My Top 10
I had another article lined up to post today, but I found other inspiration for this week's post instead. One of the commenters had a recent blog post concerning their top ten life changing books of all time and inviting comments and other blog posts on the same subject. So I decided to go for this topic myself and present my own list of Top 10 Life Changing Reads (in no particular order):
So there's my top ten listing of life changing reads. I would be very interested to know what inspires all of you this week.
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle: Before Harry Potter, there were the Wallace children. This book, acquired at a rather early age, was probably one of my first experiences in really thinking beyond the limits of "normal reality".
- Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau: This gem of an essay should be on everyone's must read list. It lays out some of the perennial pitfalls of governments and society and I have a very hard time seeing this piece as ever being not relevant.
- The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges: A lesson in reality hacking complete with words to the wise regarding the potential consequences therein.
- Dune by Frank Herbert: What can I possibly say about this one that hasn't already been said plenty? If you actually haven't read it, then you ARE missing out.
- The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda: Another excellent take on perception and the nature of reality.
- Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu: Wisdom from out of time for all the ages.
- The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson: One of the many entrance points to Chapel Perilous. A highly entertaining read and a life altering experience all rolled up into one.
- The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot: An extremely interesting model for reality that doesn't get near enough consideration.
- Ubik by Philip K. Dick: Messages from beyond the grave...or TO there?
- Poker Without Cards by Ben Mack: Mass advertising as mass mind control.
So there's my top ten listing of life changing reads. I would be very interested to know what inspires all of you this week.
posted by DarkWood | 2:14 AM
2 Comments:
Interesting list. This may give me a few things to add to the ever-growing queue.
I was just going to jot a list here, but I decided it was worthy of posting:
Plot Device - Channeling David Letterman
I'd add The Wild Road, and The Golden Cat,
by Gabriel King, to that list.
She's a massive "undiscovered" talent IMO.
Actually she worked as a consultant with
Peter Jackson on the Ring films!
Her stories could be mistaken for a sort of adult "Fantastic Jounrney" (I think that's the name of the dog/cat journey film /book)
...but is MUCH more sophisticated!
With hints about why some of science is obsessed with animal experimentation.
The nature of what it means to be REALLY
wild (as opposed to the the "faux" wild
shoved in our faces by a thousand nature
documentaries).
Truly wild nature is truly PORNOGRAPHIC
in it's strangeness and power and can NEVER
be underestimated.
Miss (well, Mrs now, see here Wikipedia entry / website) has the enviable skill
of being able to write about cats in a way
that keeps their looks and "cute factor"
without patronising the animal!
Truly works of genius ... in my book.
DJBarney
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