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Hello fellow readers! I just wanted to make a post that I've always been curious about... There are books we read, some we love, some we hate and some we just dont know how to feel about. But is there any book out there that has changed your life in any way? Big or small, has a book ever changed your way of thinking or even your direction? Think about it and reply. I think this will be an incredibly fun post!!!!

Personally, a saga series of a hero called Artakus, the series really changed my life where i took writing seriously... by the way, this saga is written Malay language and quite limited in its edition.

I've read 2 books recently that have made me think that maybe I'm to quick to judge situations, even though I still feel they are wrong. Its strange reading a book certain about how I would feel on the topic then feeling a different way completely. Don't know if you could say life changing, but did make an impact.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
The wicked girls by Alex Marwood

'the Life and death of Ivan Ilyich' - don't know why I picked it up, maybe it was because it was a short story from someone so long I can't get the time... but Ivan Ilyich kind of assaulted me, I must've been feeling low and thinking about the Big Questions' like life and death. It' starts with two collleagues going to a boss' 'lying in' in a tsarist village. They want to get away, it's depressing, the widow starts to talk to them and it's embarrassing...then it changes to 6 weeks before when the dead man wa salive and well, and then he develops a cancer...and the rest is about his journey towards death almost totally alone as his world runs away from him and he's left to face it...it made me re-evaluate life and prioritise, a trite observation perhaps but the shock, the memento mori, had a salutary effect...can't say it's my bedtime read, though...

1984 by George Orwell really opened up my eyes as a teen.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. Found it sitting in my partner's meagre collection of books ( she is not a recreational reader), and coming out of a divorce and breakup of my family, found the lessons of dealing with change and living in this moment to be life changing. Led me down the path of buddhist philosophy.

That Was Then This is Now. I loved it and I realized change was inevitable and you can’t save people from themselves.
The Old Man and the Sea. It made me fall in love with books that are deeper than the storyline.
The Bible. It made me a better person and transformed me from the inside out.
Finally, The Dictionary and a good Thesaurus. They transformed my writing and my mind.

See now that is a hard one. I will have to give ya the top 2 books and how it did:
1. Hunger Games Triology - Show me what my life isn't like and how I shouldn't complain about the little stuff. Also that heroes/heroines don't all start off from some great legends or marvelous background.
2. Stephen Hawkins, A Brief History in Time/The Universe in a Nutshell - Gave me a better understanding of the universe and the small blocks that build it. There was a little depression in knowing how truly small and unimportant the earth can be.

Yes, I've definitely read books that impacted my life. I think these kind of books fall into 2 categories: books that teach you something through their content which is educational or informative (usually non-fiction) and books that impact you because of their story, memorable characters, stories that teach you something about yourself, etc. (usually fiction).

As for books that completely changed my life:
The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle (About living in the present, controlling your negative thoughts, etc. His books really spoke to me and described situations that were true for me. Totally changed my outlook on life.)

Some Fiction Books That Stuck With Me:
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson: It's set in North Korea and the things the people there go through is beyond shocking.
The Postmortal by Drew Magary: A pre-apocalyptic tale of what happens when a cure for aging is discovered. Makes you think about life, death, aging, immortality, etc.
Zone One by Colson Whitehead: This literary zombie tale packed a real punch and got me thinking about people and the current state of humanity, our will to survive versus our self-destructive nature.
This Vacant Paradise by Victoria Patterson: Set in 90s California, a young woman finds herself growing older and her looks fading in a world where youth and beauty are prized. Great social commentary.
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan: A short novella about a young couple in the 60s on their honeymoon and how societal constraints about sexuality prevent them from communicating. I think this topic is still relevant today.
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar: A novel set in India about a middle-class woman and her servant and how they judge one another because they are different/from different classes.

This is a great topic as I love discovering new books that will really have an impact upon me. I can't wait to see what everyone else says and hopefully discover some new books to add to my TBR!

-- 04 Aug 2012, 14:58 --

Stardust0262 wrote:Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. Found it sitting in my partner's meagre collection of books ( she is not a recreational reader), and coming out of a divorce and breakup of my family, found the lessons of dealing with change and living in this moment to be life changing. Led me down the path of buddhist philosophy.

I definitely agree with this one. I read it a year or so ago and really enjoyed it. Of course I don't think I would have really understood it or been impacted by it if I hadn't read Eckhart Tolle's books beforehand. Tolle's writing is so simple and conveys things in an easy to understand way. Parables and stories like Way of the Peaceful Warrior tend to go right over my head sometimes.

i read a book or 3 about heaven, having lost my dad recently, i found three books that are true stories of near death experiences by three people, therefore it gave me a picture of what heaven is....

For me, there is one book I read as a teenager that always stands out. I was able to relate to the characters. I feel this book gave me a true love and appreciation for reading. The book is "The House of Memories" by Monica McInerney

I find it fascinating how different books and their messages resonate with different people. How two people can read the same book, one finds it of little interest whilst the other draws immense learning from it.

Stardust0262 wrote:I find it fascinating how different books and their messages resonate with different people. How two people can read the same book, one finds it of little interest whilst the other draws immense learning from it.

Same goes for poetry or music ... Vive la différence

I love it when I finish a book and it sticks with me for a couple of days because it makes me think about the issues in the story. I had the experience when I read A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. And also with a couple of Murakami's novels and other books whose titles I can't recall anymore. It's nice but at the same time a bit frightening to think about what is and what could be. Nonetheless, these experiences are my personal motivation to read and to keep reading.

For me, one book that stands out is "From the Corner of His Eye" by Dean Koontz. Although it is a work of fiction, it forced me to think about things on a much deeper level regarding the world, and how people are connected to one and another within it. Along with that, it also inspired me to think about my actions, and how they affect others, and how one person can send a ripple through the world. I enjoyed that book very much and on occasion revisit it.