# Five books everyone should read..



## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

Any such list needs a constraint.  The field is too large.  My youngest brother is in the throws of shedding adolescence and entering adulthood.  He is really struggling.  It is at life transitions like these that an inspirational book can really frame your experience for you.  This is my constraint then; five books everyone should read as they make the transition from adolescence into adulthood.

Here are my picks:
The Bounty by Caroline Alexander
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Replay by Ken Grimwood

What about you?


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## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

I loved:

The Celestine Prophecy
Jurassic Park
The Davinci Code
Buddha (Deepak Chopra)
The Host


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## Steven L. Hawk (Jul 10, 2010)

Wow. I'm sure you'll get a very eclectic selection from the folks here, but here are my faves:

1. _Ender's Game_ by Orson Scott Card
2. _Dune _by Frank Herbert
3. _Roots _by Alex Haley
4. _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ by C.S. Lewis 
5. _To Kill a Mockingbird_ by Harper Lee

I could go on and on... and on and on...


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## 13893 (Apr 29, 2010)

1. Dune 
2. A Confederate General From Big Sur 
3. Jane Eyre 
4. The Left Hand of Darkness
5. Hawaii Frank Herbert
Richard Brautigan
Charlotte Brontë
Ursula K. Le Guin
James Michener


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## jhendereson (Oct 22, 2010)

Number 5 is a personal favorite:

1. Animal Farm
2. Sounder
3. The Grapes of Wrath
4. Gone With the Wind
5. Baby Huey, A Cautionary Tale of Addiction


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## kindlequeen (Sep 3, 2010)

East of Eden
Fast Food Nation (or rather any book that makes you appreciate the hardworking farm industry and not take your food for granted)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven 
Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass (we're never too old for curiosity)
The Joy of Cooking (or any other cookbook that teaches you to cook everything; everyone should be able to cook for themselves)

Can you tell I'm a chef?


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

Hmm tough - so many books to chose from....

Five People You Meet in Heaven - one of my favourite books to date
Lord of the Flies / The Beach - similar theme for both books.
1984
Private Peaceful
Then can I cheat a bit and say 'Different Season'  - Stephen King. Four stories in one, but surely it counts as one book


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## Five String (Jun 6, 2010)

Lists like these by normal people are so much more interesting than big media critics. Much more eclectic, much broader.

I'm not sure I want to go to the extent of saying everyone should read these. (but they should) They're five of my favorites:

1. Master and Commander  - Patrick O'Brian
2. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
3. Stick - Elmore Leonard
4. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler
5. Reveiile in Washington 1861-1865 - Margaret Leech (Civil War history)


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

Nearly every one of my original picks were in someone else's list!

Okay, here's my revamped list:


The Brothers K - David James Duncan
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark
1984 - George Orwell
Harry Potter (take your pick) - J.K. Rowling
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

This was _really _hard!


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## LarryEnright (Nov 27, 2010)

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee because I want the nickle for busting up the chiffarobe!
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell because I was supposed to read it one summer in high school, had eye surgery that summer and didn't get the chance, but still got an "A" on the test (Catholic school guilt motivation obviously).
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger because I am still confused about life.
4. I, Robot (short stories) by Isaac Asimov because the idea of a machine being able to reason scares me. Always has.
5. The Bible by God because it portrays the best and the worst in us.

Larry


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Hmmm...that's a tough one. But I'd suggest (in no particular order):

Catcher in the Rye by Salinger
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff (this is a great intro to this different way of looking at things - presented in a fun way.)
The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsksi (sp?)
Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

Some of those I haven't read yet. 

I think actually, my book choices would be different depending on if they were a boy or girl.

Diary of Anne Frank (huge part of history)
Pride and Prejudice (whether you are a girl or boy I think this is a great one to read, not only is it a classic but good literature as well)
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (I just think this one is a good coming of age book)
Harry Potter books (not only a fun read but a lot of growing up and adult decisions occur in this book. Life changing experiences)
Lord of the Flies (just a good creepy read. Plus I am sure there are lessons about human nature thrown in there.   )


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

This list could change, depending on the day of the week you ask me 

*Angelique - Anne Golon*
*The Tin Drum - Gunter Grass*
*Das Geschenkte Gesicht - Heinz G. Konsalik* (The gift of the face? something like that translated) 
Any Konsalik would do really, old stuff, I wish I could get them in english 
*It - Stephen King*
*The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte*
*Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen*

Well thats 6, might be different ones tomorrow though 

Have to add
*The yellow star - Gerhard Schoenberger*


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## cdstedman (Jun 4, 2010)

Here are my favorites.

Ender's Game
A Confederacy of Dunces
the Gormenghast series (Titus)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Left Hand of Darkness


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

Joel, if you liked The Brother's Karamazov, you might also like The Brothers K since it is a loose, Americanized version of the Dostoevsky book.  Or so I've heard (since I never read the Russian one.)


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## JeffM (Nov 22, 2009)

The uncut version of *The Stand* by Stephen King
*Critical Space* by Greg Rucka
*Point of Impact* by Stephen Hunter
*Executive Orders* by Tom Clancy

Gonna have to give some thought for #5.


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## Robin (Dec 11, 2008)

To Kill a Mockingbird
Farenhiet 451
Grapes of Wrath
Crucial Conversations (non-fiction)
Maya Angelou beginning w/I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

I do like the Joy of Cooking suggestion - it is where I turn for any & all cooking questions from the basics I really ought to know by now, to my standard sangria which is much appreciated by friends!


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

For non-fiction, I would add anything by Ayn Rand, but especially _Atlas Shrugged_. Whether or not you agree with her ideas, they're worth hearing.


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## Neo (Mar 30, 2009)

Life of Pie by Yann Martel
Foam of the Daze by Boris Vian
The Counterfeiters by Andre Gide
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

Just from my own experience of those years:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Plague by Albert Camus
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald


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## chris.truscott (Dec 3, 2010)

jackwestjr_author said:


> Any such list needs a constraint. The field is too large. My youngest brother is in the throws of shedding adolescence and entering adulthood. He is really struggling. It is at life transitions like these that an inspirational book can really frame your experience for you. This is my constraint then; five books everyone should read as they make the transition from adolescence into adulthood.
> 
> Here are my picks:
> The Bounty by Caroline Alexander
> ...


I read a ton of Hemingway and Fitzgerald at that age.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Interesting topic and some wonderful choices so far.  Here are mine:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Based on  my  love ofmystery/espionage  fiction:

1) Raise The  Titanic -  Clive Cussler
2) Executive  Power -  Vince Flynn
3) Presumed  Innocent - Scott Turow
4)  All  3  Stieg  Larssen  books  (The Girl  with Dragon Tatoo...)  - can't just pick  one
5) Jack  And  Jill  (or any early  James Patterson book)


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Joel Arnold said:


> Hmmm...that's a tough one. But I'd suggest (in no particular order):
> 
> The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff (this is a great intro to this different way of looking at things - presented in a fun way.)


That is a good book


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Very tough... very tough. Do you go for good quality writing, or the lessons portrayed? They're not always the same thing.

As of right now, these would probably be my five:

_Midnight's Children_, Salman Rushdie. (Could easily go with _Satanic Verses_ here to show what little things can trigger a fatwa.)
_Dune_, Frank Herbert. (Should also read _Children of Dune_.)
_Neuromancer_, William Gibson. (While reading it, realize he knew next to nothing about computers.)
_The Epic of Gilgamesh_, Anonymous. (Most of our western myth/religious belief trace their roots here.)
_Crime and Punishment_, Dostoyevski. (Could easily be _Anna Karenina_ or _War and Peace_, but I think everyone should read one of his books.)

If I did this list again tomorrow, it would change. Philip K. Dick should probably be on here in some capacity but I frankly don't know what to remove.

(edit: I completely missed that there was a targeted age range for this list. Pull Dostoyevski and Gilgamesh. Add _A Catcher in the Rye_ and either _Animal Farm_ or _1984_.)


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## blackdog (Aug 20, 2010)

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
The Gadfly by Ethel Lilian Voynich
The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

Oh great. As if my Wish List and TBR List aren't long enough already!!


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## joanhallhovey (Nov 7, 2010)

My list:  (I've tried not to repeat the classics like To Kill A Mockingbird and Jane Eyre)

1.  Water for Elephants - Sarah Gruen

2.  The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski. 

3.  The Bad Seed - William March

4.  Under the Dome - Stephen King (if an unknown writer had written this book, it would be hailed by reviewers and readers of the genre)  

5.  Deep Water - Patricia Highsmith


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

Of course everyone should read more than five books, but here goes:

1) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
2) The Alexander-trilogy by Mary Renault
3) Dune-series by Frank Herbert
4) Foundation-trilogy by Isaac Asimov
5) Masters of Rome-series by Colleen McCullough

_OK, I cheated, most of those are more than one book _


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## Indy (Jun 7, 2010)

There is an uncut version of The Stand?  Oh my, what have I missed...
I almost agree with the poster who said we need to read Atlas Shrugged whether we agree with it or not; I would agree more if I had liked the book, but it sucked me in and then proceeded to drag, badly, then get ridiculous on top of the drag.  

I'm trying to think of books not mentioned yet.  Here goes:
Watership Down
The Iliad
The Fall of Troy
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Ahh I can't choose a last one, I think it should be not one, but a balanced selection of religious reading from around the world.


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

To Kill A Mockingbird -- Harper Lee
Catcher In The Rye -- JD Salinger
Huck Finn -- Mark Twain
Complete Works Of Shakespeare -- William Shakespeare
Pride and Prejudice -- Jane Austen


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## davem2bits (Feb 2, 2009)

The Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
The Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

davem2bits said:


> The Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
> The Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
> One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
> The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
> Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut


davem. I love that you have Alfred E. Newman as your avatar. I just wish Mad would go back to publishing monthly.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Having just gone through a BA in English, these are some of the ones I had to read, that professors like to call "classics"

1. Moby Dick
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Great Expectations
4. Wuthering Heights
5. Last of the Mohicans


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## chris.truscott (Dec 3, 2010)

I loved Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire.

I never read Lincoln, nor did I read Washington, D.C. (Lincoln is on my "someday" list. DC was re-written as the Golden Age because it was the first book written, but the last chronologically. The later works, earlier on the timeline, made DC kind of obsolete in terms of characters/events.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narratives_of_Empire


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

In nonfiction, I highly recommend E.O. Wilson's The Diversity of Life and .

In fiction, The Dispossessed by Ursula LeGuin, I, Robotby Isaac Asimov and Doomsday Book by Connie Willis.

And in mathematical romance, Flatland.


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

Tara Maya said:


> And in mathematical romance, Flatland.


Mathematical romance!? _Had_ to click on that link..


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## AshMP (Dec 30, 2009)

I am apparently a lighter-side book reader...none of the "classics" for me...

1.The entire Twilight Saga--which is 5 books itself.  The romance behind the YA genre is ageless.  
2. The Hour I First Believed -- Wally Lamb.  Heavy topic, but important and thought provoking.  
3. I'd Fly Away If I Could -- Wally Lamb.  This isn't written by Wally Lamb, but he is the author it is published under.  It's actually a collection of essays/stories from incarcerated women.  It's really the other side of the coin, and it opens your eyes to the women in prison--what brought them there and what they would do over or differently given the chance.  It's awesome.
4. The Help -- Kathryn Stockett.  This book was hugely popular a while back, and it's a beautiful story.
5. She's Come Undone -- Wally Lamb.  Maybe you can tell that I appreciate his writing...but this was his first novel and even years later it haunts me.  Be prepared when taking this book on, it's not for the faint of heart.


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## jesscscott (Aug 5, 2009)

Oof, narrowing it down to 5 is quite hard, but I'll try:

1. 1984 / George Orwell
2. Anna Karenina / Leo Tolstoy (life-changing; entire human experience included!)
3. Shakespeare / Collected Works
4. Women in Love / D. H. Lawrence
5. Edgar Allan Poe Collected Works


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Catch 22, Joseph Heller
Angle of Repose, Wallace Stegner
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
The Golden Apples, Eudora Welty


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
2. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
3. The Stranger by Albert Camus
4. The Trail by Franz Kafka
5. Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

Wow!  So many of you have identified classics.  I'm afraid that Jane Austen, Dante, and Dickens will not hold my brother's interest, but I am curious about the suggestions like IRobot, Jurassic Park, Dune, and Ender's Game.  Why did you select these books?  If those that come next care to explain, it would be nice to know why you selected the five that you have, given the constraints of the post.


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## karinlib (Jan 1, 2010)

The Bible
Lord of the Rings  JRR Tolkien
The Belgariad By David Eddings (5 books)
Diary of Anne Frank 
Night by Elie Wiesel


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

Ok just to explain my choices a bit more:

Hmm tough - so many books to chose from....

Five People You Meet in Heaven - brief synopsis, it's based on the theory that when you die, you meet 5 people who have influenced your life, and who can explain your life to you. It's a moving book, written by "Tuesdays With Morrie" author 9whose name escapes me for the moment. It's just a lovely book that has a different take on life, death and the choices we make.

Lord of the Flies / The Beach - similar theme for both books. I've lumped these two together because in my opinion, the Beach is an 'updated' version of Lord of the Flies. A great examination of why we need rules and structure in society.

1984 - doesn't matter that it's a classic, it's easily readable. What better then an examination of where the 'big brother' soceity that we are living in is heading (and yes, I'm aware of the irony). Would also put Animal Farm here, but I'm not certain the Communism story is as relevant for a Young Adult.

Private Peaceful - book set in the trenches in World War 1 - examines the relationship between two brothers in the war

Then can I cheat a bit and say 'Different Season'  - Stephen King. Four stories in one, but surely it counts as one book. How much better can you get then Shawshank (lessons of hope and friendship), Apt Pupil (a warning about the perils of evil) & The Body (Stand by Me) - a classic 'growing up' tale.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

jackwestjr_author said:


> Wow! So many of you have identified classics. I'm afraid that Jane Austen, Dante, and Dickens will not hold my brother's interest, but I am curious about the suggestions like IRobot, Jurassic Park, Dune, and Ender's Game. Why did you select these books? If those that come next care to explain, it would be nice to know why you selected the five that you have, given the constraints of the post.


Since you mentioned one from my list, and I was going to do this from the start but didn't, let me toss in my 2-cents:

*Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card* - This one helped give form to my GenX cynicism regarding authority figures but and it also helped me believe that a single person could change the world.
*Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut *- This was my first Vonnegut and I read it at 17 or 18. By itself its just a fun book but it opened up this entire realm for me where multiple points of view are possible and even desirable.
*A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller* - I first read this at about 16yo and it really showed me the cyclical nature of history in a way I've never forgotten and that's since colored my worldview.
*To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee* - I read this one at 15-ish but before this book I never really understood that someone could be treated differently just because of petty bigotry. I knew it existed but I really didn't get it as anything more than a concept.
*Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally* - This book taught how a real man can redeem himself and be the cause of a great amount of good in the face of something truly horrifying.


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## sal (Aug 4, 2009)

1. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (because it got me interested in Vedic mythology)
2. A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K. Dick (questioning the nature of reality and illusion)
3. Meet Me At Infinity by James Tiptree Jr. (short story collection from a fantastic writer [Alice Sheldon])
4. Dangerous Visions (anthology edited by Harlan Ellison -- some of the best SF short stories ever written)
5. Neuromancer by William Gibson (great ideas and great writing -- near future cyberpunk)

Sal


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## emalvick (Sep 14, 2010)

_The Inferno _ - Dante. It's not an easy read, but the story is fantastic and ties in well with mythology and christianity... biblical references, etc)... The whole _Divine Comedy_ is great, but I wouldn't suggest anyone to go on until they get through the Inferno.
_A Farewell to Arms_ - Hemingway. I thought this was a great epic story on a similar level to For Whom the Bell Tolls and a true classic.
_Travels with Charlie_ - Steinbeck. In not repeating earlier picks (I like Grapes of Wrath best), I think this is a great book for the autobiographical aspect. It is very eye opening and brings Steinbeck down to Earth in many aspects. It is very accessible as well, and while it is non-fiction, one would have a hard time finding fictional stories in a similar realm that are much better.
_Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption_ - Stephen King. Part of my love for this story is that it is anything but stereotypical Stephen King, at least from what I knew before I read it (the movie is what made me aware of it). It is a novella, and it comes across very compassionate and real. It's stories like this that show Stephen King's breadth and talent.
_The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ - Douglas Adams. Why not? This is probably one of the best works of science fiction ever in the sense that you don't have to love science fiction to love this book. It is accessible, entertaining, comedic, and thought provoking.


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

TheRiddler said:


> Ok just to explain my choices a bit more:
> 
> Hmm tough - so many books to chose from....
> 
> Lord of the Flies / The Beach - similar theme for both books. I've lumped these two together because in my opinion, the Beach is an 'updated' version of Lord of the Flies. A great examination of why we need rules and structure in society.


This recommendation might fit perfectly right now. Thanks for the explanations!


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

How old is he?

Personally I read both books at a similar time when I was in my early 20's.

The Beach 'clicked' more with me as it is about people travelling in their gap year.

Lord of the Flies is a school trip gone wrong - from memory the kids would have been younger, maybe around the 14 year old mark (sure someone will correct me).

However the Beach is obviously more modern, so maybe your brother will like it more? And it's much better the the film it was made into


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## Will Write for Gruel (Oct 16, 2010)

1. Shakespeare's Collected Works. 
2. Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. 
3. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
4. Just about any Elmore Leonard. 
5. The Last Coin by James Blaylock.


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## SpearsII (Jan 16, 2010)

1.The Landmark Thucydides by Thucydides
2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis 
3. Lord of the Rings by Tolkien 
4. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (because everyone else already said Enders Game)
5. We were Soldiers Once... and Young by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway


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## Capri142 (Sep 25, 2009)

Ok I'll give you the ones I think made the most impression on my life 


  To Kill a Mockingbird
    Atlas Shrugged
  Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance
  Childhoods End 
  and most most recently: The Art of Racing in the Rain


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## KindleLovinMike (Jan 6, 2011)

Definitely Siddhartha, not sure about the others on your list. I'd pick To Kill a Mockingbird for sure.


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## screwballl (Jan 4, 2011)

The list changes and varies on the person... but a few of my suggestions:

Solar Flare by Larry Burkett
Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
I, Robot (the original book, not the movie) by Isaac Asimov

and for #5, usually I suggest a biography of some sort about one or more of the last few US Presidents, regardless of their opinions about them... currently that would be Decision Points by George Bush (which I am working on right now, about 50% through).


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## Mrs. K. (Dec 31, 2010)

This whole thread, and not one mention of Boy's Life by Robert McCammon...


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

This is an entirely impossible task! There are hundreds to choose from. These lists are colored by our individual tastes and experiences.

1. _The Hobbit_ & _The Lord of the Rings_, J.R.R. Tolkien -- This is the foundation for the entire fantasy genre. This can be considered 4 books, but they comprise the complete story of the ring.
2. _Never Let Me Go_, Kazuo Ishiguro -- To see how a single point can be expanded throughout a book in a stark & simple way.
3. _Hamlet_, William Shakespeare -- IMO his best work and a clear classic.
4. _Fahrenheit 451_, Ray Bradbury -- To illustrate the importance of books; the evils of censorship.
5. _The Count of Monte Cristo_ -- No reason. I needed a fifth and it's probably my favorite classic adventure story... (Like I said. 5 books are too hard to pick)


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

I visited various forums. Every one of them mostly fiction writers and readers discussing, novels. I like fiction but feel lonely as a nonfiction person.

I wonder why so few people are interested in nonfiction.

_--- edited... no self-promotion in posts outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

I know that the OP was looking for books for a young man and the PPs have done a wonderful job listing the books I would choose. Here is a crack at my list for a young woman.

1. Possession by A.S. Byatt (The language is rich and beautiful. This was the book that gave me the courage to do what I love, to trust that it matters.)

2. Beloved by Toni Morrison (One of the most beautiful and devastating books I've read.)

3. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (Do I really need to go on?)

4. The Lioness books by Tamora Pierce (I particularly like the way this series treats sexuality.)

5. WomanSpirit Rising edited by Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow (A good book on feminist spirituality is a very potent thing.)


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I notice that I lot of my top five already been listed. Clearly we all have good taste!

1984 - George Orwell

A Brave New World - Aldus Huxley

The HitchHikers Guide the the Galaxy series - Douglas Adams (got me into writing)

White Fang - Jack London

Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn - Mark Twain. I preferred reading Tom Sawyer but got more out of Huck Finn.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

Do anyone read non-fiction?  I didn't seem to find any non-fiction on the list. I wish some one add my non-fiction books..LOL

All my books are nonfiction. However, I read both but mostly non-fiction. Wish you all the very best in your writing.


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## Ciareader (Feb 3, 2011)

I see some of my favs on here.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

1984 by Orwell

I also like anything by Sue Grafton and Agatha Christie (can you tell I'm a mystery fan?)


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## Cherilyn (Dec 27, 2010)

The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
White Oleander - Janet Fitch
Life of Pi - Yann Martel

and some more 

I know this much is true - Wally Lamb
Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
A prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

_Atonement_ by Ian McEwan

_To Kill a Mockingbird_ by Harper Lee

_The Charioteer_ by Mary Renault

_The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter_ by Carson McCuller

_Fahrenheit 451_ by Ray Bradbury


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## George Hamilton (Dec 14, 2010)

Lord of the flies by William Golding
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

My list is in no particular order, and if I were to choose again tomorrow, a couple of them may change. I chose the ones that have me thinking about the themes and relating them to other areas of life for weeks and sometimes years after I have read them.


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## barbara elsborg (Oct 13, 2010)

You know, I'm beginning to think I'm a bit weird. I just couldn't choose. I see a couple of others had the same problem and can join me in the weird corner!! So many great books and we are all so different. You only have to look on review sites to see some hate a book that others adore!


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

Italiahaircolor said:


> I am apparently a lighter-side book reader...none of the "classics" for me...
> 
> 1.The entire Twilight Saga--which is 5 books itself. The romance behind the YA genre is ageless.
> 2. The Hour I First Believed -- Wally Lamb. Heavy topic, but important and thought provoking.
> ...


Italia, I've read all of these except the Twilight books. Yuck, just cannot get into vampires.


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## Stephanie Golden (Dec 24, 2010)

Iwanted to put in a plug for Dostoevsky, specifically _Crime & Punishment_. It riveted me to my chair for 3 days when I was your brother's age. And I believe that Dostoevsky is essentially for the young. If he doesn't read it now, he may not like it so much when he gets older.

Also, anything by Salinger. Same thing--the age is right. Hemingway.

For nonfiction, try Orwell's Down & Out in Paris and London. A good story, though he may never want to eat in a restaurant again.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Limiting myself to works available for Kindle:

Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud by Robert Park, because in general our schools do a poor job of teaching the skill of critical thinking.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tokien, because it is a classic coming of age story
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, because it will both make you think about important questions in life while also making you laugh (not to mention all of his other Discworld novels)
The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas, because I have to get at least one true "classic" in the list
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, because sometimes you just need to have fun


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - to be thought provoking.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - for love
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell - for laughs
I Claudius by Robert Graves - for a bit of history
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman - for controversy.


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