 15

The Bible - a Must

1984 - George Orwell

Various books by Charles Dickens

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde -- Robert Louis Stevenson

The Time Machine - H G Wells

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

Treasure Island -- Robert Louis Stevenson

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -- Jules Verne

The Three Musketeers -- Alexandre Dumas

The Count of Monte Cristo -- Alexandre Dumas

Answer 16

Pride & Prejudice

Sense & Sensibility

Wuthering Heights

Emma

Romeo & Julliet

High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

A Room With a View - E M Forster

A year in Delhi - William Dalrymple



Edit: Since so many have mentioned The Bell Jar favourably - I must just say that unless you're a 16-22 year old girl you're unlikely to like it. It's also full of the SERIOUSLY dour slit your wrist angst that teenagers love! (needless to say my teenage self loved it!!) Wouldn't touch it now.

Loads more, but my memory's died...!! ps I'm sure you know the authors of the ones I've not added!!

Answer 17

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (US title: Smilla's Sense of Snow) by Peter Hoeg. The only first-person, present-tense narrative I've read that actually works. Especially the translation by F. David. Her commentary on life and people is excellent and the action part is good too.



The Bible, at least the New Testament, Psalms and Isaiah. Because it is what it is.



Shakespeare's Sonnets for beauty of language with lots of content.



In This House of Brede, by Rumer Godden. It's an enormously complex book and excellently well written. There are no unimportant characters in it and it tells a very human story. Or rather several. It's woven together as life is woven...each one's actions affect all the others.

Answer 18

1. To Kill a Mocking Bird (Harper Lee) One of the best fiction books ever - an outstandingly charming insight into the mind of a child and that heartbreaking moment when the world is not the place you think it is.



2. Moll Flanders (Defoe) An outstanding historical novel - the first ever English novel and at the same time a well written tale.



3. Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion - Tolkein - To be read at least once a year!



4. Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four - Orwell - No better critique of modern life - my favourite two books ever.



5. Das Kapital/Communist Manifesto - Marx and Engels



6. Vindication of the Rights of Women - Wollstencraft (Outstanding work by the mother of Mary Shelly who wrote Frankenstein and woman who was married to poet Shelly - way ahead of her time and puts into context the notion that feminism is a new movement and that women of this time were either uneducated or silenced.)



7. Principa Mathematica - Newton - Although unlikely to understand most of it - this book needs to even be glanced at to be near one of arguably the most influencial texts in the world.



8. Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith - Much of our captialist system is based on this book - hugely hugely influencial and so again - another must read/understand at least once in a lifetime texts



9. Macbeth - Shakespeare - Any one of Shakespeares plays really but this one happens to be my personal favourite.



10. The last days of Socrates - Plato - The debate rages as to how true Plato remained to Socrates' message but it cannot be denied how powerful his account of the demise of this outstanding/life changing philosopher is.



11. The Bible and The Koran - regardless of your religion - it is still important to read them in order to know why you do or do not subscribe to them - as far as influencial texts go - these two would be up there.



12. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - An outstanding novel, taut and remarkably well written - for an insight into the man De Profundis by Wilde is also amazing.



13. Brief History of Time by Hawking or if too heavy at the very least - A Brief History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - if we come by this planet only once then in order to fully get a full existential experience, knowing even the basics of how we got here and learning about the bigger picture is really important.



14. Origin of Species - Darwin - again - knowing how we are here and importantly how evolution works can only enhance our time here and should be read at least once.







Ok I better stop there! Could go on but those leaped to mind first.

Answer 19

Obviously Lord of the Rings.



Anything by Philip K Dick, sci fi at the limit & beyond.



Carlos Castaneda, all his tales of Native American Shamanism, far out.



H G Wells, just a great story teller.



Charles Dickens, reasons as above.



Siddhartha, Herman Hesse, a journey through life.



The Prophet, Khalil Gibran, really touches the soul.



Sven Hassel, ripping wartime yarns.



And of course, the complete works of Shakespeare, me thinks no reason to say why.

Answer 20

When I was a teenager,Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein started me re-thinking all I had been taught . I've been doing it ever since.

Books that had a similar effect were Ayn Rand's 'Fountainhead' and 'Atlas Shrugged'.

The 'My Friends....' series of books by Jane Duncan showed me how common sense can cut through life's bull..er....shine, and not least by a long chalk, for a good laugh, anything by Terry Pratchett. Especially the early ones.

Answer 21

Meetings with remarkable men' by GI Gurdjieff

In search of the miraculous' by PD ouspensky

The book of five rings' BY M Musashi

The Tao by A Watts

Sophies World by ? Jostein Gaarder

The closed society by K Popper

Catch 22 by J Heller

The Battle for God by K Armstrong

Happiness by D Nettle



Well there is a few of my favourites to go on with, but they ask questions of the human Dilemmna, of why are we here? How should we live? etc and all reveal different aspects of the human psyche

Answer 22

I read all the time and anything that people recommend I will give a go. But the ones that either made me laugh out loud, cry for hours or made we want to learn more are the following.



Time Travellers Wife

Birdsong

Jane Eyre

Six wives of Henry VIII

Mrs Frisbee & the Rats of Nymph (My first book with no pictures!!!! - Loved it.)



Just read, read and read some more......

Answer 23

I hope you don't mind a few non-fiction recommendations



1. Blue Eyed Boy-Nicky Campbell

A stunning autobiographical book by the 5-Live presenter



2. A Ghost upon Your Path-John McCarthy's spiritual journey round his Irish roots



3. Narrow Boat-Tom Rolt. A travel book and history all in one



4. Enemy Coast Ahead-Guy Gibson VC. The ultimate I was ther war story

Answer 24

Oliver Twist -Charles Dickens

The Bible

Great Expectations Charles Dickens

War of The Worlds H G Wells

1984

Animal Farm

She Stoops to Conquer

Marley and Me

The Cat Who Saw Red and others in the series by Lilian Braun

Answer 25

I have read probably hundreds of books in my life and can say with absolute certainty that there is only one book that is essential reading: The ragged trousered philanthropist by Robert Tressel. I'll be surprised if you can find it, it argues that greed might not be the best foundation upon which to build society. There are many many very good books 'out there' but this one will change your life for the better in ways that you can actually develop.

Answer 26

Mine are:



Pride and Prejudice ~ Jane Austen (Insightful into human nature)



Wheel of Time books ~ Robert Jordan (Brilliant, in the spirit of Tolkien (Wheel of Time is my favourite, interesting to discover what the final book will bring!)



Lord of the Rings ~ J.R.R. Tolkien ~ (Masterpiece of fiction)

Answer 27

War and peace - The title put me off for years but when i read it I coudlnt believe how beautiful it was.

Anna Karenina also

Solzehitsen the gulag archipelago .

Ursula le Guin any but mostly - The dispossessed and hte Earthsea quartet.

CJ Cherryh Wave without a shore

Apart from some I hated The 100 best reads are a pretty good selection

I claudius.

Answer 28

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - probably the best psychological novel ever written and one of the all-time great classic novels, it's difficult to see how it will ever be surpassed.



Scarlet and Black by Stendhal - almost as good as Anna Karenina, another of the great classics.



Nineteen Eighty-four by George Orwell - the classic story of the evils of totalitarianism, it gave the world concepts such as Big Brother and the Thought Police.



The Bible - not for the religion, but because you can't properly understand European literature and culture if you don't have some knowledge of it.

Answer 29

The Lord of the Flies

Reason: it is a compelling novel, which reveals dire implications if we do not keep civility and a check on our evil side. William Golding is a master craftsman of written word, and his techniques and arguments he puts forward are simply stunning and presented subtly. It is quite scary as some of the material (the characters) all apply to us in some way!



Very recommended read - will change your entire pespective.

Answer 30

You have to read: All the Anthony Horowitz books

All The Edith Bliten Books

All The Harry Potter books

All the lord of the rings books



Those without doubt are the best books in the world

Answer 31

i dare say my reading isnt as extensive as the majority of people answering but my top books would be ... in no particular order ...



wuthering heights by emily bronte



memoirs of a geisha by artur golden



the lovely bones by alice sebold



1984 by george orwell



the handmaids tale by margaret atwood



catcher in the rye by j.d. salinger



the b.f.g. and matilda by roald dahl



the bell jar by silvia plath



anything by shakespeare!! my fav is a midsummer nights dream



pride and prejudice and also persuasion by jane austen



the series of books by dave pelzar



winnie the pooh by a.a. milne



charlottes web by e.b. white



any poetry by emily dickinson ... i kno its not a book but deffo a gud read



slaughterhouse 5 bu kurt vonneghut



there are loads more but i suppose thats enough ... i kno there are a few 'childrens books' in there but i think its important to remember them as they are what made me fall in love with books at a young age, which is something i dont think happens enough in this day and age. I think its dibolical that schools are going to stop teaching the 'classics' as quite obvisouly these are the books that have stood the test of time. anyway yea my top reads lol



just re-read that and i sound like a babbeling old fool lol im only 20!!! so im a babbeling young fool lol

Answer 32

A couple of people have mentioned 'The Bell Jar', so I'll nominate that.

I loved 'The Wind in the Willows' and 'Charlottes Web' as a child. As noone's nominated anything by Roald Dahl yet, I'll also put in 'George's Marvellous Medicine' (although it can be read in half an hour!)

Answer 33

Vanity Fair (the novel not the magazine) by William Makepeace Thackeray.



I like it because it is satirical and humorous. Also, the main character; Becky Sharp is a really interesting protagonist. She is manipulative and scheming yet at the same time she is very likeable and charming. She's definitely not a one dimensional character.

Answer 34

Every novel ever written by Ellen Hopkins.

Every novel ever written by Holly Black.

Harry Potter by JK Rowling.

The Books of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

Every novel ever written by Cynthia Kadohata.

FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON by Daniel Keyes.

OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck.

Answer 35

'Barchester Towers' Anthony Trollop



'The Beast Within' Emile Zola



'The Ascent of Man' J Bronowski



'Wuthering Heights' Emily Bronte



'Wind in the Willows' K Grahame



Why? No complex literary analysis. Simply, every book has touched my soul.

Answer 36

I haven't read it (yet) but i hear the twilight series is amazing. Personally i would recommend the malorie blackman trilogy, noughts and crosses, knifes edge and checkmate - they are amazing books that show you a different world to the one we live in - yet a world that is entirely possible. I would also recommend Dan Browns book the da vince code - but everyone know about that one.

Answer 37

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

A book which makes you realise how much better off we are than others in our lives. It's a classic which will be read by all ages for generations. Hell, I'm 13, and still get laughs out of this!

Answer 38

I would suggest Irvine Welsh's 'Filth'



Irvine welsh wrote Trainspotting, and i found filth to be an excellent read, i couldnt put it down!! The story line was great and the way he wrote in 2 people (1 being the police officer and 1 being the worm) was fantastic.

Answer 39

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (one of those that can form your personality)

The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo (if you're after the meaning of life)

Lady Chatterley's Lover (to know the secret of perfect love)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (to learn about the consequences of your deeds)

Clockword Orange by Anthony Burgess (to meet a real rebel and mastermind)

The French Lieutenant's Lover (to know a woman's free spirit)

Answer 40

W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage (A+++)



Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard (A++++++)



The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (A++++++)



BTW, I liked Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and Harry Potter but I don't see them as essential reads. They are fun and challenging but, for me, not life-changing like the three listed above.

Answer 41

Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Series.



And any Tanya Huff's Blood books.



Happy Reading!

Laura.

=]

Answer 42

There is a book called 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.

Here a link to a list of all the books mentioned. http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.22845/Books



As of now I've read about 850 of them.

So far I agree with every book named there.

I suggest anything by:

W. Somerset Maugham (especially Of Human Bondage)

George Orwell

Philip K. DIck

J. D. Salinger

Douglas Adams

Jane Austen

Haruki Murakami

Answer 43

The Partner by John Grisham. Woah!



Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor. Very emotional.



A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks (I think). Very emotional story, very real.

Answer 44

A Child Called It

The Lost Boy

A Man called Dave



All by Dave Pelzer.



Amazing, moving stories. Make you grateful for what you have got in your life.

Answer 45

Fiction books that have affected my life:-

"Heidi" by Johanna Spyri

"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

"My Name is Asher Lev" by Chaim Potok

And anything by David Nobbs, especially "The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin" Very funny British humor

Answer 46

the incident with the dog in the night time......not sure who its by but is about a boy who has autism very clever and an easy read



dan brown is a brilliant author especially angels and demons !!!



i have been told nick hornby is a great author and his book ' a long way down' is worth a gander

Answer 47

LewisCarroll,Kafka,Shakespeare,Dickens,Chaucer,Dostoevsky,Emerson,and a thorough anthology of world poetry including poems by Donne, Whitman, Dylan Thomas, T.S. Eliot, and Theodore Roethke. Evelyn Waugh's "The Loved One." E.B.White's "Stuart Little." etc etc etc

Answer 48

The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Anne Radcliffe.

You'll have to invest some time into this book, but its worth it. Gothic romance horror - brilliant!

Answer 49

The Alchemist

Paul



The Roots

Alex Haley

Answer 50

Nineteen Eighty Four for CERTAIN



Yes Man by Danny Wallace - it's not exactly the norm, but it's certainly moulded my life. Due to saying yes more, I think it's helped me get an offer from my first chosen uni :-D

Answer 51

Animal farm

1994

the diary of Annie Franks

Answer 52

I would recommend:

1. The Bible. (The New Translation of the Holy Scriptures). It's awe-inspiring.

2. Poetry of Tomorrow. (It's a beautiful book that you won't want to put down. It's about many subjects, and has beautiful illustrations.)

Answer 53

* The God of Small Things

* A Fine Balance

* Anthem

* To Kill a Mockingbird

* Inheritance of Loss

* Atlas Shrugged

* The Fountainhead

* Angela's Ashes

* House of Sand and Fog

* The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

* Fall on Your Knees



Why? - I can only say why they are important to me.

Because each of them contributed in part to who I am.

.

Answer 54

Kestral for a Knave by Barry Hines.



I first read this book when I was 13 (I'm now in my 30's). I have read it 100's of times.

Answer 55

I like it because it is satirical and humorous. Also, the main character; Becky Sharp is a really interesting protagonist. She is manipulative and scheming yet at the same time she is very likeable and charming. She's definitely not a one dimensional character.

Answer 56

1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Both show how a totalitarian state can develop and rewrite the past.

Answer 57

Anything by Charles Dickens

Answer 58

Dear friend I would like you to read Holy Quran at least onece in your life time. It would open a whole new world before your eyes. It would give you the meaning of your life. And it would provide you the peace of mind. So do read it.

Answer 59

The answers will all be very subjective. You shouldn't be reading books based solely on other people's opinions. Just walk into a library and pick a book - be adventurous. One man's meat is another man's poison. Just try and be an individual.

Answer 60

the Stephanie Plum series of books by Janet Evanovich

the Harry Bosch series of books by Micheal Connoly

The Harry Potter books by JK Rowling

The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath (I think thats her name)

any Dickens novel

Answer 61

my own personal opinion would be The Game by Neil Strauss, an extraorinary tale about his life as low life writer to a legendary pick up artist on the main strip in california,

Answer 62

Slaughterhouse-5 and Cat's Cradle, by Vonnegut, for their tragic humor and general Americana.



The Things They Carried and In the Lake of the Woods, by O'Brien, for the crimes of humanity.



Rebecca, and du Maurier's short stories (including "The Birds"), and Bronte's Jane Eyre, for the gothic romance.



Pride and Prejudice, by Austin, for the sparkling wit.



Tess of d'Urbervilles, by Hardy, for her purity.



Hamlet, by Shakespeare, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by Stoppard, for the perspective.



The Reader, by Schlink, for the catch-22.



The White Hotel, by Thomas, for the subconscious.



The Importance of being Earnest, by Wilde, for the fun.



Art, by Reza, for the issue of friendship.



Fahrenheit-451, by Bradbury, for the future.



The Sound and the Fury, by Faulkner, for the fallacy of filial obligations.



"Bartleby the Scrivener," by Melville, for the preference, and Moby-Dick, for posterity.

Answer 63

His dark materials (northern lights , the subtle knife , and the amber spyglass) by philip pullman



the game by neil strauss



terry brooks the sword of shannara, and the heritage of shanara series



the traveller by john twelve hawks



the bridget jones books - better than the films by far!

Answer 64

THE CATHCHER IN THE RYE

by : JD Sanlinger



Because...

i also never read anything till this year.

i went to my english teacher and she recommended to start with that.



its a nice easy book,

makes you laugh and it's chatty and easy!



Definately got me into reading :]

Answer 65

all terry pratchett books. anything by cormac mccarthy especially the road and no country for old men. and tim burtons collection of poems the meloncholy death of oyster boy and edward gorleys the ghashly crumb tinies.

Answer 66

1984 - George Orwell

Answer 67

The six billion dollars Best seller.

Our creator's universal instruction manual.

On how to survive and advance in time in "Planet of apes"

John 7.19

What do you think?

Answer 68

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.



It is her masterpiece. It is the best work of fiction I have ever read.



I'd encourage anyone and everyone to read it.



http://www.atlasshrugged.com/

Answer 69

heh, your first (tolkien) was the first to hit my head too. and i agree on the farseer trilogy too.

others:

-- at least ONE terry pratchett

-- mice and men

-- ....gods, i'm stuck. i've read too many to pick out a few.

Answer 70

Anything by Dan Brown.

Angels and Demons is pretty good, still reading it though! =]

Answer 71

To Kill A Mockingbird. I'm sure that's a generic answer, but it's absolutely true.

Answer 72

in Queensbury Village each newborn is slapped with a bank book and then taken to see the queensbury village web sight,,,,WoW,,,,take a peek at queensbury village online

Answer 73

Island - richard laymon

great book

Answer 74

Holocaust by Martin Gilbert because we must never forget.

Answer 75

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is one of my favourites...



Edit - has anyone mentioned The Bible????

Answer 76

Harry Potters obv!



And peter kays autobiography cos its hilarious

Answer 77

The harry potter series BLATES.

Answer 78

Quran.

Answer 79

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Answer 80

Apart from The Hobbit and LOTR:



A Prayer For Owen Meany - John Irving



I can read this again and again and again................

Answer 81

Gulliver's travels, & new world translation of the holy scripters.

Answer 82

The Bible

Bamboo and Lace

Answer 83

Lord of the rings! JRR TOLKIEN! the man was a genius!

slash by slash, its amazin

and the diary of adrian mole, sue townend.. HILARIOS

Answer 84

harry potter !!



come on its like 7 books aint that enough???

Answer 85

bill bryson short history of nearly everthing

Answer 86

The secret. Look it up it is the mother of all people

Answer 87

offcourse kaamasutra

Answer 88

ps: i love you