241–250 of 599 posts
I really enjoyed the Martian and have found it to be a nice distraction if I'm bored - it's not too heavy and short enough to read in one sitting, but has plenty of entertainment nonetheless. Otherwise, the Hitchhiker's Guide is always a great read. Anything by Dostoevsky.
The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. You'll finish it in an evening. I didn't get how it impacted me at first, but I knew that I was deeply affected by it. It was what made me internalise the idea that struggle doesn't necessarily lead to external reward.
The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. You'll finish it in an evening. I didn't get how it impacted me at first, but I knew that I was deeply affected by it. It was what made me internalise the idea that struggle doesn't necessarily lead to external reward.
Depends on how old you are, or for me it did. Some books resonate at different points in a person's life. The fiction that's had the most impact on me as an adult was all stuff I read in my early 30s. * Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller — Perfect for a single man in his 30s. Very solipsistic and hedonistic, which is a great way to explore that decade. Each of the books in the series is a novel length prose poem. Absol…
If you like Henry Miller, you'll probably enjoy his favorite books. Check out "The Books In My Life" and "The Wisdom of the Heart." I had the good fortune to visit his cabin in Big Sur a couple of years ago and it was very inspiring.
Always nice to meet another Henry Miller fan! Jealous about that trip to Big Sur, I'll have to make it out there one of these days.
The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hašek - this book is pee-in-your-pants funny. A Czech satire about WWI. Definitely shines a light on the absurdity of war and various institutions - a lot still applies today. There is profundity in the dark humor, and at the same time it is a great mood-lifter. The character Svejk stays with you as a sort of idiot-genius-rebel, a cool archetype
In particular, his telling of the story of Lancelot
Dosadi Experiment - Frank Herbert
It's interesting seeing how many of my touchstone books turn up in other people's lists. Here are some I didn't see yet: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness. My favorite Le Guin (the Dispossessed is pretty good too). Shockingly original when it was published in 1969; the portrait of the society and culture on Gethen still feels unique. A slow burn at the beginning, but builds to a dramatic conclusion. Patric…
How would you describe your experience with the Baroque cycle?