Three books that shaped you

Posted by: Christopher_M on 05 March 2017

Which three books helped to make you the person you are today? I read all mine at school between the ages of 13 and 15. They are:

Orwell's Animal Farm. Revolution and power, and the eventual realisation that power is corruptible.

Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Ostensibly a story of an alienated teenager, I've later come to think that Holden Caulfield might be a far more universal figure, simply trying to make sense of the phoney adult world.

Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge. A rollicking good yarn. Stupidity, good fortune, friendship and mentoring, romance, downfall and the spirit-crushing line in Michael Henchard's will, 'that no sexton be asked to toll the bell'.

With thanks to my English teacher, Mr Purcell. I've often wondered to what extent these were his choices.

What are yours? What is it about them that affected you?

Chris

Posted on: 19 March 2017 by sjbabbey

oops I've only listed 2 books so here's a fun/educational one that I return to from time to time.

13 Things That Don't Make Sense - Michael Brooks.

Posted on: 21 March 2017 by Paper Plane

Kevin-W posted:
sjbabbey posted:
Paper Plane posted:
The Mersey Sound - Roger McGough, Brian Patten and Adrian Henri
An old favourite. I particularly liked the line "Discretion is the better part of Valerie, although all of her is nice"
I recently came across an old photo of myself reading a Rupert the Bear annual when I was about 4 years old so I suspect that had an early influence.
Do you mean this one? I rember having it at school and thinking the cover was really cool...

My copy has this cover

steve

Posted on: 21 March 2017 by andarkian

Proust - A la recherche du temps Perdue.

James Joyce - Ulysses

Robert M. Pirsig - Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Only joking!

W.E. Johns - Biggles Goes To War

Ian Fleming - Doctor No

Ian Rankin - Any Rebus novel

Any author with Ian in his name.

Posted on: 22 March 2017 by Ron Brinsdon

"Playpower" - Richard Neville. Got me started on a lot of fun things when I was about 16

"Triplanetary" - E.E. (Doc) Smith . My first serious sci-fi foray.

Finally, and I am not joking ANDARKIAN

"Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - Robert M.Pirsig. I have lost count of the number of times I have read this but I still find it entertaining and thought provoking. Could not get into his follow-up though.

Posted on: 22 March 2017 by andarkian

Ron Brinsdon posted:
Finally, and I am not joking ANDARKIAN
"Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" - Robert M.Pirsig. I have lost count of the number of times I have read this but I still find it entertaining and thought provoking. Could not get into his follow-up though.

Ha! Ha! The only one I never attempted to read was Proust. I tried Zen and the Art of Motorcycke Maintenance several times and always failed. Ulysses, again I have tried several times but lose the plot when Dedalus, Mulligan, Bloom etc get caught up in their unpunctuated streams of consciousness. However, as an adolescent, the scene of sleazy old Bloom in the park watching the girl on the swing, for him to be literally deflated when she jumps off and is revealed to be crippled was, to me, a marvellous piece of reasonably innocent eroticism.

Posted on: 22 March 2017 by Stephen D

Hmmm....

Have a little faith - Mitch album

The moon is a harsh mistress - Robert heinlein

Catch 22 as noted by others here.

i have read all at least a dozen times and always get entranced by each , old friends we are now.