So lads I was wandering what are some books that changed your views / way of thinking fundamentally, post em here and let us know. Also any book that you found profoundly entertaining etc is welcome, I am bored out of my brains and hope this will provide a good list. Ill go first: - The Prince by Niccolo machiavelli
Would be aweome with some info about said book, and why/how it changed one view withoout spoilling to much ofcourse Robert Shea Former editor of Playboy have written: Shike I really like this book/books. Read it when i was younger it kinda made me interested in reading more, And so i did!!! Have reread it not to long ago, Still find it a really good book/books. Learned me more about respect and such
Sorry gnomes didn't mean to interrupt all the raging updates we are getting or the non existent conversations going on xD <3 you though
Imperialism, the last stage of capitalism. By Vladimir Lenin. The globalization of poverty. By Michel Chossudovsky.
Coming up for air by George Orwell. Probably one of his lesser known books (compared to 1984, Animal Farm, road to Wigan pier) but one which is much more on a human level rather than explicitly about politics - about getting old, about the realities behind conventional family life. I love Orwell because of his amazing blend of pessimism, activity, and hope for the human condition. It also gave some shape to my scepticisn of political righteousness. For a more controversial selection, Atomised by Michel Houellebecq, is someone from the opposite end of the political spectrum to me in many ways, but in his graphic but utterly unapologetic account from the perspective of a racist/bigot/normal person helped me come to terms with that voice in the back of my head and place it in a wider context. To be honest, though I would (if forced to) identity as left wing, I viscerally enjoy (socially) right wing writers more than lefties... because the dark side is just more interesting than all this crap about equality and justice and being nice to each other.
Coming up for air by George Orwell. Probably one of his lesser known books (compared to 1984, Animal Farm, road to Wigan pier) but one which is much more on a human level rather than explicitly about politics - about getting old, about the realities behind conventional family life. I love Orwell because of his amazing blend of pessimism, activity, and hope for the human condition. It also gave some shape to my scepticisn of political righteousness. Atomised by Michel Houellebecq For a more controversial selection, he is someone from the opposite end of the political spectrum to me in many ways, but in his graphic but utterly unapologetic account from the perspective of a racist/bigot/normal person helped me come to terms with that voice in the back of my head and place it in a wider context. Apart from that it is an amazing, if dark (and I don't mean comic book 'dark') analysis of contemporary society which has traded family responsibility for individual freedom. To be honest, though I would (if forced to) identity as left wing, I viscerally enjoy (socially) right wing writers more than lefties... because the dark side is just more interesting than all this crap about equality and justice and being nice to each other. I guess that's why I hold Orwell up, he's a lefty who doesn't pretend he's all love and flowers.
That's a topic I am really interested in and I have to say I find that I share a lot of what you said in the last paragraph personally, for example Last elections I was very vocal about how much I appreciated Bernie stepping up in the face of corporate greed and the health care issues however despite that I can't help but feel there is a naive delusion among the left that the world should be a fair place. Do I like wall street and pharmaceutical companies taking up a huge portion of the economy ( absolutely not who does??) yet the left never step up with real viable alternate plans and instead focus on pointing out the flaws of the current system. In any case great adds so far lads and I'll add them all to my list of books I want to read before 2018
The Pearl The Pearl is a novella by American author John Steinbeck, first published in 1947. It is the story of a pearl diver, Kino, and explores man's nature as well as greed, defiance of societal norms, and evil.
when I look at myself and think "what has changed" the list is long and I no longer remember what foundation my person was originally built on, my mind feels like a lamp, starting out on a low settting and shining brighter as I have gained experience and knowledge over time starting when for me the days were simple and the weight of knowledge had not yet fallen on me. wether from books i've read or from pages gleaned from others over time it has become a blur, no better than fake memories from when the light shone dimly. ...it also doesn't help that some of them are in Dutch. I can tell you which books I've enjoyed recently but they are more entertainment rather than groundshaking works.
It's cool buddy, the witcher is one of my favourite book series and it was polish, if there is an english translation fire away anyways
Gustave Flaubert Madam Bovary. Definitely one of the best novels that I've read. Flaubert's attention to detail and the way in which he portrays the mundane philistinic life made this novel a classic -- and arguably -- the best novel ever written. I suggest you not to dig too much into it beforehand, since there is an interesting element of discovery to it (not the typical plot-driven one though). I personally recommend after reading to go for Nabokov's lecture on it. Herman Hesse Steppenwolf & Siddhartha. The first is about man coming to the realization that he has no place in the world anymore and the ideals that he cherished are forgotten and dismissed by the crowd and the ideals of the bourgeoisie. It's very Jungian in its structure and reflects a lot on the inner struggles of man living in a dull society and suffering from an existential crisis. The second is about a guy who was a contemporary of Buddha (also named Siddhartha) and his journey to enlightment. The novel is the quintessence of buddhism philosophy and highlights that Buddha was a human too and, like any human, faced all the problems that we face in our lifes. Bhagavad-Gita. One of the greatest sacral texts that I've come across. In a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, Krishna tells him about the laws of the universe and how to live the best way according to them. One is free to believe them or not, but once you've read it and reflected upon it, your life will definitely change drastically and for the better. Victor Pelevin Generation P & Chapaev and Emptiness. Pelevin is probably our best modern writer in Russia. Of course, his novels are pure postmodernism, but they are very vivid and colourful. He somehow manages to hightlight social realities and problems, amalgamate it with occultism and zek slang (an argo that dudes in russian prisons have created which has thousands of its own words that not only are incomprehensible to other people, but also influenced modern russian; certain words of it are often used in everyday life and by politicians, radio speakers etc.) and in the end, turn it into a brilliant, hilarious novel that makes you laugh your ass off, satisfy your intellectual ego (if you understand all the references and reminescences) and enlighten you in a very odd way. Aldous Huxley Brave New World. The most accurate dystopia, the world we're living in today. If you want to have a more or less accurate understanding of where we're headed and what we're living in -- read it. Not much else to say really. Dostoevsky Karamasov Brothers & The Posessed. Dostoevsky is one of the brightest Russian classics. Vonnegut said in his Slaughterhouse 5 that to understand life it was enough for you to read Karamasov Brothers. But then WW2 happened, and it changed everything. He's pretty much right. In all of Dostoevsky's works, he arduously strives to get as deep as possible in the human soul to find all of its rich qualities. His characters are often, at first sight, wretched and vile but even in them he manages to find some sort of divine light and motivation. But aside from that, he predicted the line of thought that would eventually, after 30+ years from the release of the novel, lead to the 1917 revolution in Russia; he is one of the biggest influences on existentialist philosophy; he significantly changed and deepened christian philosophy. All in all, in my opinion, he is one of the most genius writers that was ever born in the world and is a must read before you die. Milan Kundera The Unbearable Lightness of Being & Immortality. Kundera's main distinction from other writers is his abillity to steep himself in to the souls of his characters and to show how difficult it has become for people to communicate with each other. You probably need a bit of literary experience to understand all of his ideas and how he plays the certain concepts out, but even if you don't have that, he will still be an enlightening read. Sometimes you won't agree with him, sometimes you might be horrified, but in the end you'll most likely acquiesce to the uncomfortable truth that he portrays. I consider all of his works great, but the listed 2 are the most significant ones in terms of the ideas that they bring to the table, even though the first one is not even in my personal top 3 of his works. I'll probably do more later if I happen to be in the mood.
I found it overrated. Don't get me wrong, the series is pretty good, but I just didn't find anything that struck me deeply, and I was also really disapointed by the ending. I think reading the first two books is enough, they're the best ones anyway. Afterwards it becomes a soap with everyone looking for Ziri and the suspense build up leading to Spoiler the most unimaginitive deus ex machina and a classical battle against the evil guy who we practically don't even know anything about to begin to hate anyway
Thats actually pretty accurate assessment, I read the books at a young age and so they always hold a special place in my heart along with the Lord of the Rings series and the Wheel of time but you are spot on in saying that the series was exaggerated especially but the amazing games that are based on it.
Define young? Cause I'm not sure if it's a good idea to read such literature at a young age. After all, the world of the Witcher is a pretty dark place. But regardless, you are lucky, I'd give a lot to have someone tell me about it when i was 16-18.
Both series I read around 17 years old or so, I am 23 now and unfortunately I cant seem to find new fantasy book series that excite me as much as those two did back then. Hopefully though with the suggestions that are coming in I can learn to appreciate various topics and genres that I havent read before.
Ah, then that's a great age to read them! I heard Scott Bakker writes some pretty good stuff. He used to teach History of Philosophy in uni before he decided to write fantasy novels, and from what I've heard, he incorporates a lot of philosophical ideas into his novels.
All I can say is kudos to you guys. Every time I pick up a book I get bored after 10 minutes, Christ I think the last time I actually read a book fully was in English lessons a good 6 years ago.
You've probably read the wrong books or haven't build up a tolerance for boring passages. Almost any book has something boring to it, it's just a matter of passing through the first 30-50 pages really. If even after that it's rubbish then it's most likely rubbish. Though if you stick to the classics you should be mostly satisfied. English classics are an exception though; at least the ones that are usually read in school.
