[Question] What life changing books have you read?

#1

Good books have a sort of power. They can change your life, serve as a compass or guide, and give you a life when you need it most.

Often, during periods of sadness or boredom, a book has changed my life. It seems like there are countless books that have pointed me in a new direction, or taught me a valuable lesson. Many books seem to speak directly to my own thought and emotions, and help me find a voice for them. If it weren’t for the books I’ve read, I’d be a very different person today.

I’m sure most of you can think of at least one book you’ve read which has fundamentally changed you.

For all of us who’ve felt this transformation, or for anybody who hopes to find that in a good book, this topic is for you. Let’s talk about the important books in your life!:nerd:

#2

I watched a movie called Fireproof, it’s about a guy turning to God in his attempt to save his marriage and love his wife propper. I liked the movie so much that I read the book, and even got the book to follow called The Love Dare. With how crazy the holidays are and how stressed and distant we become I think every Maria ge can benefit from some form or another of the love dare. Not to get too personal but me and my wife have grown distant and our love has kept us together but it does get hard and we have to work harder to keep it together

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#3

Wish I liked reading but I just can’t do it. It bores me senseless and makes me tired :confused:
I’d rather watch a movie.

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#4

Just about every Jon Krakauer book, but his biography of Pat Tillman–“Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman”–gets to me every time I read it.

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#5

I’ve read many books, and a lot have an effect on me. Life changing? I’m not so sure, a book has never made me change my outlook on something - however I’m pretty open minded and tolerant to begin with. I generally read fantasy books, as I read to escape the madness/stupidity of this world…

A couple of books I recommend to people who like fantasy are:
The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind - epic fantasy adventures, each book is centred around a “Wizards Rule” that is essentially a bit of good advice/lesson. I started at Wizards First rule. I’ve not read the 3 “prequels”.

The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. - Another epic fantasy adventure about a young girls struggle to be more than her father wants. Also touches on religious and race tolerance, sticking to your principles and how even when you are down trodden you can recover to become more than you were.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - Short, sort of predictable space adventure. But you quickly become very attached to the characters due to the excellent character development. For a first novel I think it is fantastic. Centers around the themes of tolerance and acceptance of others.

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#6

That’s a deep question!

The Douglas Adams books made me see the world in a different way, as did everything Tolkien wrote. Recently I read Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, it made me realize we are not as much in control of ourselves as we like to believe we are. The same is true for Freakonomics, and for the very quick read Whatever You Think Think the Opposite by Paul Arden - this is a really quick read, I’ve read it while waiting for my wife to finish shopping in a bookstore one day…

By the way, I’m a published author of sorts. I had a short story selected for an anthology in 2015 - if you search for my name - Tiago Mota - on Amazon you should see Blood Moon (Anthologies of the Heart Book 2) in the results. :slight_smile:

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#7

I’m not much of a reader. And from some that I’ve read, I can’t say that it’s changed my views on life. I’ve always found that the fastest way for me to get to sleep is to start reading. Hahaha. Maybe it’s due to my short attention span? Or maybe that’s just an excuse for not being able to engage in reading. My husband on the other hand, keeps buying books and books… you can put him in a room full of books and he’s happy as a clam. Me, I’d take a nap. :stuck_out_tongue: But articles on the internet, now, that I can do. Wish that I was a reader though.

#8

“The Anker of Life”, by Anker.

@AnkerOfficial Do I get 10,000 pts for this post? :smiley:

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#9

I know this movie you mentioned! It reflects the reality and reveals some normal marriage problems.:grin:

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#10

So what life changing movies have you watched?:smile:

#11

I found it is the best seller on Amazon. How do you feel after reading?

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#12

Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis.

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#13

I go through a gamut of emotions while I’m reading it, but when I finish I feel great–I want to be a better person, to try to honor Pat’s memory/legacy.

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#14

Wow so cool! I always dream of writing my own book! But it’s hard to get down to it…:joy:

#15

Gerald’s game!!!
I understood that escaping from your fears or memories of the past is not always the best, sooner or later you will have to face them

#16

The book was made for a movie, right?

#17

I know this is an old topic but I feel like everyone should read Tuesday’s with Morrie it’s truly one of the best books I’ve read and whenever my life is a crazy mess I read it to out everything back in perspective.

#18

Franz Kafka : Der Prozess, Das Schloss, Die Verwandlung.
Elias Canetti : Die Blendung
Lothar Günther Buchheim : Das Boot.

Those books have not changed me.
I never got changed by something I was reading.

But these are the books I have read more than twice.

#19

I use to read a lot, back in my earlier days I read everything from Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Love the horror genre!

#20

This should be required reading for literally everyone that votes in the US.

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