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5 books everyone must read before they die


Electrophile

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I'm reading this one now. So far, I like it.
Personally I loved it. In any case, I remember getting in an argument with hermit about illusions and disillusionment. His argument was that disillusionment was ALWAYS, without exception, good. That illusions never helped a situation and whatnot. The reason I'm recalling this argument is because this book argues otherwise, and I have to admit that I cited it in my reading.

I knew if it would be anyone, it would be you. LOL

Well eventually I'm going to attempt Atlas Shrugged when I'm not working and reading for school.

But not for a while I think.

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in no particular order ...

the diary of anne frank

catch 22

to kill a mockingbird

the harp in the south

harpo speaks!

there are lots more, and i must admit i havent read much as an adult...too busy with kids, i like autobiographies and agatha christie too.

i am reading "dear fatty " dawn french's story atm.....very funny and entertaining. she gives madonna a serve or two. love it!

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I read The Giver as an adult for the first time. I read it last summer when I was preparing my stuff for student teaching. I taught The Giver to 8th graders--and though it is an easy read, the thematic content is much, much more advanced than the 5th grade lexile level that the words are aimed at. I read it about ten times--four before school started, and about six more times while I was teaching it. I told the kids that every time I read it, I discovered something new. It was quite the book.

I love the themes that encompasses the book--it's full of good ones, including my favorite, the danger of following the rules blindly. I think it teaches people the value of thinking for themselves while doing what's best for society.

I have Siddhartha on my "to read" list.

I just finished Candide.

I will keep an eye out for the Giver.

Voltaire's sense of humor impressed me, but I did not read it until I was enrolled in college level courses.

Siddhartha fascinated me in my third year of high school, and I will keep the introduction brief so as not to spoil the fun of reading its entirety.

Master Pangloss taught the metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigology. He could prove to admiration that there is no effect without a cause; and, that in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of all castles, and My Lady the best of all possible baronesses.

c3414.jpgvoltaire_with_book_20k.jpg

Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire, born: Nov. 21, 1694, died: May 30, 1778

http://www.visitvoltaire.com/voltaire_bio.htm

http://www.literature.org/authors/voltaire...chapter-01.html

(1922) In the shade of a banyan tree, a grizzled ferryman sits listening to the river. Some say he's a sage. He was once a wandering shramana and, briefly, like thousands of others, he followed Gotama the Buddha, enraptured by his sermons. But this man, Siddhartha, was not a follower of any but his own soul.

siddhartha-cover-2.jpghesse.jpg

http://www.online-literature.com/hesse/siddhartha/

"It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened."

Thus opens this haunting novel in which a boy inhabits a seemingly ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. It is a time in which family values are paramount, teenage rebellion is unheard of, and even good manners are a way of life.

December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve year old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man -the man called only the Giver -he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.

Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.

-Lois Lowry

books_giver.jpg

http://www.loislowry.com/giver.html

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WW 2 history....

'Flags Of Our Fathers'---James Bradley

'Tarawa'---Rober Sherrod

'Guadalcanal Diary'---Richard Tregaskis

'186 Steps'---Christian Bernadac (Tells of the death camp at Mauthausen, Austria)

'Auschwitz'---Miklos Nyiszli (not for the squeemish, but some say Nyiszli never existed)??

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Siddartha was taught by a colleague of mine around Christmastime. She was doing the initial introductons to it when I visited her classroom. Seemed quite interesting.

Candide wasn't something I'd even heard of until 99% though my college career. It's got quite the array of satire, which I like.

The Giver is a young adult book. It won a few awards.

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I think all of my faves have been mentioned. All of Shakespeare, but particularly Othello, Hamlet and R&J,

Catcher in the Rye, The Stranger, Pride & Prejudice and Dracula would also be on my list.

I found the Lord of the Ring trilogy very narrow minded

I found them dull. I only made it through three chapters of The Hobbit and gave up. I think to this day, that's the only book I ever started and didn't finish.

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I think all of my faves have been mentioned. All of Shakespeare, but particularly Othello, Hamlet and R&J,

Catcher in the Rye, The Stranger, Pride & Prejudice and Dracula would also be on my list.

I found them dull. I only made it through three chapters of The Hobbit and gave up. I think to this day, that's the only book I ever started and didn't finish.

Did you try starting with the Trilogy? I read that first. I blew through the books - found them very engaging and intense.

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Nope, just The Hobbit. Maybe I'll give it another go. But, I couldn't get into the movies either. Which is odd, as I usually love flicks with faeries and elves and all that jank.

I didn't like the movies either. Too violent! My youngest son probably knows every word of both the books and movies as he has read and watched them many, many times. He's a fanatic! :lol:

I don't like fantasy books, with the exception of the Harry Potter books.

I prefer non-fiction and classic literature.

If we are mentioning our favorite books, not just ones we think that everyone should read before they die, then my favorites are:

The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin

Les Misarables - Victor Hugo

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

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I didn't like the movies either. Too violent!

I guess I didn't get into them because I really didn't care about the characters. I couldn't connect with them. I liked Gollum, though.

I don't like fantasy books, with the exception of the Harry Potter books.

Ah, Harry. I'm still depressed there will be no more new books to read. :(

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I don't really think there are any books that everybody must read, but there are of course books that I think are truly great and would recommend to people - and that I have recommended to people. These are some of them:

Epictetus, The Enchiridion

A book that makes 99.99% of all self-help books redundant. It was written in the first century A.D. as a kind of summary of Stoic wisdom, and remains incredible as a statement of things you keep coming back to in your life. As Stephen Vizinczey would say, it's good to read, but the real pleasure is re-reading it.

Plato, The Republic

One of the pillars of Western civilization, but compared with this work the Bible is quite boring. There are so many arguments there, and all of them have retained their relevance.

Immanuel Kant, Critique of the Power of Judgment

A difficult but remarkable work - indispensable if you want to understand art, the import of the idea of genius, beauty, the sublime, and really the whole spirit of modernity.

Goethe, Faust

A modern masterpiece, compelling reading. An interesting take on it can be found in a wonderful book by Marshall Berman, All That Is Solid Melts Into Air.

Karl Marx, Capital, vol. 1

Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Two absolutely fundamental works for those of us who would like to understand capitalism as probably the most weighty feature of modern life and societies.

Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Milan Kundera, Immortality

Milan Kundera, Slowness

Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Kundera is a living author, and also one of the greatest writers of all times. His books are actually studies that just happen to be eminently readable novels.

Cornelius Castoriadis, The Imaginary Institution of Society

Cornelius Castoriadis, World in Fragments

Works of philosophy, written in the latter half of last century to elucidate the question of history and other problems.

William Heinesen, ??

A writer from the Faeroe Islands. Just read anything you can find by him. His books are about life in the Faeroe Islands. When reading these books you will gradually realize that these islands are in fact the center of the universe. The issues that you confront there are love and death - in other words, life itself.

Sigfús Daðason, Útlínur bakvið minnið

A book of poetry by an Icelandic modernist master.

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"Green Eggs & Ham" by Dr. Suess - This should be mandatory reading once a year because most people tend to complicate their lives for the simple reason that they can. Lessons of prejudice, appearance, listening, and the rewards for being willing to take a chance.

The Holy Bible by various Men - "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Besides this book being under the sun, they forgot to tell you the important part....."and then you die".

Cosmos by Carl Sagan - This book has been constantly updated since it was originally issued in the late 70's. "Billions and billions....stardust". Learn and attempt to comprehend how insignificant your existence is in the big scheme.

"The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer - A comprehensive guide to the understanding of evil in the 20th Century all in one handy little book of 1200 pages. :blink:

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt - The first novel I ever read....in 3rd grade.

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A fine Balance was good - it made me seriously depressed!! hehe. But it is a really good book! It had to be to stir up enough emotion to actually make me depressed ...

....yes, this entire thread is stirring up enough motion to actually do nothing but read.........

what's life without emotions..........its' food for the soul......... :D

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Plato, The Republic

One of the pillars of Western civilization, but compared with this work the Bible is quite boring. There are so many arguments there, and all of them have retained their relevance.

The first Western "Classic" I ever bought. Absolutely brilliant. B)

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"The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer - A comprehensive guide to the understanding of evil in the 20th Century all in one handy little book of 1200 pages. :blink:

Like 'Moby Dick' it was just too long to hold my attention.

I think the longest book I ever read was on Jackson Pollock's bio.

B)

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Dune-Frank Herbert

Thank you so much.

I cannot count the times I have read all 6 the original Frank Herbert books.

And I admit I have read a few of the Brian Herbert continuations, kind of a Dune methadone to keep you pacified since the master is no longer with us.

woohoo - 500 posts!

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i just finished The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.

A life changing read (believing in God and Christ, a pre-req for this one).

I saw that one at Books a Million last night. I looked at it but bought the Gospel of Thomas instead which somone has listed on this thread.

Lots of good recommendations on here.

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