5 books that change one's way of thinking

reply to post by D1ss1dent


Thanks for the links..I prefer actual books, but I think I'll give in on this one and download the PDF's.

Originally posted by ATLien
reply to post by D1ss1dent

 

Thanks for the links..I prefer actual books, but I think I'll give in on this one and download the PDF's.

You can buy these books on paper (of course, it's always better) but they're available online for free.

OooOO.. I love this thread! I’ve read a handful of these and heard of a bunch more, and love finding new one!
I probably should pick so many.. hope it's ok to share (in no particular order) ..

1) Celestine Prophecy James Redfield
(I know this book has some mumbo jumbo associated with it but it was a nice shift in consciousness at the time)
2) Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss
3) House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
4) 1984 by George Orwell
5) 12th planet by Zecharia Sitchin


6) Atlantis by Edgar Cayce
7) I Know Why We Are Here by Mia Dolan ( I could have sworn this was by Sylvia Browne???)
8) Conversations with God Neale Donald Walsch
9) Tao Te Ching Lao-Tzu
10) 90 minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
11) 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
12) A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
13) The Planets Within: The Astrological Psychology of Marsilio Ficino by Thomas Moore
14) The re-enchantment of Everyday Life by Thomas Moore
15) Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind by Theodore Roszak
16) The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe by Arthur Koestler
17) Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard
18) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

It feels good when you see some of the same books you would choose.

Off the top of my head :-

1. To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee
2. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
3. Illusions - Richard Bach
4. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
5. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

I could come up with 5 different ones EVERY day!

I've read quite a lot of fiction books, but one book I find worth mentioning here is "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. It is too touching, and definitely will have an impact on you.

I've seen Mere Christianity on here a few times..Can someone let me know what the overall viewpoint of the book is?

reply to post by ATLien


i opened this thread just to make sure the book of five rings was there, and behold it was... good job

screw tape letters... well let's just say i think it's a worthless book, i know others might disagree with me, but i just don't think it has any value

plato... well duh... classic!!!!

the others, i will look into, thanks for the post!

Originally posted by ATLien
This thread is for members to post 5 books that have had a cerebral impact on the reader..I'll begin

1.The Screw-Tape Letters, C.S.Lewis
2.Book of Five Rings, Miyamuto Musashi
3.Republic, Plato
4.Notes from the Underground, Dostoyevski
5.The Decameron, Boccaccio

edit on 24-11-2010 by ATLien because: (no reason given)

Why not start a sort of book club to those that are interested?Assign one book at a time and then discuss?To me these books could be a great read but without discussion to help interpret I would get a little lost.I think it's an idea that could take off here at ats.what do you think?By the way I'm asking Santa for a kindle for Christmas!

Originally posted by indigothefish
reply to post by ATLien

 

screw tape letters... well let's just say i think it's a worthless book, i know others might disagree with me, but i just don't think it has any value

edit on 11/24/2010 by indigothefish because: (no reason given)

value depends on world view. I thought it gave some fascinating insight on the nature of temptation and the spiritual manipulation humanity faces. starts sort of simplistic but gets very deep.

5) 'Diggin Leviathan' by James P. Blaylock. mad scientists race to the center of the earth. combines a good yarn with insights on various losses (innocence, family) and fears of parental inadequacy.

4) 'Flying Saucers: Serious Business' by Frank Herbert. read as a kid, freaked me out, introduced me to the paranormal. contains a warning about approaching a landed saucer with a flashlight (*they* might think it's a heat ray!)

3) 'Timeless Earth', Kolisomo, and 'Morning of the Magicians', (French author--Fauvels?). makes one rethink all our taught history.

2) 'Mothman Prophecies', John Keel. classic. looks to inner, not outer, space for our 'visitors', and doesn't like what he sees.

1) The Bible fascinating history in the Old Testament, unparalleled insight into the human mind in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, unique exploration of human nature, and of course prophecy as to what happens next.

1. A New Earth: Awakening your lifes purpose.
2. A New Earth: Awakening your lifes purpose.
3. A New Earth: Awakening your lifes purpose.
4. A New Earth: Awakening your lifes purpose.
5. A New Earth: Awakening your lifes purpose.

What I really like about this is that there are certain ATS members whose views I respect very highly.
Anything they find good probably has some merit to it and I will gladly take their reading suggestions! (yeahright! )

Tough choices to make as there are so many books I feel changed me.

In no certain order:

Zen mind/beginners' mind - Shun Ryu Suzuki
Lord of the Rings - I read it 32 times during high school, it helped me stay sane in boring classes.
The 7 Mysteries of Life - Guy Murchie - an exploration of life and science, absolutely brilliant.
The Tracker - Tom Brown Jr. - opened my mind to a greater sense of self and nature.
A People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn - A history of strikes, rebellions and mass movements.
My Side of the Mountain - Author?

Yeah, 6 books, so shoot me

"The Trial" Franz Kafka
"The Castle" Franz Kafka
"The Stranger" Albert Camus
"The Double" Fydor Dostoyevsky
"Atlas Shrugged" Ayn Rand

Bonus books:

"If on a Winter's Night A Traveller" Italo Calvino
"Focult's Pendulum" Umberto Eco

Choosing 5 is not enough, sorry, I'm gonna have to add some

The book thief - Markus Zusak
Papillon - Henri Charrière
Ruler of the sky - Pamela Sargent
No Logo - Naomi Klein
Days of War, Nights of Love - crime thinc collective.

The Illuminatus Trilogy - Robert A. Wilson
Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintainance - Robert M. Pirsig
Stranger In A Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
Breakfast Of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
Wild Talents - Charles Fort

(non/fictional) philosophy books dont touch me whatsoever and do nothing to influence my worldview. at best it has an entertainment value for me. the last one such redundant bore that i put myself through was Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt- a Libertarian Bible. it might be right up Ayn Rand aficionados` ally.

the only book that taught me how to look at life from angles that i didnt know even existed is a textbook on plane surface geometry. if you venture beyond that into the world of 3D geometry and farther, a whole new world of multidimensional thought patterns open up in front of you. if you master it- you will be a different person. it will make you feel like Alice In Wonderland, not just a pretentious schmuck with linear thought process who thinks he "woke up" and wonders why others are "asleep".

-The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton- Ive read this one several times
-The Giver by Lois Lowery- Read this one several times as well
-Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe- I try and re-read this every couple of years
-The Discourses and The Prince by Machiavelli- covers alot in these two books.
-The Bible
-Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings by Kenji Tokitsu - In depth and common sense look at the most famous of samurai of all
-Hagakure
-The Life Giving Sword (I do some martial arts)
-Mythology by Edith Hamilton
-Other ancient stories of the worlds religions that I like to compare to my own

i guess by sharing our tastes in books we're gonna be making it easier for TPTB to profile us. but hey, what the hell, i'm in.

here are my contributions:

Player of Games - Iain Banks
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
1984 - George Orwell
Forge of God - Greg Bear
A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer - Neal Stephenson

The Custodians - Dolores Cannon
Global Conspiracy and How To End It - David Icke
Trance: Formation Of America - Cathy O'Brien
Our Mysterious Spaceship Moon - Don Wilson
Hidden Records - Wayne Herschel

UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record - Leslie Kean
***This book changed everything. UFO's are real folks.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman - Richard Feyman
***This book makes you feel smart.

Guns, Germs & Steel - Jared Diamond
***This book provides amazing insight into the history of humanity

Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
***This book has deep spiritual messages

Flashbacks - Timothy Leary
***This book opens your mind to many, many things.

1. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Thomas Kuhn
2. The Road To Serfdom - F.A. Hayek
3. The Third Chimpanzee - Jared Diamond
4. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
5. The Critique of Pure Reason - Kant

Bonus

6. Twilight of the Idols- Neitzsche
7. Antichrist - Nietzsche
8. Notes on the State of Virginia - Thomas Jefferson