Started By
Message

Name Your Top 10 Most Influential Books

Posted on 7/25/17 at 6:33 pm
Posted by DaGarun
Smashville
Member since Nov 2007
26186 posts
Posted on 7/25/17 at 6:33 pm
Personally influential that is...and why. I will go first:

I read mostly Non-Fiction, so it’s tough to say most of my fare would be widely “influential”, so I will intersperse some books that I just put down afterward and said “wow... that was a damn good read”, or put down and was speechless, or that simply influenced me in some other way. Here we go:

1.) Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) – I don’t align with Rand 100%, but her overall (and looooong-winded) philosophy resonates with me generally. Not practical in real world, but a worthy discussion. Hint: get the abridged version...it's ok

2.) The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkein) – Where I found my love for reading as a young man. I liked Lloyd Alexander and C.S Lewis a lot then too, but these were unquestionably more influential to me. Tolkein was a genius.

3.) Kane & Abel (Jeffrey Archer) – Fiction, but Archer is an absolute master at twists of plot. One of my favorite reads ever.

4.) The Exorcist (William Blatty) – Influential? Um, yeah. As a Catholic, I finished most of this one on Orange Beach, AL in broad daylight, under an umbrella, with a beer in my hand. I was scared shitless.

5.) Liberty & Tyranny (Mark Levin) – My political philosophy in a nutshell. Pretty easy read, too

6.) The Lords of Discipline (Pat Conroy) – What a great coming-of-age story for young men. Women may love it too, I don’t know, they should. But guys will get it. Really get it.

7.) The World According to Garp (John Irving) – Okay, it is obvious Irving’s childhood was six different kinds of messed up if you’ve read him. But this was a great story, and he tells it well.

8.) The Language of God (Francis Collins) – Captures what I have generally believed about creation, evolution, and the origin of man for a long time. I just didn’t think about it that much before I read this book

9.) To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) – Do I need to say anything? I can’t add to this masterpiece. Just read it. (eta Go Set a Watchman was...meh)

10.) The Winds of War/War & Remembrance (Herman Wouk) – If you want to learn about WWII while enjoying a wonderfully told story of a military family…read these two books. They cover it all.

Honorable mention goes to:

11.) The Godfather by Mario Puzo
12.) Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy
13.) The Stand (or It) by Stephen King
14.) The Haj by Leon Uris


Your turn...
Posted by biglego
Ask your mom where I been
Member since Nov 2007
76541 posts
Posted on 7/26/17 at 12:46 am to
1. Pierre the boy who didn't care. First book I can remember reading. Like preschool.

2. Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. Bc it's the first book of my favorite series and by my favorite author, and led me to read more of his books.

3. The Little Prince. I just have always liked it.

4. Grendel. By John Gardner. One of my favorites. Deep, I know.

5. Fox in Socks by Dr Suess. Was my favorite book to read to my daughter.

6. Kama Sutra. Used to sneak peaks of this at the bookstore as a kid. Not sure that I learned much, but I sure appreciated the helpful photos.

7. Sphere. Was my favorite book for a long time.

8. Queen of Swords by Judith Tarr. First historical fiction I recall reading. Got me interested in the crusader period which eventually evolved into a lifelong passion for history in general.

8 is enough
Posted by The Spleen
Member since Dec 2010
38865 posts
Posted on 7/26/17 at 8:04 am to
1. The Grapes Of Wrath - Mainly because it's just a great story with great characters. But it also re-invigorated my love of reading when we were assigned to read it in high school. I had drifted away from reading middle school and early high school. I can't think of a time since I read it that I wasn't reading at least one book.

2. East Of Eden - Yes, another Steinbeck. My teacher that assigned Grapes Of Wrath was a HUGE Steinbeck fan, and she recommended East Of Eden to me when I told her how much I loved Grapes of Wrath. I read it in 3 days the summer after my junior year of high school, and have read it a few times since.

3. As I Lay Dying - it's hard to pick a favorite Faulkner, but this is the one where his writing clicked with me so I'm going with it. I actually like Absalom! Absalom! better, but this one was more influential.

4. Devil In the Grove - A recent non-fiction about the Groveland Boys - 4 black men accused of raping a white girl and their subsequent trials. Ugly, ugly part of our nation's history.

5. Ghost Soldiers - Another non-fiction about the Bataan Death March, and the rescue mission to free the prisoners of war in the Phillipines during WW2. A family friend was one of the guys written about it in the book, so it resonated a little more with me.

6. Babbitt - I first read this in college and it didn't really resonate with me. Recently re-read it, and it really hit home. If you live in the suburbs and sometimes feel like your keeping up with the Jones's, I can't recommend it enough.

7. I Am Malala - Amazed at the courage some humans are able to find. Malala's story is just incredible.

8. Atlas Shrugged - I actually hated this book, but it was influential. I was dabbling into some libertarian ideas at the time, and this book made me realize what a crock of shite it was. Awful book.

9. The Crossing - I think this was the 4th Cormac McCarthy book I read, and while I liked the others, this one was just beautiful. The imagery, the story, the prose, just loved it. I'm kind of a sucker for coming of age stories though.

10. The Orphan Master's Son - I am fascinated with North Korea, and this book is set there. Great, great book.




EDIT - Holy shite, I can't believe I left off To Kill a Mockingbird. I think it's the greatest American novel ever written, and it should probably be #2 for me.
This post was edited on 7/26/17 at 8:06 am
Posted by Run Ultra
Member since May 2017
1933 posts
Posted on 7/26/17 at 6:16 pm to
Pendragon and Harry Potter were influential for me.
Posted by Kafka
I am the moral conscience of TD
Member since Jul 2007
142456 posts
Posted on 7/26/17 at 9:09 pm to
Off the top of my head, and no special order:

Catch-22

Modern Times by Paul Johnson

The Day The Universe Changed by James Burke

America by Alistair Cooke

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

The Politically Incorrect Handbook by Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce

Zany Afternoons by Bruce McCall

New Yorker Album of Cartoons 1925-75

Country: The Biggest Music in America by Nick Tosches
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
78369 posts
Posted on 7/28/17 at 8:57 am to
quote:

Atlas Shrugged
my man :fistbump:
Posted by atlau
Member since Oct 2012
5264 posts
Posted on 7/28/17 at 2:08 pm to
In no particular order

1. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
2. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
3. Run with the Horseman - Ferrol Sams
4. A Miracle of Catfish - Larry Brown
5. The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living - Martin Clark
6. My Dog Skip - Willie Morris
7. Masters of Atlantis - Charles Portis
8. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
9. Lords of Discipline - Pat Conroy

Posted by crash1211
Houma
Member since May 2008
3140 posts
Posted on 7/31/17 at 11:40 am to
All Is Quiet On The Western Front
The Lord of The Rings
Crime & Punishment
In Cold Blood
The Sound And the Fury
The Rise and The Fall of The Third Reich
A Bridge Too Far
1984 / Animal Farm
Treasure Island
The Foundation Trilogy



Posted by jrenton
Houston
Member since Mar 2007
1978 posts
Posted on 8/1/17 at 11:26 am to
Below is my list no particular order:

1) Tale of Two Cities by dickens - first time really engaged in literary analysis and got me excited about reading.
2) All My Octobers by Mickey Mantle - bought at Cooperstown when I was a kid and first book I read for fun
3) Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Lawrence Bossidy and Ram Charan; Great business book on management
4) The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday: Awesome book on how to deal with life
5) Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Showcased how Lincoln dealt with different personalities and still achieve his goals. Another excellent read on Management
6) On the Shortness of Life by Seneca - Easy intro to Stoicism
7) Tao te Ching by Lao Tsu - Interesting to see crossover between Eastern and Western Philosophy
8) Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - Fascinating study of the mind and decision making
9)Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson - Great study on his creative genius
10)Five Days in London by John Luckas - Awesome study Churchill's leadership during the most difficult time in London's history
11) Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss - Learned a lot of good life hacks from some of the most successful people.
Posted by JawjaTigah
Bizarro World
Member since Sep 2003
22506 posts
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:17 pm to
In no order (includes fiction and non fiction):
Berlin Diary - great insight into the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazis
Dracula - creepiest story ever
The Making of the President 1960 - told a great story as well as taught history
To Kill A Mockingbird - humans interacting
A Confederacy of Dunces - my home town and relatives
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (trilogy) - larger than life epic yet real as today
The Holy Bible (both OT and NT) - spiritual home base
Animal Farm - human hypocrisy exposed
A Christmas Carol - pure redemption and the power of repentance
Christ and Culture - a study in terrific spiritual/cultural worldview models
This post was edited on 8/1/17 at 4:25 pm
Posted by JumpingTheShark
America
Member since Nov 2012
22927 posts
Posted on 8/4/17 at 9:32 am to
1) The Outsiders - read it as a kid for school and has tremendous nostalgic value for me.

2) Harry Potter - the series that truly got me into one of my favorite genres, fantasy.

3) Redwall series - almost equally important in getting me into fantasy books, a book that really sparked my imagination

4) The Castle in the Attic - similar to Redwall, kept my imagination running wild.

5) ASOIAF - this is fantasy writing at its best and is truly epic. I am dying for another book.

6) Ender's Game - such creativity, prolonged my nerdiness and guaranteed I would like dorky books forever.

7) LOTR - self explanatory

8) For Whom the Bell Tolls - sparked my interest in history and historical fiction as well
Posted by TejasHorn
High Plains Driftin'
Member since Mar 2007
10986 posts
Posted on 8/4/17 at 5:12 pm to
quote:

The Exorcist (William Blatty)


The scariest shite you will ever read. Goes down the rabbit hole much deeper than the movie... if anyone reading this never has.

Posted by ZacAttack
The Land Mass
Member since Oct 2012
6416 posts
Posted on 8/4/17 at 9:25 pm to
Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - read for the first time in 6th or 7th grade, what really got me into reading
Dune
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Starship Troopers
1984
The Art of War
The Bible
Chronicles of Narnia
Animal Farm

Undoubtedly these are the books that have shaped my reading habits, spiritual beliefs, and political beliefs.


This post was edited on 8/4/17 at 9:29 pm
Posted by HailHailtoMichigan!
Mission Viejo, CA
Member since Mar 2012
69361 posts
Posted on 8/8/17 at 12:36 am to
1) The sound and the fury- faulkner
2) Witness- whittaker chambers
3) 100 years of solitude- marquez
4) abolition of man- cs lewis
5) Silmarillion- tolkien
6) As I lay Dying- faulkner
7) Fatal Conceit- Hayek
8) The Law- Bastiat
9) The Road- McCarthy
10) Blood Meridian- McCarthy
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
30727 posts
Posted on 8/12/17 at 2:31 pm to
I had trouble deciding on just 10, I started not sure if I could think of that many

In no particular order:

The Bible - very significant for, the most important thing I've read. In terms of literature, however, I will approach the question as meaning things not scriptural or instructional (clearly, many of my engineering/math textbooks would have been exceedingly influential in my life as they directed my current employment path)


To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
The Hobbit\Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien)
Frankenstein (Mary Shelly)
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
1984 (George Orwell)
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
The Foundation Trilogy (Isaac Asimov)
The Gods Themselves (Isaac Asimov)
I am Legend (Richard Matheson)
Dune (Frank Herbert)

Ironically, I love Louis L'amour. But I came to his works later in life and while I think there is great stuff in them, including much to be garnered about living life, I really mostly find them entertaining as all get out. They did teach me to not be dismissive of certain writers or genres due to preconceived notions or popular opinion (good or bad). That is actually something I think I, and maybe most people, have to keep teaching myself. As a result, I have developed a foundness for western novels in general.
Posted by Mr. Misanthrope
Cloud 8
Member since Nov 2012
5521 posts
Posted on 8/19/17 at 10:50 pm to
LOTR: A baptism of the imagination where the abstractions of good, evil, courage and cowardice are played out in a fantasy world that is recognizable as very similar to the real one we inhabit.

C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy especially the third volume That Hideous Strength: Another exploration of good and evil and the demonic made plausible. Rereading it recently makes Lewis look like a prophet.

Darkness at Noon: Koestler's stark portrayal of life under totalitarianism through the narrow focus of the Stalin show trials.

The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk: As foundational to my ideas of government and politics as The Bible is to my Faith.

The Road to Serfdom: A close second to The Conservative Mind.

Kirk's The Roots of American Order: A close third to the previous two.

Green Bay Diary: Best sports Bio ever.


Lanterns on the Levee: W.A. Percy's Delta memoirs with some of the finest prose ever put to paper. His contrast of the locomotive with the Riverboat is timeless and bracing.

Shelby Foote's The Civil War. Has no comparison. By far the finest treatment of the central defining event in our history as a nation.

My personal favorite novel is Walker Percy's Love in the Ruins. I laugh at his perceptions of the fallen human condition which, though exaggerated, are embarrassingly familiar.



The Bible: Both covenants. A bunch of books, different types of literature, many authors, one coherent story. Like LOTR but real.


Posted by LuckySo-n-So
Member since Jul 2005
22096 posts
Posted on 8/25/17 at 8:57 pm to
(No particular order)

1.) The Natural--Bernard Malamud. Reading and researching this book made me truly understand that writing is a craft to be worked at. Stories aren't "just shite somebody made up". Oh...and ROY HOBBS STRUCK OUT IN THE END!!!!!

2.) It/The Stand/ 11/22/63--Stephen King. 3 favorite books by my favorite author.

3.)Watership Down--Richard Adams. Simply the best novel I've ever read. Very compelling story. If you don't agree, you're full of hraka.

4.) Carnival of Fury--William Ivy Hair. Very well researched history of the New Orleans race riot of 1900. Written like a suspense/action thriller.

5.) Prehistoric Monsters Did The Strangest Things I'm damn near 50 and I still look at this book I've had since I was 5. I was the only 7 year old who could spell "Tyrannosaurus Rex" and "Archaeopteryx".


6.) Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee--Dee Brown. Unbelievable book about the closing of the frontier and the "Indian Wars" of the post-Civil War era. "I will fight no more forever."

7.) The Aeneid

8.) Bismarck--A.J.P. Taylor. Great biography.

9.) Bearing the Cross: MLK and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference--David J. Garrow. Amazingly researched book about one of the finest men of the 20th Century.

10.) Main Men of the Seventies: The Quarterbacks--Jack Clary (1975). Biographies of all the starting NFL quarterbacks of the era: Staubach, Bradshaw, Griese, Jones, Ferguson, and Manning, among others. Great book for a kid just learning about football.
Posted by tigahbruh
Louisiana
Member since Jun 2014
2858 posts
Posted on 8/31/17 at 10:23 pm to
Prometheus Rising - RA Wilson
Illuminatus! Trilogy - RA Wilson
A Tale of Two Cities - Dickens
Absalom, Absalom - Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury - Faulkner
The Last Gentlemen - Walker Percy
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco
The Ascent of Money - Niall Ferguson
Valis - Philip K Dick

first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram