Jen in PA Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius House of the Dead by Dostoevsky The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham The Road by Cormac McCarthy John Gabriel Borkman by Ibsen Richard III by Shakespeare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians) and To Kill a Mockingbird. I read both of these when I was about 10 and they drew me into devouring books. I felt like Scout and I were kindred spirits even though I didn't fully get the story. 1984, still makes me shudder when I think of Big Government. I can't wait to read it with my kids as I seem to refer to it all the time. Matterhorn, one of the best all time books on war. The very best on the Vietnam war. Extremely well written. Unbroken, I can't even begin to fathom what these prisoners of war went through. Always good to think about when my life seems difficult. I really appreciate what these guys suffered for the rest of humanity. I could never understand why Seabiscuit was such a hit, but wow, Hillenbrand is a great writer. When All You Ever Wanted Isn't Enough, by the same guy who wrote when Bad Things Happen to Good People. I reflect on this book a lot too. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I wasn't much of a reader when I was a kid...I couldn't sit still! In my early 20's though, a friend got me hooked on historical fiction which led me to a love of literature. When I started using TOG, it began an even greater love! I recently re-read To Kill A Mockingbird which started me down the road of reading more late 19th and early 20th century books. Books that had a real impact on me: The Bible Outliers The Bronze Bow The Hiding Place A Different Kind of Teacher Teaching the Trivium Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit Most recently like Milovany, I read Becoming Orthodox and Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells. Our family just became catechumens in the Orthodox Christian Church because of those books. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 (edited) The Well-Trained Mind, of course ;) (Wonder what my life would be like today if I hadn't read it 11 years ago?) Some others that I haven't seen yet - 84 Charing Cross Road. I'm not sure I can explain why. Just love it. Jayber Crow by Wendel Berry Putting Amazing Back Into Grace by Michael Horton The Hawk and the Dove trilogy by Penelope Wilcock The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene and Short Stories by Flannery O'Connor - impacted the way I view the sacraments and human nature. Edited November 19, 2011 by Susan in TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Uncle Tom's Cabin (I'm surprised no one has listed this one!) The 5000 Year Leap The Book of Mormon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Freedom From the Known. The Cunning of History. Both of these are small books, and the latter, particularly, was eye-opening to me when I was in my 20s. Both have to do with how the human mind works, the former book individually, and the latter we as a group creature. Guns, Germs, and Steel was the most eye opening book after 30. Why didn't I think of that, I kept thinking. More than the details, which are interesting, is the fact I got to see into another person's remarkable ability to think of one little idea and run with it for a huge, fascinating book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in LV Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 My all time favorite (which I was surprised not to see mentioned) is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It's thick, but I could not put it down. I keep an extra copy on my book shelf to share with friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Three that have not been mentioned yet: Quaker Summer A woman who has EVERYTHING but is coming unhinged; She spends the summer with 2 older Quaker ladies and a nun working in a run-down shelter. Lord of the Flies Will I Ever be Good Enough; Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers First and Third were more recent, and have had a profound impact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 (edited) Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life by Keri Wyatt Kent Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight Night by Elie Wiesel Strong Willed Child or Dreamer? by Ron Braund Edited November 19, 2011 by QuirkyKapers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Um....none. :blush: Sort of WTM because it was a huge reason I decided to homeschool. That's pretty life changing. ;) :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 I am not sure there were any books which have profoundly changed my life, but reading through the responses has been interesting. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by H.W. Smith changed the way I thought about and understood my spirituality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 My non-fiction reads tend to be more informational and I don't really purchase self-help books, but my choices have guided my reading habits. A few have already been listed but here's my list: Night by Elie Wiesel It made the horrors of the Holocaust so real. My history class was studying WWII and we were invited to a lecture Mr. Wiesel gave. As preparation, I read this book and listened to him speak. Wow. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Opened my eyes to real literature. Ishiguro is so skilled at hiding meaning in the smallest moments. I try to reread this book every one to two years. The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus A clash of cultures book. Beautifully written. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Still some of the best opening and ending chapters ever written. War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk My dh kept interrupting me while I devoured this book. I nearly threw it at him, but I desparately wanted to finish reading. Follows characters during WWII. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh This was the first character I ever identified with. I was an awkward child and loved reading a story about someone like me. On Writing by Stephen King A very short, cozy book about the craft of writing. It's also a touch autobiographical so you get insight into King's writing process. The 9/11 Commission Report The book helped me through a life-altering decision. I was in Manhattan on 9/11 and afterwards, I spent a few years rethinking my life. Reading about the events of that day helped me take a giant step back from my career and focus on my family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpuffins Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present - Howard Zinn Democracy for the Few - Michael Parenti World Human Rights Guide - Charles Humana these were while I was doing my Masters of Arts (Psychology) - The Role of Authoritarianism, Just World Beliefs and Locus of Control in Judgements about Human Rights. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card Starbridge - A C Crispin Let me know that there was more to Science Fiction than Star Trek! We now have about 2000 sci-fi books! Diary of Anne Frank - the reread *after* I was in Amsterdam, had seen the site, and integrated the knowledge I had of the liberation from my Father's WWII memories. WTM in 2009, and an Abeka catalogue in about 2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 In no particular order: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti - It made me realize that spiritual warfare is real Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - I love how it is at the same time both deep and simple. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman - It brought a whole new dimension to my interpersonal relationships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 (edited) Fahrenheit 451. I pulled so many parallels out of there between Guy's wife and someone very close to me. It scared me and relieved me at the same time. To Kill A Mockingbird. I just loved Atticus. ETA: Wuthering Heights. I don't know what it is about this book, but it changed me in some way. Edited November 19, 2011 by BeatleMania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Some authors, more than particular books, have deeply impacted me. C.S. Lewis: His Narnia series launched me into the world of literature as a child. The Last Battle shaped my ideas about time and eternity, Earth and Heaven, from a very young age. The Screwtape Letters and Perelandra helped me think about moral acts from radically different angles. 'Till We Have Faces knocked me over with its beauty and power, making the world a different place. G.K. Chesterton: Orthodoxy probably best explains how I think and feel and relate to Christianity than any other book. The Everlasting Man was helpful to me, too. The Man Who Was Thursday, maybe my favorite book ever, pushes me to approach life with joy and daring. St. Francis de Sales: His Introduction to the Devout Life lead me to him and all of his works and letters. He is truly a spiritual father to me, and I am not sure how I could handle life as a mother and wife without his help and guidance. Jane Austen and L.M. Montgomery: These ladies gave me mental place to de-stress and feel home. During stressful times in life, I avoided over-eating or over-drinking or overspending because I would go to these books to relax, de-stress, and find companionship. Emmanuel Mounier and JPII: Mounier's work, Personalism, was one of the first philosophical works I read in its entirety. Besides introducing me to personalism, it led me to look at philosophy more deeply as a whole. JP II's Love and Responsibility and later his audiences on the Theology of the Body deeply shaped my anthropology of man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 (edited) Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom Edited November 20, 2011 by scrapbabe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Here are books that really changed my perceptions and/or changed the way I do something in my life. I'm limiting myself to five in each category. Non-fiction: How to Win Friends and Influence People Outliers Nickel and Dimed Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee The Five Love Languages Fiction: Brave New World Slaughterhouse 5 The Lord of the Rings Atonement The Idiot I didn't add TWTM, but it would *definitely* count as a book that profoundly influenced my life!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2em29 Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Another vote for Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. While most Lewis nonfiction has influenced me, this particular fiction piece helped to define my view of man's nature as well as remind me of the inadequacy of my perception versus the fullness of God's. Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey helped me complete the process of understanding a thoroughly Christian worldview. I highly recommend it to anyone, but I especially encourage college students to read it. I wish so much that I had read it just post-high school. It's a wonderfully grounding book for adult life. In education, I guess I'd have to cite another Lewis book, The Abolition of Man, as transforming my view on education from an exercise in the acquisition of skills to the nurturing of a soul towards goodness, truth, and beauty. Second, The Well-Trained Mind has been incredibly influential in forming my understanding of the grammar stage, most particularly. I love many of the other authors mentioned, including Graham Greene, but these are the books that I can point to as having particularly clarified an area of thought for me. I'm sure there are others that will come to mind when I close this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Brave New World it changed the way I thought about a lot of things when I read it as a teenager. Analysing it cemented my love of lit analysis and as I am seriously considering a PhD in that field I would have to say it changed my life and continues to change my life. The Harry Potter series. Through it I met some of my best and most loyal friends. Friends who have been with me through thick and thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 I love being inspired. The change of seasons, a pale ale on a patio with my husband, and a giant list of great books have to be the most inspirational and motivational for me. Every time the seasons change I feel so strongly about setting goals and starting new things. My husband and I like to sit on a patio of one of our favorite places in Nashville and drink pale ale (or Guinness, depends on the season) and write out our goals. It is just fun and after a couple of beverages it gets pretty entertaining to read the next day! Some of our biggest ideas and then accomplishments have come from those "pale ale beginnings!" Books lists are the best things ever. You all have helped so much and I can't WAIT to pass these along to my non homeschooling friends and my book group. I think the best part of what you all have written is the descriptions of what you got out of the books or at what period in your life you read them This is awesome stuff. I am now thoroughly inspired and motivated. We'll see what comes of it... Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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