Pixie Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Different books effect us differently. So I thought I would start a thread where we can list particular books that have spoken to us in specific ways. So, what book, more than any other, has... Haunted you? Made you weep? Made you laugh? Made you ponder? Filled you with a new sense of wonder for the world? Angered you? Filled you with passion or longing? Frightened you? Moved you through every emotion imaginable? Made you euphoric to be alive? Took you away from the real world, so lost within it's pages, that it was a shock to come back to reality? Made you ache from the exquisite beauty of the written word? Filled you with sorrow for the human condition? Filled you with hope for humanity? Feel free to add others to this list if you wish. I'll give my own answers after I have thought about this for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booknutt Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Hi Pixie - For me, a life-changing "read" was Barbara Erskine's "Midnight is a Lonely Place" - one of her oldies, but definitely a goodie! I can't say I "enjoyed" it at the time ... I was too busy being terrified! Also, before lights-out was the only time I had to read in those days, and I scared myself into a few very disturbed nights. It was really riveting though, and I couldn't not know how it turned out. It's since become one of my favourite of her novels - even if it was several years before I made myself face my scaredy-cat reactions, and read it again. What the experience did though, was open my mind to the matter of faith in "something" - for in my darkest hours (with the bedclothes over my nose, and the light kept on ... just "in case") my rattled nerves called for reassurance ... and I'd cynically thought I'd give up on ideas of some kind of "Caretaker/God" years ago. It set me on the road of spiritual exploration - through the Shirley MacLaine autobiographies initially (still one of my heroines) following her own condensed explorations of spiritual stuff (fascinating "reads" each one of 'em) to, eventually,the books and Angel School of Diana Cooper, and the White Eagle Lodge, which I've been a contented member of for over a decade, now. All because I read a hair-raising, gripping, early novel of this fantastic writer .. and scared myself silly! There are no "unimportant" choices in our lives, folks ... not even the books which draw us in! Edited February 1, 2011 by Booknutt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 What book, more than any other, has... Haunted you? Mary Shelley, Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus. Made you weep? Ferenc Molnar, The Pàl Street Boys. Made you laugh? Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Made you ponder? Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. Filled you with a new sense of wonder for the world? [can't remember the last time a book, no matter how bad, did this for me]* Angered you? Fyodor Dostoevskij, White Nights. Filled you with passion or longing? Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat. Frightened you? Stephen King, Carrie. Moved you through every emotion imaginable? Victor Hugo, Les Miserablés. Made you euphoric to be alive? [hard as I try, can't think of one]* Took you away from the real world, so lost within it's pages, that it was a shock to come back to reality? Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere. Made you ache from the exquisite beauty of the written word? Keith Miller, The Book of Flying. Filled you with sorrow for the human condition? Carl-Johan Vallgren, The Horrific Sufferings of Mind-Reading Monster Hercules Barefoot, His Wonderful Love and His Terrible Hatred Filled you with hope for humanity Danny Wallace, Join Me! *is this really depressing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 So, what book, more than any other, has... Haunted you? Joe Hill - Heart-Shaped Box Made you weep? William Shakespeare - Romeo & Juliet Made you laugh? Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime Made you ponder? Franz Kafka - Metamorphosis Filled you with a new sense of wonder for the world? Xiaolu Guo - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers Angered you? Paulo Coelho - 11 Minutes Filled you with passion or longing? Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in the Time of Cholera Frightened you? James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall Moved you through every emotion imaginable? Stewart O'Nan - Songs for the Missing Made you euphoric to be alive? Audrey Niffenegger - Her Fearful Symmetry Took you away from the real world, so lost within it's pages, that it was a shock to come back to reality? J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter series Made you ache from the exquisite beauty of the written word? Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights Filled you with sorrow for the human condition? Jean-Paul Sartre - No Exit Filled you with hope for humanity? This may sound weird, but: H.G. Wells - The War of the Worlds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 What book, more than any other, has... Filled you with a new sense of wonder for the world? [can't remember the last time a book, no matter how bad, did this for me]* Made you euphoric to be alive? [hard as I try, can't think of one]* *is this really depressing? Yes Bookjumper - we must find you a wondrous, euphoric book immediately! Or give you class A drugs. The book seems safer. I gather you aren't religious so we can't come from that angle. The only two books I can think of are The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay which induced euphoria. And A Friend like Henry by Nuala Gardner - this was about a little boy who was severely autistic. He would not speak to his family until they brought him a dog named Henry. He started talking to the dog and his parents would answer him back in the dogs voice. Over his childhood he gradually managed to integrate back into normal society with the help of his parents and dog. It was truly amazing how much of a difference one animal made and I was filled with wonder for the ways of the world at the end of the book. Truly inspirational. Not sure whether those will float your boat but I'm sure other's will have suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Here are my answers. Haunted you? The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams Made you weep? Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard Made you laugh? Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Made you ponder? Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein Filled you with a new sense of wonder for the world? Little, Big by John Crowley Angered you? Rama Revealed by Gentry Lee (I don't believe Arthur C. Clarke had anything to do with this book.) Filled you with passion or longing? The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Frightened you? A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Moved you through every emotion imaginable? Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes Made you euphoric to be alive? Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins Took you away from the real world, so lost within it's pages, that it was a shock to come back to reality? The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip Made you ache from the exquisite beauty of the written word? Little, Big by John Crowley Filled you with sorrow for the human condition? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Filled you with hope for humanity? Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin Bookjumper, I suggest you read Little, Big as soon as you can or maybe take the suggestions given by ladymacbeth. We need to fill you with that sense of wonder and euphoria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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