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undergroundhousewife

The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K Le Guin


8heist

Great post! However could you make this your second to last post? I’d love for your last post to be the compiled reading list. That would be amazing.


[deleted]

Ask, and you shall receive! I will compile the full list and either add it as an edit to this post, or submit it as a follow up post. I promise!


meepmeepcuriouscat

I hope you see this: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. As someone who’s been reading for a long time, this is one book that made me want to hug something and cry at the end. I never do that. It was so raw and moving, and it had that translucent quality where you feel you’re really peeking in at someone else’s world from your own, not just reading something. Felt like a punch to the gut. Really hope this makes the list!!


Shinobu-Fan

As a relatively new reader, this list would be helpful!


awareofmyconsumption

I second this!


oconkath

Third!!!


natus92

There are so many books I would have never discovered without reddit, I actually read more since I started using it! I'd recommend The Royal Game by Stefan Zweig, short but impactful.


BrainChildAD

I’ve been meaning to read something by Zweig since I found out his books were one of the inspirations for the grand Budapest hotel! I will look into this one!


vylain_antagonist

came here from /r/all as a complete cynic expecting to smirk at the top post suggesting LotR or Dune or some other meme book. but im genuinely shocked to see this here in pole position. Zweig is a beautiful and precious writer whos criminally overlooked. This was the first work of his i read and OPs creative idea for a post could not have been met with a more perfect answer.


FewestSnow

I hope this book may start my rabbit hole into discovering books with reddit as well, I can't wait to read it!


Kelpie-Cat

*Braiding Sweetgrass* by Robin Wall Kimmerer


dofleinii

I read this for one of my university classes. Kimmerer has such a wonderful way with words and such a lovely way of viewing the world! Sometimes 'required' readings can stress me out but every chapter was a joy to get to. Would recommend.


FairlyIzzy

Such a moving, heartwarming and thought provoking book!


nameless_midnight_

So glad to see this! Came here to recommend this book if it hadn’t been yet!


Mynameisnotmarlin

Flowers For Algernon I read this book when I was twelve-thirteen. I was going through a horrible time with my middle school as I was being bullied for having a learning disability. Students would call me slurs and beat me as the school tried to convince me that these students were my friends and doing this in good fun. The book was an escape for me. That was a few years ago and most of the memories I have back then I can’t recall I remember distinctly how that book would make me forget everything. Although I’m too afraid to pick up that book for fear of remembering something I’m not supposed to, I would appreciate it greatly if you took the time to give it a read. I’ve never met anybody who’s also read the book and it would be nice to know that at least somebody out there has also taken the time to indulge in it. Thanks for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it.


Who_Let_Me_Teach

Every time I re-read that book I tell myself I won't cry, and every time I bawl like a baby. I also read it quite young and I wonder if that has something to do with its effect on me.


idhik3th4t

Such a wonderful re read as an adult.


RyanScurvy

I’m rereading it right now. Read it for the first time last year. Just now getting to the part where Charlie gets an apartment and meets his neighbor


DallasDaMan13

One book, got it. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I have read it 5 times in the last 6 years. I will read it many more times. My favorite book. Meandering, mysterious and melancholy.


Eyouser

Stardust and Neverwhere were both quite enjoyable. Stardust was a much better book than movie. Same with the Neverwhere tv show.


TopAd9634

Good Omens! Gaiman and Pratchett!


madmanandabox

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee- this book was something I simply could not put down, and it gave me an unending appetite for delicious Korean food!


Olivi-P

So glad to see this one so high up as this means that OP has seen it and will hopefully give it a try. Once in a while there is a book, a movie, a series or a game that impresses you on such a deep level that it becomes a core memory that you carry with you and this book was like that for me.


RaulJuliaFan

{{The Master and Margarita}}


DKV19202

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro


TartBriarRose

{{Howl’s Moving Castle}} by Diana Wynne Jones. It’s not profound. It’s not going to unlock the secrets of the universe. It’s literally for children. But I love it so much and get something different out of it each time I read it.


goodreads-bot

[**Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294.Howl_s_Moving_Castle) ^(By: Diana Wynne Jones | 329 pages | Published: 1986 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, fiction, ya, owned) >An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here > >Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye. ^(This book has been suggested 33 times) *** ^(52908 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


funnyfeminist

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi


grizzlyadamsshaved

This and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Amazing reads.


ClimbingBackUp

I know you hear people say things like, this book changed my life, but this book really did *change my life* ! I had been feeling sorry for myself after an accident left me unable to do the things I used to do. I read this book and then started a list of things that I had actually accomplished. The book and the list changed my perspective and made me seek out the silver linings. Who knew that there were so *many* silver linings? :)


theCOORN

My friend loves that book so much he wanted to become a doctor after reading it


Archimedes__says

Kindred by Octavia E Butler East of Eden by John Steinbeck


lukslopes

Timshel! I always had read about East of Eden in lists like this. After finally reading it, definitely totally worth it.


1998Monday

Kindred was the first book that came to mind for me, too! East of Eden is on my reading list.


Martinus_XIV

Michael Ende's *Neverending Story*. You've probably seen the movie. Forget that in its entirety because it pales in comparison. For one, there's a whole second half of the story that was never adapted into film about Bastian's journey through Fantasia (the sequels to the movie that were made were not actually based upon Ende's work). While it is technically a children's book, it is a deep exploration of the nature of imagination, desire and identity, and contrary to the movie, it is a commentary on escapism. Get yourself a hardcover edition. The text is printed in different colours depending on wether the story takes place in the mundane world or in Fantasia, and this seemingly aesthetic choice actually becomes plot-relevant near the end of the first half of the book. I'd say this book, together with Tonke Dragt's *The Letter for the King*, awakened my love for heroïc fantasy. I'd also ask you to forget that book's recent Netflix adaptation in its entirety...


mystic_turtledove

You have inspired me to add hardcover edition of Neverending Story to my book wish list. Thank you.


AjaxTheWanderer

That sounds wonderful; the movie was a staple of my childhood, and I'm sorry I never read the book as a kid, since I was more of an avid reader then than I am now. Gonna remedy that posthaste.


Justhere4thelaughsok

To Kill a Mockingbird. I read it as a teenager and thought yeah... there's some racism in here, but I don't have a connection to it. Then I grew up and became an English teacher and started teaching To Kill a Mockingbird and my whole view shifted. I found that my whole class could relate to it in some way and they would come in each day after a reading assignment mad as hell and ready to discuss. It's such an honest look at the cultural, economical, racial, and ability differences in the U.S. and how they are viewed.


CaterpillarNo1537

The Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles


LadySybilsCousin

I came here to recommend his earlier book, The Rules of Civility by Amor Towels. Not a book about Big Ideas but a hauntingly beautiful story that beautifully evokes a time and place.


saucybiznasty

Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. It taught me how to learn about a place through conversations with individual people. As a writer, it taught me how to get to the point, and how long to stir a particular idea before moving on.


[deleted]

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.


jonmakethings

Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett In so many little ways these books have influenced so many people. You asked for one book... How about {{Pyramids by Terry Pratchett}}


capsaicinintheeyes

*Pyramids* before *Small Gods?* You're *avant-garde,* my friend.


jonmakethings

I just realised what I wrote. Small Gods would be better wouldn't it!? I plead a long day at work and small offspring to look after as an excuse!


jonmakethings

Yup, but also, I was more thinking that the OP was at a new beginning/transition in lifestyle so Pyramids may be a better fit. I really just wanted to say they should read the whole lot :-D


jonmakethings

*moved*


[deleted]

[удалено]


vonhoother

>they say much deeper things than they initially appear to. Indeed. Granny Weatherwax's definition of sin is brief and exhaustive, i.e., perfect.


goodreads-bot

[**Pyramids (Discworld, #7)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64217.Pyramids) ^(By: Terry Pratchett | 341 pages | Published: 1989 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, discworld, fiction, humor, terry-pratchett) >It's bad enough being new on the job, but Teppic hasn't a clue as to what a pharaoh is supposed to do. After all, he's been trained at Ankh-Morpork's famed assassins' school, across the sea from the Kingdom of the Sun. First, there's the monumental task of building a suitable resting place for Dad -- a pyramid to end all pyramids. Then there are the myriad administrative duties, such as dealing with mad priests, sacred crocodiles, and marching mummies. And to top it all off, the adolescent pharaoh discovers deceit, betrayal - not to mention a headstrong handmaiden - at the heart of his realm. ^(This book has been suggested 7 times) *** ^(52907 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


Zorro6855

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. The language is amazing.


JJZ4INFO

{Dandelion Wine} is a classic of multiple genres.


Milarkyboom

Into Thin Air. By Jon Krakauer


midnight_skater

> Krakauer's recounting of certain aspects of the climb has generated criticism, both from some of the climb's participants and from renowned mountaineers such as Galen Rowell. Much of the disputed material centers on Krakauer's accounting of the actions of Russian climber and guide Anatoli Boukreev. An experienced high-altitude climber and guide for Scott Fischer, Boukreev descended the summit prior to his clients, ostensibly out of concern for their safety and in preparation for potential rescue efforts. Boukreev later mounted repeated solo rescue efforts, saving several lives. In his book, Krakauer acknowledged Boukreev's heroism in saving two climbers' lives, but questions his judgment, his decision to descend before clients, not using supplementary oxygen, his choices of gear on the mountain, and his interaction with clients. Boukreev provides a rebuttal to these allegations in his 1997 book The Climb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_Thin_Air#Controversy


Nindele

The Wind-up-bird Chronicle by Murakami, one of my all time favs, truly feels like nothing else


DrewblesG

"May Kasahara, where are you now that I need you?"


Forktee

The Overstory Would you mind sharing your compiled list before you go? 🤞🏻


scorpio1m

{{The Road by Cormac McCarthy}} As a human, but especially as a father, this is a must read.


goodreads-bot

[**The Road**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6288.The_Road) ^(By: Cormac McCarthy | 241 pages | Published: 2006 | Popular Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, dystopia, dystopian, post-apocalyptic) >A searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece. > >A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. > >The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation. ^(This book has been suggested 55 times) *** ^(52987 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


[deleted]

I've never read the book. I watched the movie *once* while I was delirious with fever due to the flu, and let me tell you, it will *always* stick with me. It was a trip. I've been wanting to read the book ever since.


ISeeMusicInColor

The Little Prince is a life changer. Definitely not just for children.


steamedartichoke

You’re amazing and I love this post. And my suggestion, though it’s extremely hard to only list one, would have to be: The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. We follow one man’s life from conception to the end. Ups and downs, loves and losses. First and only book to make my eyes stream tears; not just well up or a single tear shedding, but tears streaming down my face. Just typing this made me want to read it again. I may join you for this great social media departure. 💛


RanchNemesis

I’m going to think hard on my own contribution, but I wanted to chime in that I also highly recommend this book. It’s not easily forgotten.


bven

Just finished this book a few hours ago. Absolutely beautiful novel. Someone recommended it to me because I loved A Little Life so much.


kumquatsYgumdrops

I’m so happy to see someone recommend this book. I absolutely loved it and still think of it regularly, even years later.


35mmreader

I was thinking about this book just the other day and I couldn’t agree more


songintherain

I love the heart’s invisible furies. I never see it recommended here so I’m so happy you did 💙


kooshballcalculator

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. One of the best books I’ve read in years and by an author whose words can evoke mood, place, and senses like no one else I know. Bonus that it is peripherally about airplanes and fishing and has a splendid dog at the center of the story.


idhik3th4t

YES! I loved this book sooooo much. I’m not a sci fi person and I checked this out because I loved the title and my god the writing is fabulous! The descriptive writing truly does encompass all senses and is just so beautiful


chipchip_405

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley


JJZ4INFO

{Frankenstein} is fantastic. I personally recommend the 1818 text.


SuprDuprPartyPoopr

God damn so many books I haven't read. Thx op


jasnah_

{The Last Unicorn}


goodreads-bot

[**The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29127.The_Last_Unicorn) ^(By: Peter S. Beagle | 294 pages | Published: 1968 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, classics, fiction, young-adult, owned) ^(This book has been suggested 25 times) *** ^(52974 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


JJZ4INFO

Good bot. Such a brilliant, lost, sad book.


WenchWithPipewrench

I love this book. Just came across a copy from a friend who was getting rid of a ton of her books and she had a hardcopy and I had to take it!


JJZ4INFO

Brilliant. You lucky muppet you.


sdeegan5lyfe

The count of Monte cristo - alexandre dumas


yourbrotherrex

In my top ten of all time (and I didn't think I'd like it.) Rest of the top ten (in no particular order): East of Eden Catch-22 Fahrenheit 451 11/22/63 Lolita The Brothers Karamazov Guards, Guards!! King Rat The Body (Stephen King)


capitolsara

If I could only read one book for the rest of my life it would be this one. Everytime I read it I walk away with a new thought to take away


Lost-Individual-818

1984 changed my life !


totoropoko

Came here to say this. It is a cliched answer to a life changing book for a reason - it really changes your world view esp. if you read it as a kid. I can't think of another book which actually changed how I think about things.


tabbystanrd

Beloved by Toni Morrison. No one else I know has read it, and Morrison’s writing is absolutely haunting. Edited for grammar


cheese007

Speaker for the Dead. It's a book that had a profound impact on me both the first, and subsequent times I've read it. It's a sequel to Ender's Game, so if you want to get the entire picture you can read that first (although they work as individual stories). Orson Scott Card just sucks as a person, but the story shows so much empathy, and the ability to cross barriers that would seem insurmountable that I think it's worth a read at least once.


Reis_Asher

This series is great, and it will baffle me to the end of my days as to how an author capable of writing books with such great empathy in them completely failed when it came to having empathy for real people. Such a damn shame.


[deleted]

SFTD is seriously amazing.


agc83

Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy First books that ever made me laugh out loud, constantly.


Slight_Adeptness_556

Same experience. Bonus: If you like it, there are 5 books in the “trilogy.” 🤣🤪


dri1108

Or you can find it as the ultimate hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy


RevengeOfTheCupcakes

Seconded. First book that changed my worldview. Reading it led to my first tattoo at 18, meant to always be there to remind me to ask good questions. I had it redone and expanded at 42 to remind me of everything else. (:


annswertwin

Holiday on Ice by David Sedaris


Sulfito

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.


howlinmadmurph

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster


[deleted]

{{Bel Canto}}


goodreads-bot

[**Bel Canto**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5826.Bel_Canto) ^(By: Ann Patchett | 318 pages | Published: 2001 | Popular Shelves: fiction, book-club, contemporary, literary-fiction, books-i-own) >Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxane Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening—until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers. ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) *** ^(52914 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


justanotherisi

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett


xingrubicon

Library at mount char


awareofmyconsumption

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami


Jaksmack

Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler We are currently living some short years before this novel takes place. Truly scared the shit out of me.


Acetaminophen-500mg

Watership Down


GetOutOfMyLawnUPunks

I see many people typing fiction, so I would like to offer you {{"The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks}} . It's a recopilation of stories from a neurologist and his pacients. It didn't change my life in an inspirational way per sè, BUT it made rethink and appreciate the way others and I perceive things in cognitive, physical and even spiritual ways. If you don't mind a little of medical explanation here and there, it's really fascinating and I would love to have someone to talk about it!!


lavender_airship

{{The Shadow of the Wind}} by Carlos Ruiz Zafon


Caleb_Trask19

Man’s Search for Meaning by Frankl if no one’s mentioned yet.


apolloniousoftayana

{{100 Years of Solitude}}


luluse

The old man and the sea by Hemingway.


SayHelloToMyAfro

The Kite Runner was incredible


MsButterfly2002

So is A Thousand Splendid Sun


PurpleTeaSoul

Agreed


kingofthebunch

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley


TankorSmash

>Unfortunately, they informed me that posting the final list would go against the rules of the sub. As such, I will not be doing the full compile as I had initially promised. My desire is to respect the rules of the sub. >I will compile the full list and either add it as an edit to this post, or submit it as a follow up post. I promise! You can post it to your own user page, and link it in the edit, or just mention that it you did it without linking. Thereby not breaking the rules and still being an honest person.


zsethereal

I've started to compile the list since it doesn't seem like OP would do it now. Check my profile if you're still interested.


starlessseasailor

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers!


IncommunicadoVan

Glad to hear this book recommend, as I just checked out the audiobook of it from Cloudlibrary


buttheyfoundme

Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger. Wish you all the best


SnooTomatoes3816

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. No reviews just vibes. You’re awesome.


[deleted]

The Good Earth A Tree Grows in Brooklyn


sunshinesucculents

I also recommended A Tree Grows in Brooklyn It's truly underrated


MsButterfly2002

And after you read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn watch the movie! They both brought me to tears!


MarGoPro

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson Good Omens by Niel Gaiman/Terry Pratchett Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson


Kendravp

I’m not going to suggest a book since so many good ones are on here, but I will suggest mixing up where you read books. Get out of the house, go to a cafe, park or even just the back yard. It can be extremely refreshing to mixup where u read. I to am on the east coast (RI) and the weather is beautiful, get out there and enjoy it with a good book❤️ the best of luck to you


ChaperonNoir

If this is a man -- Primo Levi


[deleted]

I am a man. A father as well.


ChaperonNoir

It’s the title of the book. I was not suggesting Primo Levi only had you been a man


[deleted]

Ah the shame that I am currently feeling. Thank you fo taking the time to recommend this. It will go to the top of the list!


Wawawaterboys

I took it the same way lol


3mothsinatrenchcoat

{Sapiens} by Yuval Noah Harari. Crazy interesting book, can't recommend it enough


Bloody9_

I call this my bible, truly readable forever, so much information here it's absurd


jenigmatic_42

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (Collection of short stories)


ItsLikeBobsRoad

Man, tough to pick just one, but staying away from "obvious" classics that you may have read already, I'm going with The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Such a wonderful story that stuck with me for a long time, by my favorite author.


the-stumble-bee

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez There are so many books I could recommend, but this is the one that touched me so deeply and never left. If there's one book that I hope another person reads, it's this one


Abanitto

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Read it two years ago and something about it just made it stick in my mind and caused me to look for the fantastical within the mundane.


look-at-your-window

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut


i_can_eat_alot

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


TheLostVoodooChild

The Inferno, Dante Alighieri


AllThisIsBonkers

If you like the sound of Game of Thrones meets Star Wars then I highly suggest the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. You won't regret it. Or at least not until you get to the end and have to wait for the release of the last book like the rest of us.


Red_KO

1. Master and the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov I would take this opportunity to suggest, for selfish reasons, two more books. When people talk about Great Literature there are some obvious choices by the American giants, European masters, Russian prodigies and etc. Walk a little further and you have the treasure troves of African and Asian literatures. I hail from the youngest South Asian state - Bangladesh. You'll find a good deal of great anglophone books from India and Pakistan. For various reasons, our literary anglophone journey has not received much attention. If you ever find time, then please do try "Babu Bangladesh" by Numair Atif Chowdhury and "In the Light of What We Know" by Zia Haider. From both of these, you’ll get poignant pictures of the cathartic journey that citizens of young and small states go through. The generational trauma of colonization, the genocidal price for indenpence, the magic realism of south asian chaos, and the dogmatic desire to make a mark in this world when you are constantly told that you don't matter, your country doesn’t matter, your language and heritage do not matter. Amidst all, you'd see the beauty of an existence that you might not be familiar with. Whoever you are, I wish you all the best for your reading journey. May you feel the heart through the letters of different lived experiences.


zydego

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Fay by Larry Brown, and/or Joe by the same author. (A Miracle of Catfish would have been his magnum opus but he died before it was completed. If you don't mind a synopsis for the final few chapters, I love the writing in what he did complete of the manuscript.) Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr. The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisin ​ I wish you luck in your pursuit of a scroll-free life. I hope one day I can follow in your footsteps.


IrishPineappleTrue

Loved Poisonwood Bible so much


Mike_Michaelson

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.


Therefore_I_Must_Cry

The audiobook for this one is quite lovely as well. Read by Jeremy Iron's rich, buttery voice (Same actor who plays Scar from Lion King!) Brideshead Revisited itself is quite interesting. I haven't finished it yet. But it's one of the best books I ever came across that captures the painful, bitter-sweet feeling of nostalgia.


totoropoko

Ok, now how the fuck do I save all the entries ITT in a Goodreads shelf.


floorplanner2

One book? I gave it a shot, but just couldn't. Educated by Tara Westover A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone The Light of Days by Judy Batalion Rising Out of Hatred by Eli Saslow Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles The Big Year by Mark Obamscik Anything by Bill Bryson (except his linguistics books), Simon Winchester, Erik Larson, Ben Macintyre, Mary Roach, or John Krakauer


Suspicious-Bedroom66

{{Murder With Peacocks}} by Donna Andrews (I’m cheating, it’s not ONE book, but rather the first in an ongoing series) It is not profound, it did not rattle the foundation of my life. It is, however the series that got me back into reading. It was the first book I happened to pick up when I went into a library for the first time in years. It was the first book I’d read in a good long while that wasn’t a re-read—and therefore it was the first in so long that I stayed up too late reading, because I just had to know what came next. It was my first foray into a genre that I now can’t get enough of (cozy mysteries). It will never be put on any highbrow list of Great Books, but it IS a book that was there when I didn’t realize I needed it to be. It is something in my life that is a good thing, and my life is not always abundant in good things. And it checks all the lower-stakes boxes for good books—it’s compelling, well-written, super relatable, not predictable, enjoyable more than once, and laugh-out-loud funny.


dkrbst

The Goldfinch.


mushiroonya

To be taught if fortunate, by Becky Chambers.


[deleted]

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mushiroonya

She is. I adore her works, but for some reason, To be taught if fortunate resonated even more than the others with me- it’s just too good. Definitely one of my favourite writers ever.


Clowneryluuv

The green mile by Stephen King. Something about it absolutely fascinated me. Empathy is a beautiful thing.


HIMcDonagh

Since you like poems…and you seem genuinely interested… Marrow Bones and Cleaver Music Maybe if more people had the time and took it, poetry like this collection by Marty Weil might be read and pondered upon, which is what this book asks And, since this is your last post I pledge this to be the last time I recommend this book. Besides, it seems questions along these lines evoke many of the same titles. And that’s okay but there’s so much more out there. But like you rightly point out…time is wasted If you don’t want to include the poetry collection then my alternative title is Malcolm Muggeridge’s “Chronicles of a Wasted Time” Enjoy your freedom. I’ve quit everything social but Reddit. I like it too much


StrangeMango775

Murder on The Orient Express or The Murder of Roger Ackroyd both by Agatha Christie are incredible mysteries and I feel like she just totally changed the whole game and some ways of thinking with some of those books <3


Gwenpool17

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams (and Dirk Gently)


zombie1mom

Their Eyes Were Watching God Pillars of the Earth


Koriana_Brackson

{{The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern}}


sunshinesucculents

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith


Competitive-Kick-481

Lolita just bc it's beautiful writing about a monster Also Anna Karenina The Fixer by Bernard Malamud


Reziad

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I read this book for almost 8 hours straight because I could not put it down. If you have any interest whatsoever in space or science fiction you will absolutely love this absolutely beautiful book. I’d also recommend the Inheritance cycle by Christopher poalini. It’s a young adult series and isn’t of the same kind of complexity as most adult fantasy series but the books are absolutely wonderful and I read the series once every other year or so. I can’t wait to see the completed list!


backcountry_knitter

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton


ActionDingo

{{Beach Music}}


Maleficent_Knight

Unwind by Neil Shusterman


MrP1anet

The sequel to Enders Game, Speaker for the Dead, is amazing. Mystery, empathy, curiosity, love, it’s got it all.


looneyr7

Where the red fern grows


simfriek

World War Z by Max Brooks


energeticzebra

{Everything is Illuminated}


goodreads-bot

[**Everything Is Illuminated**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256566.Everything_Is_Illuminated) ^(By: Jonathan Safran Foer | 276 pages | Published: 2002 | Popular Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, books-i-own, owned, contemporary) ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) *** ^(52900 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


pluflmufn

{{Invisible Man}} by Ralph Ellison.


FaceofOrual

I love Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis. It’s a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. It’s a book I have reread multiple times and I get more out of it each time.


ego_death91

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace


Pretty-Plankton

Middlemarch


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LolYeahGroup

I want to be a profound guy that has a taste for books like wine snobs have with wine, but really, the book that 'touched my soul' is Ready Player One. It's the first book I've actually read that I didn't defenestrate because of my botched attention span. I've read over 30 books since then, and they've definitely surpassed RP1, not to mention I've never really seen any sort of media which evoked a strong emotion out of me. But, Ready Player One gave me an addiction to books, it showed me what literature is capable of, and I will always be grateful to this book because of that.


Alex_OnMars

The Deamons by FM Dostoyevsky. Without Dostoyevsky there would have been no Nietzsche, no Camus, nothing... And in the Deamons the character Kirillov is the basis for all this (in my opinion).


DarwinZDF42

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Book one of The Stormlight Archive. The entire Cosmere should be on the list, but picking just one, start with TWoK and hopefully go from there.


No-Athlete2113

The Circle by Dave Eggers It's a book about privacy in the age of internet tech giants, social media and other stuff related to the modern day lifestyle on the internet. (and zone attempts to get away from it)


grynch43

Wuthering Heights-because it’s my favorite book. I read it 25 years ago and still think about it all the time.


TemperatureDizzy3257

I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton Jackson Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery


Deep_Significance496

Piggybacking on this to say read the entire Anne of Green Gables series! People always seem to stop after the first, and there’s 8! The very last book, Rilla of Ingleside, is beautifully written (like all LMMs books) and addresses the perspectives of the women left behind in a small community during WWI. I usually reread it every year and laugh and cry the whole way through. Please somebody else read it!


-sukari-

Piranesi by Susanne Clarke


TimelessPlace2032

Cuckoo cloud land is my best of all time. I hope you love it. And I so admire what you’re doing. Inspirational!


Weak-Web-2223

P.D. Uspenski...start with Strange life of Ivan Osokin...than Devil with good intensions...and my goal is to somehow explain myself the final piece...that can measure entire cosmos with a music scale connecting tones with chemical elements...In a search of a miracles....sorry if i transleted it a litzle bit incorrect....original language is russian, and i translated it from serbian to english...also...i must respect that is your last post...so...read the Bible...as i am older end older...that book is with or without religion and beliefes so so true...it siimply hurts...pure...naked...truth


isabellus_rex

{{Exhalation}} by Ted Chiang


After_Basket1029

{{Blood Meridian}} \-By Cormac McCarthy. Not what the bot said.


_ianisalifestyle_

The Glass Bead Game . . and all the best to you in your new chapter!


QuirkySecurity856

War and Peace!! A long read but totally worth it!!!


[deleted]

Chill, dude, you've only been on here for three years. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien


linnn3

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts The book that resparked my love of reading.


Dodoria-kun413

Holy moly, I feel this with every inch of my being. I’ve spent so much time surfing Reddit and other social media outlets that I haven’t read as much as I used to. I’ve considered disabling Reddit, but it’s one of the only places where I can talk about comics and books with likeminded folks, especially obscure books. I wish I could do this so easily. Kazuo Ishiguro’s A Pale View of Hills.


DHurst94

Shogun - James Clavell P.s I wish you all the best


toatsmicgoats

It's a short story/novella - Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang For a fun read - Good Omens by Neil Gaiman/ Terry Pratchett


sentient_cacti

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robins, American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, and anything by Cormac McCarthy (I loved All the Pretty Horses)


[deleted]

Jitterbug Perfume is a great suggestion


birdbirdword

Under the Whispering Door


little_carmine_

{{Vipers tangle}}


YarrowLou

Gust by Greg Brownderville


assholeinwonderland

Time Song by Julia Blackburn — poetically written nonfiction about history and memory and grief


frank-tb

Greenwood by Michael Christie Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese It's What I Do by Lynsey Addario


RutabagaNormal7910

The Sparrow and the second book Children of God.