I was threatened with social network failure by a coworker on facebook, so I’m doing this whole 10 books thing.
I actually tried to think back to books I enjoyed and stuck with me when
I was younger and more recent reads that have really resonated with me. So, in no particular order, my “top ten”:
DUNE – Frank Herbert http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)
I’ve read the original series at least 7 or 8 times, but I’ve read the first book at least a dozen. Really hit me in the sweet spot around 9th grade or so. The extended library isn’t as bad as it could be, so keep reading the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels if you want more.
I’ve read the original series at least 7 or 8 times, but I’ve read the first book at least a dozen. Really hit me in the sweet spot around 9th grade or so. The extended library isn’t as bad as it could be, so keep reading the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels if you want more.
The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings
I actually “read” the Hobbit as a comic book and so technically I read LotR first, then found the Silmarillion, etc. This is the standard by which all other fantasy is measured.
I actually “read” the Hobbit as a comic book and so technically I read LotR first, then found the Silmarillion, etc. This is the standard by which all other fantasy is measured.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omnivore%27s_Dilemma
This was my first “foodie” book, and has really improved the way that I eat, the way I think about food in general, and I think improved the way that I cook almost as much as Alton Brown. I think everybody who eats should read this book.
This was my first “foodie” book, and has really improved the way that I eat, the way I think about food in general, and I think improved the way that I cook almost as much as Alton Brown. I think everybody who eats should read this book.
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemmingway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea
I never read any Hemmingway before this, and I only just read it the first time a few years ago. I was kind of pissed about life at the time and this really struck deep on my view of how I thought my world should work.
I never read any Hemmingway before this, and I only just read it the first time a few years ago. I was kind of pissed about life at the time and this really struck deep on my view of how I thought my world should work.
House of Leaves – Mark Z. Danielewski http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Leaves
Perhaps the greatest horror-genre book I’ve ever read, and definitely the best “haunted house” story. Go for the hardback with multiple ink colors if you can. Difficult to encapsulate in a sentence, it will draw you in.
Perhaps the greatest horror-genre book I’ve ever read, and definitely the best “haunted house” story. Go for the hardback with multiple ink colors if you can. Difficult to encapsulate in a sentence, it will draw you in.
Wonderful Life – Steven Jay Gould http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_Life_(book)
First book I read for class that I just finished the whole damned thing because it was amazingly interesting. This really kick started my natural history reading trend and was followed shortly by Annals of the Former World by John McPhee. I now have a crap-ton of books from both authors and Gould also lead me to David Quammen who’s books I have read more lately. Check out Spillover by Quammen to get the scoop on how Ebola works (among others).
First book I read for class that I just finished the whole damned thing because it was amazingly interesting. This really kick started my natural history reading trend and was followed shortly by Annals of the Former World by John McPhee. I now have a crap-ton of books from both authors and Gould also lead me to David Quammen who’s books I have read more lately. Check out Spillover by Quammen to get the scoop on how Ebola works (among others).
Guinness Book of World Records/World Almanac http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Almanac
They came out every year, and I read them every year after I discovered them in elementary school all the way through high school. These spoke to my inner nerd, also allowed me to destroy at trivial pursuit at the time.
They came out every year, and I read them every year after I discovered them in elementary school all the way through high school. These spoke to my inner nerd, also allowed me to destroy at trivial pursuit at the time.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion,_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe
I read all 7 of these in elementary school. They may well have been the only fiction or books with a plot I read between 4th and 7th grade, as everything else I consumed came from the reference section. Before LotR these probably gave me my taste for fantasy fiction. (also, it made the Christian myth more palatable at the time).
I read all 7 of these in elementary school. They may well have been the only fiction or books with a plot I read between 4th and 7th grade, as everything else I consumed came from the reference section. Before LotR these probably gave me my taste for fantasy fiction. (also, it made the Christian myth more palatable at the time).
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories – H.P. Lovecraft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Call_of_Cthulhu_and_Other_Weird_Stories
This was the first, I now have them all. Of the horror and weird fiction category Lovecraft is my master. I have every major compilation of stories from Arkham House press as well as many others from Brian Lumley and others. The modern reader is aware of Cthulhu only recently and the wider world is beginning to understand that after Poe, Lovecraft is perhaps America’s greatest early author of the weird.
This was the first, I now have them all. Of the horror and weird fiction category Lovecraft is my master. I have every major compilation of stories from Arkham House press as well as many others from Brian Lumley and others. The modern reader is aware of Cthulhu only recently and the wider world is beginning to understand that after Poe, Lovecraft is perhaps America’s greatest early author of the weird.
Since I technically named more than ten above I’ll put some notable mentions here. The Black Company (series) – Glen Cook http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Company, The Harry Dresden Files – Jim Butcher http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files, A Brief History of Time (and later books) – Stephen Hawking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Time, and the art books of Wayne Douglas Barlowe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Barlowe and Dougal Dixon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougal_Dixon.
I would like to challenge my Dad (who isn’t on facebook), my
Grandfather Frank (who is dead and so, also not on facebook) and my favorite
brother-in-law, Heath William Anthony!
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