June 7th, 2012
I love books, and I have for as long as I can remember. I remember at a very young age being kind of infatuated with dinosaurs, and some of my most precious possessions at that time were a handful of books about dinosaurs. I kept them in a safe place, studied them and memorized information about different dinosaurs from them. I just loved having that information.
Most of my reading today is non-fiction and is related to my work in some way, but I love good fiction and poetry as well. I am always reading at least one book, and probably my best advice to anyone who wanted it would be: Read! Read a lot, and a lot of different stuff.
These may not be books that would top my list of favorites today, but a few books that had a unique impact on me when I read them:
Salem’s Lot | Stephen King
This was the first of many Stephen King books for me, and it rattled me a little bit. I can clearly remember a night, lying in bed and reading. I do not remember my age, but I was old enough to know that I did not believe in vampires. Even though I knew that there were no vampires outside of my window, I could not bring myself to look. I remember being amazed by the power of this story to trump what I knew to be true. It has been many years since I have read a Stephen King book, but he is a gifted storyteller.
Dune | Frank Hebert
I believe that Dune was a recommendation from my dad. By the time I read it, I had already read a fair amount of science fiction/fantasy stuff. But Dune was different. The detail and nuance and complexity of the universe created by Hebert is mind-boggling. I have probably read Dune more times that I have any other book (five, I think). It is a beautiful book.
Seven Habits of Highly Successful People | Stephen Covey
When I read this book, I did not yet realize that there was an entire genre of books and an entire industry devoted to self-development. This book would not be quite as impactful and remarkable if I read it today, but I was absolutely giddy to have access to insights and activities that were all about me being better at being me. I have a more critical eye on some aspects of this book now, but there are a number of things I was introduced to in this book that I continue to use and benefit from today.
The Art of War | Sun Tzu
Not sure that I can put it in words, but there is something very special about this book. When I was in the Marine Corps, the Commandant had a recommended reading list, and this book was on this list. So I read it. And then I read it again. It is very deep and unique and was my introduction to Eastern philosophies. I continue to find wisdom in this book and am thankful that it directed me toward a lot of beautiful texts from the East.
Les Miserables | Victor Hugo
Big. Beautiful. I do not think there is another book that has made me cry and this book brought me to tears a few times. Beautiful.
What book pushed you in a new direction?
Do you promote reading for your peers? Do you share book recommendations and learnings?
Some other remarkable books that I love to recommend:
Love Without Conditions: Reflections of the Christ Mind
Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed
Leadership and the New Science
Be good to each other.
For me, it was The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham. I don’t know what others think, but for me it’s about the pursuit of enduring truth, and what one must sacrifice in order to find it.
Joe:
I am with you. I love books. The books that are memorable to me are too numerous to mention. I try to post some occasionally on Pinterest. I like biographies, I like the future, I like fantasy. My favorite author is probably David McCullough, with whom I happily share a birthday (the day, not the year). From my childhood I remember a series of books that had a boy and a girl as the main characters going on adventures set in different time periods. Something to the effect of “You were there with Lewis & Clark”… great stuff..
ahhh Books.. love them.. save them… and when I see them thrown away it saddens me. I once drove by this book on the on ramp to the highway.. a big book it way.. splayed open pages flapping in the rain, wind, snow, and no way to stop to pick it up…eventually the snowplow took it away.. but for weeks I wondered what it was…and devised cool ways to pick up it.. a net on a pole.. but alas doing 80 KPH really doesn’t allow for a 10 foot pole and a net to catch a book LOL
so many books changed my life.. and really the first one was
Broca’s Brain by Carl Sagan.. I was 15 or so and when I picked it up my father told me I wouldn’t understand it.. and to prove him wrong I read it… oh did it hurt my brain LOL I had to look up so much stuff in just the first couple of chapters it took soo much time.
then
If You Meet The Buddha On The Road Of Life …Kill Him
by Dr Sheldon B. Kopp this one totally changed by life
and in between the two a million more stories that take me places, inspire me, make me laugh, make me cry, and holding them in my hand the best thing ever…although I see the need for a kindle to travel with.. I love the sound of a hardback being closed , the flipping of the page.
ahhh books… may they always be.
I recall at age 7 reading a book about a dragon and what resonated so strongly (even though I cannot recall the title) was how emotionally committed I could become to a fictional fiction character. Right there books opened every facet of my imagination and allowed me to jump into the rabbit hole of possibility, including works by C. S. Lewis and later with Tolkein and Frank Herbert (Dune! What a work!). A few years thereafter, Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd introduced me to the riches of 18th and 19th century British authors (Brontes, Austen, Trollope, Dickens, Eliot, etc.) with their deep expression of the human condition.
My curiosity for all things America began with Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, followed rapidly by Grapes of Wrath and Travels with Charley. Travels with Charley lit a fire in me to see America and, at some point, I will fulfill the ambition to do as Steinbeck did and travel, like Frost, the roads less traveled.
Graham Greene’s books are darkly resonant. Introduced to him by The Comedians, his works shine a light into parts of the human spirit that should stay shadowed. Brighton Rock still stirs my soul.
Finally, I fell in love with the verse of Simon Armitage, especially his ode for the millennium, Killing Time, which kicked open the door to the broader world of poetry, contemporary and classic.
Thanks for sharing, Joe.
One that pops to the top of my head here is the American Heritage Illustrated History of the Civil War. Started my fascination (and addiction) to Civil War History. Still have it and it holds a special place in my 550+ book library on the American Civil War. Told you it was an addiction.
Joe, great post. One of my great frustrations in life is that I know I’ll never be able to read all the books I want.
Some of the more important books and authors in my life include:
Schoedinger’s Cat Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson was a mindbender for me. I stumbled across this in a used book store and immediately read all his books I could get my hands on. RAW’s works had a profound impact on me in my 20’s.
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.
The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey.
Terry Pratchett. Can’t pick just one, so I’ll just say his collected works. A satirist with a skewed, funny, and dead-center accurate view of the world. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Think and Grow Rich & How to Win Friends and Influence People. Practically every personal development book can be traced right back to those two.
Unshrink by Max McKeown is a current favorite that I’ll re-read soon.
Lots more, but those are top of mind. Thanks for asking.
Oh man, thanks for sharing everyone…adding some new books to my list. A couple of other books that have come to mind for me…
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, by Scott McCloud is an amazing book, whether you are interested in comics or not. Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Tao of Physics and The Dancing Wu Li Masters also had pretty big impacts on me when I read them. Currently reading Isaacson’s book about Steve Jobs. Was not all that interested in it originally, but have had a hard time putting it down this week. Thanks for sharing!
-joe
For some reason, I can’t bear to read much non-fiction. I respond much more viscerally, even intellectually, to the arc of a story. One notable exception is THE POWER OF NOW by Eckhart Tolle, which singlehandedly lifted me out of a not-insubstantial depression when I read it; seriously, it was $500 of therapy for the price of a paperback.
But mostly I like stories, particularly ones that surprise me. Some of my recent favorites are SPECIMEN DAYS (Michael Cunningham), THREE JUNES (Julia Glass), YOU OR SOMEONE LIKE YOU (Chandler Burr), EAST IS EAST and THE INNER CIRCLE (TC Boyle), A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR (John Irving), THE SECRET HISTORY (Donna Tartt), THE EASY WAY OUT (Stephen McCauley), and the classics I think everyone needs to read: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Harper Lee), NATIVE SON (Richard Wright), and A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (Betty Smith).