Annelise said 10 years, 4 months ago:

I’m currently reading the deep philosophical essay of Simone de Beauvoir on feminism and women and I haven’t been reading a book that serious in years now but I gotta say I quickly got hooked on it and those near 1000 pages (300 for the first one and 650 for the second one) are a pure delight. I guess as a girl (and a French one!) I had to dive into the very complex theories and explanations of one of the greatest female writers that ever lived. And boy I’m not disappointed! I considerably gained in knowledge about how women lived in the past as DB takes the reader to very different eras (Ancient Rome, Egypt, tribes, Middle Age, 18th and 19th century)and understood a lot about their role in society, how they used to be seen by men, how they saw them and themselves. Totally a reading you should try if you like such matters

JulsRomualdi said 10 years, 3 months ago:

Mine is cheesy too.
For me the book that changed my view was Jane Eyre. And not just because she falls in love with Mr. Rochester (Although I wouldn’t mind finding one of those myself). But because Jane had virtually nothing as a child, she was treated as less than a human being and yet she still learned what it was to treat others as she would want to be. “Forgiveness is the mightiest sword.” That was the first lesson this book taught me. Forgive, but don’t forget. Fighting fire with fire will get you just a larger fire. The second was just because we are in one place now does not mean that we we’ll stay there our whole lives.

For me the book wasn’t just about that but it had some feminism aspects to it. Jane was a woman, a governess and she made her way in the world through mainly her decisions and they landed her with a life she wanted. She’s a very dynamic character, starting off timid and growing to be almost strong minded. That was an inspiration for me.

Another, not necessarily apart of the book was that Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre under the pseudonym Currer Bell. It was the first time I was really exposed to the fact that women had been discriminated against. And that for me was extremely eye opening.

Since first reading it two years ago have three copies and read it 10 times. I love it.

MrWussWuss said 10 years, 3 months ago:

I read a book called Waterways by Kyell Gold and it has been the best book I’ve ever read. It talks about how a straight person finds out that he’s actually gay after meeting a gay person he falls in love with. In the end, it all just comes down to not giving a damn what people think about your sexuality. Ever since I’ve been really open about myself. For anyone who’s struggling with his/her sexuality or wants to find inspiration for coming out to the world, this is definitely the book for you.

punky said 10 years, 2 months ago:

Wow. It’s really hard to choose just one. I think I’m going to have to say The Hobbit. It opened my eyes to the world of fantasy. It might seem silly but throughout the years fantasy novels have been the perfect escape. All the monsters and bad guys are so transparent. Fighting off demons might be difficult in novels but at least you know what they look like. Reading books like The Hobbit made me believe I could go on my own adventure, and with time I learned that while goblins might not pop up around every corner there are still monsters we have to deal with, within ourselves. Scary monsters that we can’t always put a name to. I learned that even when things seem hopeless you have to keep fighting. Eventually life will turn around and you’ll be so much more for having your adventure than you would have if you just stayed curled up at home.

Humanist Hope said 10 years, 2 months ago:

The Sword of Truth series taught me so much: the balance people need to live well, a whole new focused way of looking at people and the world through the Wizard’s Rules, the characters of Zedd, Richard and Nathan gave me the first positive male role models to look up to that I’d had since my childhood of watching Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, those books helped shape me into the confident, discerning, and happy man that I am. Thanks to those books, I have an iron-clad dedication to the pursuit of the truth of things, and an unshakable faith in humanity.

The Incarnations of Immortality spread my mind out over the vast mosaic of the story and the intricacies of the lessons based on each book’s main protagonist blew my mind.

The Elric Saga took my mind to the depths of sorrow and helped stretch my awareness over just how barren hopelessness can be. The perspective I gained from that story has been invaluable, and it was one of the first influences in temporal mechanics that I was exposed to.

H.P Lovecraft turned my mind on to the depths of fear and horror, and reading those stories directly contributed to me overcoming my worst fears. I am a stronger man for having subjected my mind to the intricate narrations of Lovecraft.

Sherlock Holmes redefined the way I saw the world, and alongside The Sword of Truth series, and my personal hobby of learning about psychology, continues to hone my understanding of the way people work and the reasons people do what they do.

It is not a series like the rest, but Wayne Barlowe’s “God’s Demon” helped renew my belief in redemption. Even in Hell, nobility remains.

Throughout, my main favorite has been following my childhood love; the Star Wars universe. I have diligently kept up with the Expanded Universe, because the backdrop of that galaxy, and the goings on over thousands of years of fictional history, sparked the fire of my imagination as a little boy, and keeps me enraptured to this day as the story continues to unfold.

Kriddet said 10 years, 2 months ago:

I would have to say mine is a toss-up between looking for Alaska and the fault in our stars, both written by john green. They both make you think so differently about the world. Looking for Alaska has so many good quotes. It taught me to live each day to the fullest because you never know what might happen. It also taught me to never dwell on the past because you can’t change it. The Fault in our Stars made me realize that even though everyone’s days are numbered, it doesn’t subtract from the quality our lives can have. It’s more about quality than quantity.

No Worries ;) said 10 years, 2 months ago:

I’ve actually been inspired by an autobigraphy. It’s called “A Piece of Cake”, about this woman named Cupcake Brown. Her life was a living hell, but she still managed to shock me with her intelligence (in most places, anyway) and her incredible strength to pull through what many people could never have. She also taught me not to care about bloodlines for family, because true family is related by love, not blood. It was the most inspiring thing I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I also really liked blink, so I can relate to @limitless

reader_girl said 10 years, 1 month ago:

Well after seeing some of these books that everyone’s posted, mine seem childish. The Mortal Instrument series changed my world (with it’s strong female lead and more) and another is the Sweep series (it opened my mind to a whole new religion and point of view). While it isn’t just one book, I think they can as a whole to change my point of view.