Oops

[Slopok]

Meant to put this here instead of the comment wall:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinlarosa/books-that-will-actually-change-...

[Carolyn Tewell]

I forward that link to my email page. Interesting...think I've only read 2 of those selections...usually I'm drawn to that type of book.~mlo

[Mandy Muffin]

Great list:  I read 17 of them.

I remember being moved as young man by "Crime and Punishment."  It was one of the best morality lessons I ever got from a book of fiction. 

About 30 years, the futility of war and stupidity of government/military regulations came home in "Catch 22."

Recently, "The Life of Pi" held the kind of moral lesson that is gripping, as a young lad deals with way to avoid death by compromise. 

[Ursula]

Always curious about the back story on lists, whether it's lists of books, or places to retire, or whatever????  I've read 4 of the 32 books on this list: Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer is a favorite and I've read it twice (thinking I might read it again),  Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex was original and interesting, as was Life of Pi (can't remember the 4th title), but to say that reading them actually changed my life is a bit of an overstatement.  That said, I bookmarked the page for future reference when I just can't decide what to read next.

Thanks for sharing.

[Robert Burke]

I've only read seven of those.  Of the ones I've read, "One Years of Solitude" was the most dreamy.

[Ursula]

Lynn, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair is a hoot; it was the 4th book title I couldn't remember in previous post.  It's a road trip, both literally and physically and an enjoyable trip at that.

[Ioruach]

I have only read three of these: Catch-22, Crime and Punishment and A Brief History of Time. I tend to ignore these “must read” lists, anyway.  It represents one person’s opinion and I also think, in my more cynical days, someone just wants to feel superior and embarrass the general reader. 

[Mandy Muffin]

Here are three more of the listing that and how they affected me:

Middlesex:  I'm glad when I raised three kids, the boys stayed boys and the girl stayed a girl.  But the truth is sometimes a girl isn't really a girl.  It did affect me on a tour of Turkey where the origin of the medical condition is said to have originated in the novel.  Every time I looked at a woman there, I imagined an hermaphrodite.

A Brief History of Time:  I had this book on tape and tried to get through the entire book but got lost in quantum mechanics or maybe quarks.  I was now convinced that Stephen Hawking was a lot smarter than me.  I decided I would not study to be a Nuclear Physicist. 

The Joy of Cooking:  My dog-eared and tattered copy sits in the pantry, as the pages are stuffed with recipes and also dotted with the spills from the mixing bowls I got too near the text.  Its wonderful recipes probably put 20 lbs on me over the years.  That is quite an influence.  I have given the title book away to many of my friends and family over the years. 

[Slopok]

I have read a few of these books, but thinking back, I can't remember a single book that I can honestly say "changed my life". I've read a lot of books and a few I have reread more than once, but not a single life changer.Read more than a few books on philosophy, which provided a lot of ponderable thoughts, but nothing life changing...Maybe it's just difficult to recognize subtle changes in oneself.Oh well (sigh)...nuff said.