Are you a reader? An avid one? Or someone who likes looking at the pictures instead? I’ve spent time in both camps, but I prefer to see myself as a reader, first and foremost.
I was talking to my wife about reading in general, and it occurred to me that reading has left indelible marks on my life, and my soul. I have always loved reading – my mother told me that I was reading the newspaper when I was four years old. I read constantly and almost obsessively.
That changed somewhat as I got out of high school – I still read a lot, but it was mostly magazines and newspapers. I can’t exactly explain why, but I didn’t read much in the way of books after I got married – I had the time, but not the inclination. After a moment of introspection I still can’t put my finger on why I put my beloved reading aside for a while. I’ve recently, in the last couple of years, begun to read again. With three kids, I spend as much time reading with them and to them, and not exactly the kind of stuff I enjoy, but I’ll gladly give up my own reading time to read for and with them – these days won’t last long, and I’m certain I will look back fondly at having read to my kids every night and will wish for these days to return.
I’ve always loved real books. For me, there is something about holding a book, and smelling the paper, and imagining the work that went into it – planning it out, writing it, editing it, printing it and finally, me holding it and soaking it up, feeling the paper as you turn each page. With that said, I’m not a militant book supporter – I’m a militant reading advocate. E-books are very likely the future, and I even took the plunge and bought a series of e-books for my iPad. I will get to these e-books eventually, but I still have scores of unread books waiting to be held, to be cracked open and to be enjoyed, for better or for worse.
I’d like to share three books that have affected me. This isn’t a definitive list and I’ve read many, many books that have left an impression on me – good or bad. I just thought of these ones for very different reasons and that’s why they make up MY list.
Here are mine:
The Bible – having been raised in a Christian household, I’ve spent my whole life reading (or trying) to read the Bible – when I was young, I was more or less reading it because it was a chore or a task assigned to me, but I still got a lot out of it. Unfortunately, I put the good book aside for many years, often casting a cursory glance at it, but choosing to read something else instead. I’ve recently become more acquainted with it, and I do feel strongly that everyone should read it or at least become familiar with parts of it. You can, of course, choose to ignore the religious aspect of it, and you can take from it what you want or what you choose. But to ignore an entire book of volumes that is the most read, most widely translated, and most referenced book in the history of our world; to ignore a book that is arguably the most influential and also historically significant book on the face of the Earth; and to ignore a book that, regardless of your interpretation, doles out an incredible amount of wisdom as well as insight into humanity’s history – good and bad….. to ignore this book would be to miss out on something, regardless of what you take away from it. I can’t imagine someone reading the Bible and coming away a lesser person.
When Eight Bells Toll by Alistair MacLean – I first read this book at some point in early junior high. I was on a camping trip in Radium with my big brother, and I don’t even know if I brought a book with me on that trip. We ended up going to the water slides just outside of Radium, and we were enjoying the hot summer sun, sitting on the side of the pool and talking. I noticed my brother had this book, and I asked if I could read it. Alistair MacLean has a very particular writing style and it’s not for everyone. But I have read almost all his books, and I consider them excellent escape fiction. The first twenty pages of that book grabbed me as no other book had. I can explain – it’s not that it’s such amazing fiction or writing, it’s just that I’d never read a more adult-oriented book before then. I think I was still making my way through the Hardy Boys’ adventures, and the fact that Franklin W. Dixon wasn’t really an epic writer but rather a collective of students using the pen name hadn’t been revealed to me yet. And so, this book had an impact on me, in that it exposed me to the grittier, harsher, more painful side of fiction and I experienced more depth in my reading than I had to date. I’ve read better books, of course, but at the time, I found it to be a tremendous crime thriller, and the dry humor often took me a re-read or two of a sentence to get. It was an amazing book to me, and I immediately picked up a whole box of MacLean novels when we got back to Edmonton and didn’t stop reading them for years. I’ve never turned back to the Hardy Boys since.
God Grew Tired of Us by John Bul Dau – this is one of the most recent books I’ve read. It is a first-hand account of one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan”, taking the reader back into the ’80s and ’90s, where a combination of religious and political division took a major toll on the residents of Southern Sudan, and resulted in a horrifying humanitarian crisis in terms of health, families, food, shelter and emotional scarring. There is a movie by the same name, about three “Lost Boys”, one of them being the author of this book. I’ve always tried to be thankful for what I have, and not to take things for granted as I firmly believe that all the great things in our lives can one day be taken from us. But reading a story like this, and realizing that every moment in it, surreal as it may seem, actually happened, is truly a wake-up call and a reminder of how good we have it here. We’ve never really known true strife, and this book hammered that point home, again and again. It left me shaken at people’s ability to treat other human beings and their lives with utter disrespect, but more so, it reminded me of how amazingly resilient we are and how incredibly flexible our hearts and souls are.
As I mentioned, this list is comprised of but three books that have meant something to me, at some point in my life. No singular human relationship, no one single thought, and certainly no single book will ever make a man what he is, and that wasn’t my point here. This is only a fraction of my story.
I am hoping to hear from you to see which books you’ve read that have made a difference, whatever that might mean, in your life. Take the time to make your way to the comments section of this post to share a few things with me (and other readers) – a couple of books that have affected you, how and why they affected you, and why it might be a book that someone else should read.
If you’ve enjoyed this, feel free to browse my archives tab for other posts.
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I loved the book “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch – I’ve only read it once, but the tone of voice that the God character had in that book helped define my own theology.
I also love the Belgariad Series by David Eddings. I know its 5 books, but that has to be some of the most enjoyable time I have spent in my own head.
I can’t come up with a 3rd. Is that wrong. I mean there are a bunch of books I really enjoyed reading, but when it comes to something profound nothing is really rising to the top. I guess if pressed I would say the Hobbit.
: )
Have you read Have you read “All Corvettes Are Red”? Amazing book about the development of the C5 Vette. I gave my well worn copy away a few years ago and really need to get a new one. Seems like something you would really dig.
http://www.amazon.ca/All-Corvettes-Are-James-Schefter/dp/0671685015
As for books that have left a mark two jump to mind immediately.
Warday by Whitley Strieber. I first read this book about a limited nuclear war in Jr. High and it scared the crap out of me. I’ve re-read it a few times over the years and several images from the book still show up in my nightmares on occasion.
http://www.amazon.ca/Warday-Journey-Onward-Whitley-Strieber/dp/0030707315
The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav. This book was suggested to me by my Grade 12 Physics teacher. Easy to understand but demanding it really ingrained in me a lasting love of physics and cosmology. Guaranteed to expand your brain.
http://www.amazon.ca/Dancing-Wu-Li-Masters-Overview/dp/055326382X
Good read. I wish I read more books, as I was a voracious reader until my kids came along. I read the Bible years and years ago, but as an atheist/agnostic/naturalist it doesn’t have much of an impact on me any more. But I am glad I read it. A ColesNotes Bible would be handy for a lot of people. Getting through Psalms can be a chore.
Three books that did have an impact on me were:
1. Kubrick – Vincent LoBruto. Love his films, but never knew the extent he went to in order to create some of the finest movies ever made. It made me think about how I should take more time understand a topic/challenge before tackling it rather than going half assed, especially if you want perfection.
2. The Fencepost Chronicles – WP Kinsella. Read this and spent the next several months and years reading and rereading everything he’s done, particularly the stories based on Hobemma.
3. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – Dave Eggers. The title says it all. The mostly true story of losing both parents to cancer in one year and raising his 8 year old brother when he was 21. Creative story telling at it’s best and definitely the best book I’ve read in the last 15 years.
I think reading the Bible is an amazing feat. I have tried many times & would leave it but now I read a page a day and find that works best for me. Other wise it feels like homework. It’s nice to sit back and reflect on what I’ve read & interpret what it means for me.
God Grew Tired of Us will defiintely be on my next book order. I love stories that show you can rise above regardless of circumstances. I will definitely let you know when I’ve finished this one!
As for When Eight Bells Toll…well not as sure. BUT,. if you join our #twreaders book club, you can put it as your suggestion & I will definitely read it then
As I tweeted, one of my favs was Mary Called Magdalene by Margaret George. Definitely not a book for everyone, but it is the fictional telling of Mary’s experience. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction. And my next fav would have to be The Stand by Stephen King. I seriously need to read that one again, can’t believe I donated it years ago!!!
My Three:
East of Eden(John Steinbeck): Just Read it.
Dune (Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson): Read them all, explore human nature.
Blink (Malcolm Gladwell): Explore your own thought processes
Honourable Mentions:
A Song of ice and Fire (Game of Thrones): I’m just really enjoying these books considering I knew nothing when I started them.
World War Z: the only book I read, then immediately re-read as audiobook
Chronicles of Narnia: Wonderful stories with a decent moral message.
The Hobbit: No childhood is complete until you have had someone read this to you.
Great post! I always love to see what books get inside the heads of fellow readers. This sounds strange but I had to admit that less than 5 mins before I clicked on this post, I was asking myself why I haven’t read my Bible lately.
There are so many books that have impacted me. A few that come to mind are:
A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace because it’s the first book I recall reading that made me bawl my eyes out and didn’t give you that typical happy ending. I was 7 and I think the sudden cry fest scared my mom.
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. I’ve enjoyed all of his books but this one is my favourite.
Pretty much anything by Paulo Coelho. I’ve read several of his books and found each one to be a thought provoking, moving experience.
It was really hard to narrow it down to just a few lol. So many great books out there.
I’ve slacked on reading your blog, but this is another enjoyable read. Here’s my list…
7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey) – Although I can’t say that I follow this verbatim, I do think there are many good ideas in this book. If the steps are completed sincerely and honestly, it is a great self-help book and can strengthen your relationships with others.
Patriot Games (Tom Clancy) – For the same reason you fell into Alistair MacLean, I fell into Tom Clancy. This is the first “adult” fiction book I read and truly enjoy Clancy’s writing style. He is very adept at weaving details into a story and tying them all together. My runner up would be American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis). Although it is a very disturbing book, the amount of detail that Ellis puts into the story is amazing. I have read each of these books many times.
Last, but not least, a more recent book. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Seth Grahame-Smith) – This is probably one of the most enjoyable books that I have ever read. The writer is brilliant in how he ties documented history into the fiction of Vampire Hunting. I’ve read it once, but I’m sure I will read it again.
My all time favorite book is “A Prayer for Owen Meany”, by John Irving. If you have ever read any else by Irving, it carries some of the same themes through it. It’s an incredible book that bears little to no resemblance to the movie made from it (Simon Birch).
Other books I have really enjoyed are:
Into Thin Air – John Krakauer. Originally a series of Outside magazine contributions about the author’s trip up Everest. Turned into a book after a huge disaster during the trip. Crazy read that I have recommended many times.
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote. I read this book first in a university English class, but have read it manytimes since. I also got my wife hooked on it. This book is pretty much non-fiction, but has some licence taken by Capote in the re-telling of some horrible events. Very interesting to have the protagonist be a character with so few redeeming qualities.