Ten Great Books

[lovecraft68]

At this point, I'm just wondering how many more moderators from other boards are going to pop in here to scold us before the thread gets locked.

No more, each of the clique has repped here. The rest just keep their own house and are chill about it.

 

[jaF0]

If she had edited those posts, it wouldn't have said "last edited by the moderator", it would have said last edited by the super admin. But it doesn't because the editing was done by someone with moderator privileges only, which sure as hell isn't Laurel.

That isn't how THIS board is set up.

Part of this layout is left over from the earlier VBulletin format that was converted to Xenforo a few years back, maybe before you were here.

Even years ago when Laurel was posting actively on the board, she never had the Admin title you refer to that most boards have. If you look at her announcement threads, you won't see Admin under her name. When she edits posts, they have the same 'Mod edit' flag that ours do.

 

[XerXesXu]

flanderizing

Had to look that up. 'The Simpsons' is another epic I've missed out on.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

That isn't how THIS board is set up.

Not how it is set up, how it should be run ... ie properly.

 

[SimonDoom]

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. The topic is an interesting one, even though there was much derailment. I'm as guilty as the next person, I suppose, but at least it wasn't frivolous derailing. These issues are important.

Agree 100%.

 

[ThatNewGuy]

I did enjoy [Harold and the Purple Crayon] a lot when I read it to my kids and grandkids, but I can't figure out how it would influence someone. Can you tell us?

In short, Harold creates his own world and interacts with it, conjuring people and things as he goes.

I didn't understand it as a metaphor for writing at the time, but at a visceral level, it captivated me. I would stare at the walls of my own bedroom, imagining how cool it would be if I could draw something on MY wall and step inside it. What would I create? Where would I go? Who would I meet? It's not a stretch to say that my interest in writing probably began with that book.

The simplicity of the book's art --- an entire world rendered in purple line drawings --- was unique. The "meta" aspect of the story also blew my little mind. How was he able to step into his wall? How was he making things happen while things were also happening to him? How would he get home? Was he really imagining this, or was he actually there? I'd never encountered a story that made me feel like such a part of what was going on. As a kid, I felt like I'd stepped onto that purple path right along with Harold.

"Where the Wild Things Are" has a similar feel, and I loved that too, but I read Harold first. "The Monster at the End of This Book" is also very meta, and I loved that too, but I read Harold first.

It stayed on our bookshelf for a long time, and I'd reread it as I got older. As I did, I began to appreciate different things about it.

• The lovely simplicity of the language: "So he left the path for a shortcut across a field. And the moon went with him."
• The careful and clever selection of words: "He got into bed and drew up the covers." (Oh, look! Harold is "drawing up" the covers with his crayon, and also "drawing them up" to tuck himself in.)
• The sentence structure: "The purple crayon dropped on the floor. And Harold dropped off to sleep."

And, of course, when I had kids of my own, I loved reading it to them.

Thanks for asking @AG31. It made for a fun trip down memory lane.

 

[ToPleaseHim]

Yes she does, and not very well.

It’s her site

 

[AwkwardlySet]

That isn't how THIS board is set up.

Part of this layout is left over from the earlier VBulletin format that was converted to Xenforo a few years back, maybe before you were here.

Even years ago when Laurel was posting actively on the board, she never had the Admin title you refer to that most boards have. If you look at her announcement threads, you won't see Admin under her name. When she edits posts, they have the same 'Mod edit' flag that ours do.

Of course I won't see it. The roles aren't displayed publicly. Everyone from Laurel to myself is just a "member."
But you should just stop trying to convince me that Laurel has the same forum role as you and other moderators. The mere existence of Manu is enough to counter your claim, which is something that anyone with website managing experience will understand immediately.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

It’s her site

Nah, she's merely a moderator.

 

[madelinemasoch]

Alright, I’ve been asked to give this a try, so let’s go:
1. Anti-Oedipus by Deleuze and Guattari
2. Coldness and Cruelty by Deleuze
3. Venus in Furs by Masoch
4. The Godmother by Masoch
5. Eroticism by Bataille
6. History of Sexuality Volume 1 by Foucault
7. The Origin of the Work of Art by Heidegger
8. The Book of the Law by Crowley
9. The Laugh of the Medusa by Cixious
10. The German Ideology by Marx and Engels

And this is principally in terms of the theories behind my writing as well as my overall worldview. I’m aware only two of these are fiction but I’ve read more theory than fiction.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

It’s her site

Yes, so what's your point?

 

[CyranoJ]

My ten picks would be:

1. From Dawn to Decadence by Jacques Barzun.
2. The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow.
3. The Universal History of Numbers by Georges Ifrah.
4. God's Chinese Son by Jonathan Spence.
5. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacey Schiff.
6. A History of Private Life, Vol. 1, edited by Paul Veyne.
7. China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh.
8. Rosewater by Tade Thompson.
9. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
10. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (not David Eggers, we regret the error).

Hard to pick. My list would be different on a different day. I already edited this one after posting it.

Honorable mention to titles like Dune and Lord of the Rings, Asimov's Foundation books and Gene Wolfe's Soldier of the Mist, none of which are in my top ten but are all definitely in my top thirty.

Honorable mention to Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau, A Maggot by John Fowles, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin, and Story of O by Pauline Réage (a.k.a. Anne Desclos), all of which just missed the top ten here. And I have a feeling that the book I'm reading right now, When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut, is headed for my top ten. It's not quite like anything else I've ever read.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

To continue my previous book post:

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan but also Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. These two books series influenced my fantasy writing here more than anything else.

Two non-fiction books that significantly influenced me as a young adult are A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking and Is There Life On Other Planets by Isaac Asimov.

 

[lovecraft68]

To continue my previous book post:

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan but also Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. These two books series influenced my fantasy writing here more than anything else.

Two non-fiction books that significantly influenced me as a young adult are A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking and Is There Life On Other Planets by Isaac Asimov.

I haven't read a lot of fantasy, and even less science fiction, but there was a great series by Julian May The Pliocene Exile. Read them back in late eighties.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I haven't read a lot of fantasy, and even less science fiction, but there was a great series by Julian May The Pliocene Exile. Read them back in late eighties.

As I said earlier in this thread, I didn't really have access to almost any Fantasy or SciFi as a kid and a teenager. I discovered most of it much later in life. I never even knew some authors of classical Fantasy or SciFi existed before they were mentioned by AH people.
The trouble is that I am so spoiled by the style of modern fantasy that I find most of the classical stuff hard to read now. Yet I am sure that some of these books I would have loved back then.
Then again, I think I also dislike the most modern type of fantasy so maybe there is hope, after all.

 

[lovecraft68]

As I said earlier in this thread, I didn't really have access to almost any Fantasy or SciFi as a kid and a teenager. I discovered most of it much later in life. I never even knew some authors of classical Fantasy or SciFi existed before they were mentioned by AH people.
The trouble is that I am so spoiled by the style of modern fantasy that I find most of the classical stuff hard to read now. Yet I am sure that some of these books I would have loved back then.
Then again, I think I also dislike the most modern type of fantasy so maybe there is hope, after all.

The series I referenced debuted in 1981. I'm not sure if you'd consider it 'classic' or modern. Might fall in between. I don't recall it as being stuffy which is what turned me off to the genre in general when I was a young reader. Maybe I just picked the wrong books to try out.

 

[yowser]

1. Infinite Jest by David Eggers.

You likely mean David Foster Wallace.

 

[Scareltt]

Not really in any order..

Femdom for Nice Girls: By Lucy Fairbourne. A friend recommended it years ago. “I don’t think you’ll ever understand what you have in your husband until you read this.” She said, it changed our lives.

Leave the Gun Take the Cannoli by Mark Seal. You’ll laugh because it’s funny.

Untrue by Wednesday Martin. So many insights. I’ve often wondered is she’s a member here on Lit.

The Wild Oats Project by Robin Rinaldi. A fun read but a cautionary tale.

Bitter Brew by William Knoedelseder the purchase of AB this story will always fascinate me. I had a front row seat, but not these insights.. 60 dollars a share.

Fly Girl by Ann Hood my gosh she had a lot of fun.

Fear of Flying By Erica Jung mmm everyone’s dirty little secret.

The Smart Girls Guide to Polyamory by Dedeker Watson it’s an eye opening, mouthwatering read.

Open Book by Jessica Simpson. Don’t judge that woman until you’ve read this.

Fuck Like a Goddess by Alexandra Roxo. It’s not what you think! Give it a try.

 

[ChloeTzang]

My ten picks would be:

1. From Dawn to Decadence by Jacques Barzun.
2. The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow.
3. The Universal History of Numbers by Georges Ifrah.
4. God's Chinese Son by Jonathan Spence.
5. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacey Schiff.
6. A History of Private Life, Vol. 1, edited by Paul Veyne.
7. China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh.
8. Rosewater by Tade Thompson.
9. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
10. Infinite Jest by David Eggers.

Hard to pick. My list would be different on a different day. I already edited this one after posting it.

Honorable mention to titles like Dune and Lord of the Rings, Asimov's Foundation books and Gene Wolfe's Soldier of the Mist, none of which are in my top ten but are all definitely in my top thirty.

Honorable mention to Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau, A Maggot by John Fowles, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin, and Story of O by Pauline Réage (a.k.a. Anne Desclos), all of which just missed the top ten here. And I have a feeling that the book I'm reading right now, When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut, is headed for my top ten. It's not quite like anything else I've ever read.

Oh wow, someone else who has read "God's Chinese Son." That was fascinating, and so was "The Soong Dynasty" and "Dragon Lady" by Sterling Seagrave.

I'll hav to try that book on Cleopatra

 

[yowser]

Thanks everyone for contributing, an extraordinary insight into the AH citizenship. I expected far more overlap amongst titles and authors than exists in the lists so far, we all have taken a lot of influence from a wide variety of sources. Over three hundred highly influential books!

I'll keep this going for a few more days and post the whole list and outline various patterns.

I confess to be taken aback at the vehemence (and volume of vehemence) expressed by the various rules referee types who have weighed in here; surely there is no need to be so hostile and adversarial (for a while it felt like a bad game of 'Gotcha!'.) There are far better ways to outline site rule violations, potential or actual, and do so professionally, and I would urge such an approach in the future.

 

[CyranoJ]

You likely mean David Foster Wallace.

Whoops. That's correct.

 

[subdudeme13]

Not really in any order..

Femdom for Nice Girls: By Lucy Fairbourne. A friend recommended it years ago. “I don’t think you’ll ever understand what you have in your husband until you read this.” She said, it changed our lives.

Leave the Gun Take the Cannoli by Mark Seal. You’ll laugh because it’s funny.

Untrue by Wednesday Martin. So many insights. I’ve often wondered is she’s a member here on Lit.

The Wild Oats Project by Robin Rinaldi. A fun read but a cautionary tale.

Bitter Brew by William Knoedelseder the purchase of AB this story will always fascinate me. I had a front row seat, but not these insights.. 60 dollars a share.

Fly Girl by Ann Hood my gosh she had a lot of fun.

Fear of Flying By Erica Jung mmm everyone’s dirty little secret.

The Smart Girls Guide to Polyamory by Dedeker Watson it’s an eye opening, mouthwatering read.

Open Book by Jessica Simpson. Don’t judge that woman until you’ve read this.

Fuck Like a Goddess by Alexandra Roxo. It’s not what you think! Give it a try.

I have a new reading list. I was asked for a bood on Femdom by a friend. No one as listed Little Birds.

 

[Scareltt]

I have a new reading list. I was asked for a bood on Femdom by a friend. No one as listed Little Birds.

Lucy Fairbourne is a great start. I’d also recommend Elise Sutton.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Rather handily, I answered this meme elsewhere a few years ago, so I've just tweaked that answer:

Guinness Book of Answers Before the internet, this had answers to most questions on anything I wanted to know. from kings and queens to molecular structures to types of music.
Animal Farm / 1984 - Orwell. Read AF age 7. because it was a thin book with cartoon animals on the cover, so must be a children's book, right? I was in floods about Boxer and mistrustful of adults and authority afterwards for, ooh, ever. And didn't learn my lesson, because about a year later I was looking for something to read, found another slim book with a blurb on the back that sounded similar to the Tripods trilogy... result is I do believe in censoring reading material for young children, or at least ensuring I'm aware of what they are reading and warning them.
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster A source of pure happiness, this. Introduced me to great wordplay and many phrases, with those wonderful drawings. It deserved to be on a list of influential books on the Guardian website recently.

Cancer Ward - Solzhenitsyn I was about 14, had read all of Virginia Andrews and some Danielle Steel, when I got to a paragraph in a Steel of such vacuuousness I chucked it across the room and decided to read whatever was next on the shelf in the school library. Excellent book - similar to Ivan Denisovich only with much more character development of inmates and staff, plot, and Kafkaesque regimes and administration.

Your Friend, Rebecca - Linda Hoy Another source of happiness - Rebecca is 14, at local comp, mother has died and dad is drinking too much. She gets involved in school drama class, various small incidents happen, but it's incredibly funny, has Shakespeare quotes scattered through it, and has even more pig-related puns than even Pratchett satirising the farming industry could manage.

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, and all others by PD James One of the first books I read that was recognisably in modern times (ie not Agatha Christie) with a woman doing a job, ie a future I could vaguely relate to. How many classic stories mention going to work?
Squeezing in here also Arthur Hailey's novels on various industries, in particular Wheels and The Moneychangers - I'm still a geek about how industries function. And they had people of all sexes, races and classes in them - pretty astounding!

Autumn Term, and all sequels - Antonia Forest
Boarding school stories - but written with a level of character insight that means they really are novels for adults. I didn't actually read them much until I was in my 20s as they were too psychologically painful.

Number of the Beast / Stranger in a Strange Land and others - Robert Heinlein Heinlein gets bad press, but his books were more fun than the somewhat po-faced Asimov and depressing Wyndham, and they had women in them! Who have sex for fun! Sometimes with multiple people!!!

Wyrd Sisters, Mort, Pyramids - Terry Pratchett
I'd read the first two Discworld books and Strata/Dark Side of the Sun previously, and not been too impressed. But housemates cajoled me into these, and I was converted - the humour now had wisdom, but also the books showed playing with stories, as if the story itself is a character.

Honourable mentions to The Left Hand of Darkness - Le Guin, which I put down with tears in my eyes because I knew I'd never write anything as good, or even in that league. And Neal Stephenson's Baroque Trilogy, possibly the only books I've finished and then started on again. Proved there's a readership for geeky detail...

 

[AG31]

Thanks everyone for contributing, an extraordinary insight into the AH citizenship. I expected far more overlap amongst titles and authors than exists in the lists so far, we all have taken a lot of influence from a wide variety of sources. Over three hundred highly influential books!

I'll keep this going for a few more days and post the whole list and outline various patterns.

I confess to be taken aback at the vehemence (and volume of vehemence) expressed by the various rules referee types who have weighed in here; surely there is no need to be so hostile and adversarial (for a while it felt like a bad game of 'Gotcha!'.) There are far better ways to outline site rule violations, potential or actual, and do so professionally, and I would urge such an approach in the future.