romansh

Me too ..... especially the first two books in the trilogy of five books:
Douglas Adams was working on a sixth book in the series "Salmon of Doubt" at the time of his death ..... which is also available.

all the best

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There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. ........... Douglas Adams

LadyLuck

Are y'all familiar with Ayn Rand? I've read The Fountainhead and Anthem by her, and loved them! I can't wait to read Atlas Shrugged. I like the ideals involved in objectivism.

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=^.^=

pseudonous

I've seen The Fountainhead movie. It was very entertaining. Her book The Virtue of Selfishness, one of her four nonfiction books, presents a compelling defense of selfish behavior.

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"One is most dishonest to one's god: he is not allowed to sin." - Nietzsche

nkrummy

Mans Search for Meaning-
Wow- just wow. Awesome book written by a holocaust survivor who has a more positive forward-thinking mindset than most people I know. His conclusions really resonate with me. His argument that we all seek meaning and we all have a purpose makes sense- and it doesn’t require you to have spiritual belief to do so.

The Science of Good and Evil-
Breaks apart our emotions, beliefs, and moral constructs in the context of biology and evolution. Why do humans believe what they believe? Where did our concept of right and wrong really come from? He seeks to explain all of these questions through social anthropology and biology- great read!

If God is Love-
Written by two liberal Quaker ministers, a refreshingly awesome take on Christianity in which God really lives of up to be all loving…. and the focus of their faith is actually on being better people, not on professing to the “right religion”. If only more Christians thought like these guys.

Imitation of Christ-
This author, a German monk from the 14th century, really had a deep love for God, and a never-ending desire to perfect himself following the model of Christ. It really makes people take an introspective look at themselves. Maybe that's why this book, written more than a couple centuries ago, is just as impactful and widely read around the world today.

Telimaktar

The dictionary, though to be honest I never finished it, got a tad boring.

nkrummy

I seriously think Victor Frankl's book -Mans Search for Meaning should be read by everyone at least once! That would be # 1 on my list probably, but after reading through everyone else's, I realized I left out some other good books like 1984. I also think Joseph Campbell and C.S. Lewis have a lot of good stuff out there- I'm always behind in getting through my must read list though!
As far as Ayn Rand.. that would be a whole other thread. I think there is some good stuff there, but ultimately is she even human? Seriously, I think maybe she was just an android :P

marmalade

I'll only mention the books that influenced me early in life. I read all of them in highschool at about the same time... around 11th grade.

- I read A Course In Miracles which is a revealed Christian text. It was written by a psychologist and so it has a lot of insight despite its use of some traditional Christian terminology. It was also my first introduction to a Gnostic perspective. It has some similarities to Valentinianism.

- I read several books by Krishnamurti, but I don't remember the title of the first one I read or which one was my favorite. His message was simple and it has had a powerful impact on me for that reason.

- I read Hesse's Siddhartha. This is the first fiction book that deeply caught my imagination. I still love this story. There was a spaghetti western based on this book that is amusing.

- I had to read Hardy's Jude the Obscure. This book also has become stuck in my craw. I sometimes get the sense that I might have been better off if the teacher had assigned a different book. Teachers need to be more careful because they're dealing with easily influenced developing psyches.

I've also read many of the books mentioned in this thread and they've all influenced me to varying degrees.

shaun

Mustainez

Losing Faith In Faith by Dan Barker.

shadowind

the social contract by jean jock rossuar (sp)
the 4 agreements
animorphs series
dragon lance

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remember "for mere impulse of appetite is slavery, while obedience to a law which we prescirbe to oursleves is liberty"-rousseau: the concept of the general will "if we can not reconcile all opions, then let us endeavour to unite all hearts."-?"to be is to be perceived"-? "‘We can be as honest as we are ignorant. If we are, when asked what is beyond the horizon of the known, we must say that we do not know’-Robert G. Ingersoll