4littlewomen Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I will start. Some that have influenced me most profoundly are Les Miserables, To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4littlewomen Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 Another book that left me changed was "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. I am curious about people's books so I can add them to my future must read book list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Thanks for reminding me of Les Miserables. I especially recall the first? chapter called something like "A just man", in which the generous and selfless priest tells Jean Valjean, after saving him from the consequences of his theft, that now he has claimed him for good, forever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 A Pilgrim's Progress. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Fiction: Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss helped me put the task of mothering in perspective. I wrote down so many quotes from that book. Loved it! Hinds Feet on High Places gave me perspective on trials and hard places in the Christian walk. A forever favorite. Non-fiction: Too many to name! I really liked Jean Fleming's A Mother's Heart when I was a new mom. Homeschooling the Whole Hearted Child and Homeschooling for Excellence were the 2 books that inspired me in this homeschool journey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Silas Marner, Washington Square and The Song of Our Syrian Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 The Bible The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis Pollyanna (read with the kids) The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson Same Kind of Different as Me Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Thanks for reminding me of Les Miserables. I especially recall the first? chapter called something like "A just man", in which the generous and selfless priest tells Jean Valjean, after saving him from the consequences of his theft, that now he has claimed him for good, forever. Lol, more like the 20th chapter. I'm listening to Les Mis on audio book right now, because I've been meaning to reread it for years and always get overwhelmed by the sheer length if it. (It's 65 disks, by the way, no less overwhelming, really). I think Jean Valjean was first introduced on disk 5. Anyways Les Mis would definitely make my list, particularly because of that bishop. The Brothers Karamazov, because of the monk Father Zossima. Anna Karenina because it really fills me with compassion/mercy, which I tend to lack. Life and Fate for the same reason. I think all great novels make you a better person in the end. I think the only "advice" type book that's ever affected me long-term was Simplicity Parenting, which was really viewpoint altering for me, in a very good way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 A Tale of Two Cities Vanity Fair (I really like/ appreciate Thackeray's insights into the human condition) And yes to all the Russian lit books I've read so far: Crime and Punishment (gruesome but a beautiful picture of redemption), Brothers Karamazov, and I agree with above about Anna Karenina. Uncle Tom's Cabin Villette (a lesser known novel of Charlotte Bronte's, I like it more than Jane Eyre or Shirley for the way it portrays love) And I feel a bit silly to include a Jane Austen novel in the mix, but I LOVE Mansfield Park and am always so inspired by Fanny's resolve of character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 - Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien) -- SO many powerful examples and life lessons - "Leaf By Niggle" (JRR Tolkien) -- short story; example of humility, and, don't waste the use of your gifts in this life - Till We Have Faces (CS Lewis) -- pride, choices, epiphany so late in life (painful!) - The Hiding Place (Corrie tenBoom) -- the powerful of doing good in the face of great evil - The Man Who Was Thursday (GK Chesterton) -- love the paradox: relationship with God is not how we picture it; keeps me from trying to "put God in a box" Okay, I know this one is not classic lit., but our family still uses and is inspired by the phrase "ash breeze" from Carry On Mr. Bowditz (Newberry book), knowing that the book was based on the life of a real man, who, in real life did not let set-backs and unhappy circumstances deter him. If the winds (circumstances) were not in his favor to sail his ship forward (accomplish his life goals and desires), he moved forward by "ash breeze" (hard rowing) -- in other words, he persevered and self-taught and made it happen through sweat, grit, and perseverance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 A tree grows in Broklyn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Les miserables and Anna karenina opened my mind to the various reasons people act in certain ways that seem so wrong from the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 There are so many book that have really changed the way I look at things. I'm really glad we had assigned reading in school because even as an avid reader many of the books I wouldn't have chosen on my own. The House on Mango Street - Made me appreciate my Hispanic heritage. I went on to read more of the authors books Fahrenheit 411 - Made me appreciate books and what literacy stands for in our society One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Made me question what made someone crazy or normal and how much power we should give to the government A Clock Work Orange - made me question good and bad and if people are inherently good or evil Celestine Prophecy - I don't know if this qualifies at literature but it made me question if things happen by chance or by divine appointment Anne of Green Gables - allowed me to feel free at a really hard time in my life. I would get lost in Anne's world. I connected with her and craved to have a simple life like her in green gables. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - helped me connect and understand racism as nothing else had. Slavery and Jim Crow seemed like another story in the history books till I read this book and it became real to me Non-Fiction Biography of Amy Carmichael - Made me realize so many of our problems are trivial. Helped me see beyond my world and gave me the desire to do more to help people. I think every literature book I have ever read has affected me in some way,that's probably why I'm so big on having my kids read them. Books been a big part of my life, a way to escape, go to a different world, peek inside of someone else's mind. I really hope to pass a love for books and reading on to my children. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 The Bible The Bell Jar The Prayer That Changes Everything The Mark of the Lion series WTM WEM This is my bare-bones, right to the heart, major impact books that have literally changed me. My most impactful classic lit books would be like: House of Mirth Madame Bovary 1984 Brave New World Gulliver's Travels And adding in the YWAM bios of missionaries. Nate Saint and George Muller were big ones. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4littlewomen Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Thank you so much for sharing. Some of these bring back lovely reflections and there are so many I look forward to reading. Thank you for sharing something so meaningful to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Anything Dickens but especially Great Expectations and David Copperfield Les Miserables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Jane Eyre Pride and Prejudice (beware those first impressions!) The Great Gatsby A Christmas Carol Little Women Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, Bradbury. I just read To Kill a Mockingbird- profound and lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 The Secret Garden - on one's choice of thoughts about life's circumstances Pilgrim's Progress - that Christianity is HARD and always has been (if it is hard, it is not that I'm doing it wrong) Moby Dick (I'm 3/4 through!!) - there's a paragraph about the soul as a ship in a stormy sea. The sailor desires the safety and comfort of shore but the most dangerous thing he can do is to approach that shore in a storm. I'm mangling it, but it is going on my wall as a cross-stitch. It is about the risky, scary, vital business of deep thought. Mindset by Carol Dweck I guess I'm on a kick about thoughts! These are what rise to the top of my brain right now. Usually whatever I'm reading now is what most impacts me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Lol, more like the 20th chapter. I'm listening to Les Mis on audio book right now, because I've been meaning to reread it for years and always get overwhelmed by the sheer length if it. (It's 65 disks, by the way, no less overwhelming, really). I think Jean Valjean was first introduced on disk 5. Anyways Les Mis would definitely make my list, particularly because of that bishop. The Brothers Karamazov, because of the monk Father Zossima. Anna Karenina because it really fills me with compassion/mercy, which I tend to lack. Life and Fate for the same reason. I think all great novels make you a better person in the end. I think the only "advice" type book that's ever affected me long-term was Simplicity Parenting, which was really viewpoint altering for me, in a very good way. Les Miserables is my top book! I hate hate hate movie versions that cut off the first 19 chapters, which describe the bishop and are so so so enjoyable to read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 The Good Earth by Pearl Buck comes second on my list. Most amazing female writer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I appreciate the correction. More precisely, I should have said:Thanks for reminding me of Les Miserables. I especially recall the first book called something like "A just man", about a generous and selfless priest, who later tells Jean Valjean, after saving him from the consequences of his theft, that now he has claimed him for good, forever.viz: "Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God." This situation is also described in the classic Indian text "Who am I?" by Ramana Maharshi, as follows: "Just as the prey which has fallen into the jaws of the tiger has no escape, so those who have come within the gambit of the Guru's gracious look will be saved by the Guru and will not get lost." Anothger passage I like by him: "Whatever burdens are thrown on God he bears them.....We know that the train carries all loads, so after getting on it why should we carry our small luggage on our head to our disocmfort, instead of putting it down in the train and feeling at ease?" You have also reminded me of some famous verses written in 1660 by my ancestor, James Nayler, an early Quaker minister: "There is a spirit which I feel, that delights to do no evil..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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