Book recommendation: something that blew your mind

thegreatgonzo · 27-12-2013 3:57pm

Man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl. It's just remarkable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_Meaning

thegreatgonzo · 27-12-2013 4:00pm

jaqian wrote: »

I've heard "Atlas Shrugged" mentioned many times on the web and decided to give it a go but really struggling to finish it. When they're not having sex (like something out of Mills & Boon) her characters are giving looong speeches. Determined to finish it to see where its going but not enjoying as much as I was.

I have to say it's possibly the worst book I've ever read. Dagny and her contemptuous looks indeed.

Poulgorm · 02-01-2014 8:29pm

Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart. Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now. By Gordon Livingston, m.d.

A short little book, but a great insight into the dynamics of husband / wife and family relationships.

Really practical and common sense. A bit uncomfortable to read in places - it certainly challenges many assumptions that you hold.

But well worth the effort. Worth re-reading every so often, to remind yourself how family interactions are triggered. Particularly in husband / wife relationships.

Howyahorse · 23-01-2014 7:38pm

Bill Cullen's Its a long way from Penney Apples..
Read it about 5 years ago and it has kept me motivated and working hard ever since
On my must read list for next month..mind you it'll be the only book i'll read!

Oleta · 26-01-2014 11:03pm

Homer and Langley - E. L. Doctorow

bleet · 04-02-2014 10:04am

great thread, thanks all!

upstairs for coffee · 19-03-2014 8:38pm

Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

roosh · 27-03-2014 5:36am

A Course in Miralces - can't remember the name of the authors

Fenster · 05-04-2014 10:49pm

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin.

skallywag · 23-04-2014 2:14pm

The Third Policeman (Flann O'Brien)

chinacup · 23-04-2014 2:16pm

Kurt Vonnegut salughterhouse 5 gave me some perspective on time, really a brilliant read!

skallywag · 23-04-2014 2:17pm

Time's Arrow (Martin Amis)

Bafucin · 28-04-2014 4:07am

Collected Stories of John Cheever.

The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Freud and Einstein both hailed it as a masterpiece, and Kurt Vonnegut claimed that everything you need to know in life is smashed down into this book.

Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison.

zoe 3619 · 28-05-2014 12:35am

The diceman.Luke Rinehart.

Junior D · 28-05-2014 12:36am

minnow wrote: »

Hi
I'm looking for a book recommendation. Something different to the run of the mill. I'm asking here rather than the literature forum because I am looking for something different and excitng with new ideas.
It can be fiction/non fiction and be any genre, main thing is it had a huge effect on you when you read it.
Thanks

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielowski

Blew my mind anyway

New Home · 31-05-2014 1:31pm

"Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson
"Fugitive Pieces" by Anne Michaels
"Cloud Atlas"* and "Ghostwritten", both by David Mitchell
"The Colony of Unrequited Dreams" and "The Custodian of Paradise", both by Wayne Johnston
"Salt and Saffron", "Kartography" and "In The City by the Sea" by Kamila Shamsie
"The Solace of Leaving Early" and "Something Rising (Light and Swift)" both by Haven Kimmel
"Ferney" by James Long (still reading the sequel: "The Lives She Left Behind")
"Ghost MacIndoe" and "Invisible" by Jonathan Buckley
"Skellig" by David Almond (a children's author)
"Life of Pi"* by Yann Martel

*Already mentioned a few times by other posters

Esho · 26-06-2014 2:35pm

"Meetings With Remarkable Men" - G.I. Gurdjieff (non fiction)
Interesting stories of an interesting mind, from a culture so, so different from our own.
Read it over 20 years ago, still floats into my mind.

biko · 26-06-2014 2:37pm

Mythago wood

LeonardNelson · 28-06-2014 10:38am

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Lynn Vincent and Todd Burpo. Its very inspiring.

MrSquishSquash · 22-01-2015 2:47pm

"Keep the Aspidistra Flying" by George Orwell, altered my perspective on wealth and status somewhat. Worth a read.

zyanya · 28-01-2015 8:30pm

"Nothing" by Janne Teller

sadie06 · 06-03-2015 7:10pm

Without a doubt the most unsettling book I ever read (and thereby one of the most effective) was The Wasp Factory.

It's a strange book, and I loved how unsure I felt reading it.

seanthemon · 24-04-2018 11:41am

My first post! Hello everyone!! The wasp factory an incredible book, i concur. My own suggestion is Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. I tend to read fiction mostly, but this is simply a wonderful look at mankind and its history, with some interesting slants on things. Highly recommend it

sporina · 24-04-2018 9:11pm

seanthemon wrote: »

My first post! Hello everyone!! The wasp factory an incredible book, i concur. My own suggestion is Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. I tend to read fiction mostly, but this is simply a wonderful look at mankind and its history, with some interesting slants on things. Highly recommend it

started reading this and have parked it for now - i mostly read fiction and missed characters etc..

wish it wasn't so detailed

ger vallely · 24-04-2018 10:16pm

I've never posted here before but love reading! Try for 2/3 books a month. At the moment I'm half way through And The Ass Saw The Angel by Nick Cave. Wow, dark and musty, fantastically written. I love it. Very different to his Bunny Monroe book in terms of setting and style of writing but both introduce very dysfunctional characters.

Synode · 25-04-2018 12:01am

sporina wrote: »

started reading this and have parked it for now - i mostly read fiction and missed characters etc..

wish it wasn't so detailed

I'm about half way through and it's taken me over a year. Must go back to it soon

The One Doctor · 31-05-2018 11:13pm

For those who are aviation minded:

Fate is the Hunter - Ernest K Gann
Fighter Pilot - Robert Prest
Sagittarius Rising - Cecil Lewis

Non-fiction:
Ignition! An unofficial history of rocket propellants - John D Clark
The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger
The Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard

Scifi/Fantasy:

Anything by Terry Pratchett, Harry Harrison, Robert Rankin, Jasper Fforde or Tom Holt.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold - fantastic read.

Hesthea · 26-09-2018 8:49pm

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson

Book recommendation: something that blew your mind

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