As a kid: "The Call of the Wild"
In High School: "A Shining Season: Story of John Baker"
As an adult: "The Bible" (Romans 12 in particular was a call to action for me)
Running related: "Daniels' Running Formula"
As a kid: "The Call of the Wild"
In High School: "A Shining Season: Story of John Baker"
As an adult: "The Bible" (Romans 12 in particular was a call to action for me)
Running related: "Daniels' Running Formula"
Brave New World and Twain's Mysterious Stranger are two of my favorite books, but I think they were influential on me in a negative way. I read them first in middle school and high school, and they're both extremely cynical. I wish I hadn't been quite so pessimistic about humanity for so many years. There's a lot to be pessimistic about, but I should have been a little more outgoing and civic-minded. Not that I was goth or anything, just the typical, self-centered distance runner :)
Superb wrote:
Read It wrote:Ishmael
There is a lot of good books listed in here, but I have to say I enjoyed Ishmael the most.
Was I the only one whom after finishing slaughterhouse V, just sat there and said,"meh"?
Yeah, probably. I was just going to post about how I thought Ishmael was not the shining example of originality that some people say it was - kind of boring and recycled ideas, but certain people latch onto it (I don't mean that to be negative, I have very good friends who adore the book). I could barely finish the book because the "meh-ing" was in danger of drowning out the text.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, truly one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Also inspired some friends and me to make home made dandelion wine, which is the worst idea ever.
Also, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, because I fell in love with Phinnaeas.
The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart. right on the cover "few novels can change your life. this one will"
As a kid, "Calvin and Hobbes" - Bill Waterson
As a teen, "Catcher in the Rye" - JD Salinger
Since: "Kite Runner" - Khaled Hosseini
and "Life of Pi" - Yann Martel
Running: "Once a Runner" - ?
Average_Joe wrote:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
+1 for "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." I don't think it's anything revolutionary in the way of philosophy and it's probably not the most well-written book, but for me personally, it was very thought-provoking. I read it about 3 years ago and then again last year. It's definitely worth the time.
Running the Lydiard Way--Arthur Lydiard.
The Throws Manual--Dunn and McGill
Explosive Lifting for Sports--Newton
Stretching--Anderson
Sometimes a Great Notion - Kesey
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemmingway
The Rider - Krabbe
Go Dog Go - Eastman
phillie phan wrote:
Orville wrote:I agree with the above poster. 1984 is a must read for everybody. Kind of scary when you relate it to today's world.
I respectfully disagree. Great idea, but much more potent is the combination of Huxley's Brave New World and Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death.
You could probably do it in one with Fahrenheit 451.
freddy wrote:
+1 for "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." I don't think it's anything revolutionary in the way of philosophy and it's probably not the most well-written book, but for me personally, it was very thought-provoking.
Well put. I think it's possible to see the flaws in book and still be strongly influenced by it.
Although it didn't change my life in a definite way, the book that affected me the most was Crime and Punishment. I felt Raskolnikov's paranoia for weeks like I was hiding a murder myself.
Most influential? Probably the Bible.
Ironically, reading the Bible is what finally freed me from religion. I was afraid of letting go of Christianity even though I had never been a true believer, because it had been such a strong external force on my entire life and letting go meant deliberately choosing to no longer be aligned with my family and many of my friends. Although I'd read most of the Bible in bits and pieces through sermons and studies, the most uplifting parts had always been emphasized and the controversial parts skipped over. I decided to read it entirely from beginning to end as a last attempt to see if I could accept Christianity. When I finished, I knew I could never go back to believing or pretending belief.
Beneath the Wheel by Hesse really scared the shit out of me. I could see exactly where my life could be headed if I wasn't careful, and what I didn't want to become.
Sorry I can't contribute more, but I don't think any books have had a profound influence on how I think. I find most classics to be redundant, predictable, and frustrating. Once you've read one book on the holocaust, you pretty much know how the story goes. The same thing can be said about any book on slavery or the treatment of blacks prior to the civil rights movement (and after it to an extent). Animal Farm? I liked the book but the whole Red Scare idea just makes me laugh at how ignorant and impressionable people are.
on the road-kerouac
walden-thoreau
nick adams stories- hemingway
desert solitaire-abbey
a people's history of the united states-zinn
blood meridian and the crossing-mccarthy
One more vote for The Call of the Wild. Such a fast read. I could not believe how invested I got in a story about a dog. I've never lived with a dog. For some reason though, reading the book a fwe months ago spurred me to get back into running and start testing myself in a serious way again.
Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Pirsig
The Snow Leopard, Matthiessen
Oddly enough, though I read both at different times in my life, both books are quests and involve Eastern thought in some way.
Chuck P. - fight club, choke, invisible monsters, diary,
John k. - into the wild, under the banner of heaven
Ed Abbey - fools progress, monkey wrench gang, desert sol.
running with the antelopes - forget who wrote it, some cool german ultra running scientist
Rick Bass - short stories
once a runner
Zen motorcycle guy
Year of living aerobically - enviro guy (forget his name)
skinny legs and all - hippy dude
Running Books: Lore of Running, Running Formula.
Life Books: Psycho-Cybernetics- Maxwell Maltz,
the black swan.
three cups of tea (READ THIS BOOK!)