BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Once in a lifetime books: What are your most life changing reads?

**Posted by Russell** April 23, 2013 6:36 am

SusiGo wrote:
You like Raptor Red? That's great, I did the German translation. And "The Time Traveller's Wife" is wonderful, so innovative.

Ha..... seriously? That's awesome.... you were the one hired when they decided to translate it? Did you like it, too, then??
I honestly don't know how I got it.... I know I was a teenager, always preferred losing myself in fantastical stories. I never picked up 'Jurassic Park' for some reason, but plenty of other stuff with dragons. Vividly remember being intrigued by the holographic style image of Raptor Red on the cover (yeah, cheesy, but cool), and the sheer idea of a historically realistic story purely about the dinos. It was one of the very few books (besides my childhood adored E.B.White, Yolen, and Avi) that I have bothered to read more than twice. So creatively vivid!! And so cool, 'watching' their story (as realistically can be imagined, anyway), and being re-taught about that period.

And yes, definitely a 'yes' to your other comment. There's also only a small handful of books that have managed to equally both make me helplessly giggle, and then also cry... all the previously mentioned titles (Time Traveler's, Night Circus, Hedgehog), and 'The Lies of Locke Lamora'. Heh, so.... eh, yeah... hardly 'life-changing' reads like I was commenting about, but deeply moving in story/idea to keep me thinking about the characters and views expressed for long after, and delightfully fun/beautifully written, if anyone else's curiosity is peaked. Although I will say 'Hedgehog' was -Hard-!! Once you finally get past all the mentally heavy groundwork, though, and things pick up with the characters, absolutely beautiful story of life. Plus I have Time Traveler to thank for forever lodging the 'To His Coy Mistress' poem with a select few others in a soft spot in my heart....

**Posted by reality check** June 23, 2013 5:28 pm

This is really tough to single out one book... it changes with age and point of view, I guess.
Yet, for me it is 'Demian' by Hermann Hesse.

**Posted by Be** June 24, 2013 1:53 pm

Demian by Hermann Hesse
Made me aware of Taoism and eastern philosophy.

Last edited by Be (June 24, 2013 2:00 pm)

**Posted by Hooper** August 3, 2013 10:56 am

Ok, I think it's a pretty standard life changing book, but I read 'Feed' by MT Anderson as a kid and it just blew my mind.

Other books that changed me (for the better, I hope):
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
all things related to Middle-Earth (I've spent so much time in that reality, it must have changed me)
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I really could go on, but they're the big ones that come to mind. Oh, A Series of Unfortunate Events, too.

**Posted by sherlocked4ever** January 8, 2014 7:21 pm

Books that changed me in some way(s) are:
- Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton)
- Watership Down (Richard Adams)
- Der Vorleser (Bernhard Schlink)

**Posted by Kerkerian** January 14, 2014 4:02 pm

The following novels are those who have definitely influenced me in some way or other, and whose words are providing comfort:

Homo Faber by Max Frisch - the narrator's voice is addictive, and the tragedy in its simplistic form is heart-wrenching. Every time I read it, I keep hoping it'll end differently this time

Smilla's Sense For Snow by Peter Hoeg - also a very compelling narrative voice, and the story is so rich it's breath-taking

At Risk by Alice Hoffman - for years, the girl was with me

Cold Flat Junction by Martha Grimes - part of a series but the one nearest to my heart

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling - countless evenings with friends and wine, speculating about the consecutive books and how it'd end

The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley - a topic of endless interest and written beautifully

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - I wish I had written it

Last edited by Kerkerian (January 14, 2014 4:07 pm)

**Posted by Whisky** January 14, 2014 6:06 pm

Interesting thread, glad I found it.
It's really tough to choose, because I'm convinced, every book we dare read has the prospect of changing our views in one way or another. But there are some where I realised that happened. E.g:

Tolkien,The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings - for realising how powerful yet beautiful fiction can be
Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down - for realising that to live a life is a choice, not coincidence
Michael Ende, Momo - because listening, really listening, makes a difference
Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road - what friendship means, and what literature can do

and I would honestly like to add Grimms Fairytales, because that's one of the first books I remember reading in my life, but I need a second because I'm laughing so hard :D
"Sterntaler" made an impression on me as a child, I remember that... I don't know what that's called in English, it's the story about the little girl that kindly gives away all she has to people more in need than her, and in the end the stars fall from the sky and turn into money, and so her kindness is rewarded

**Posted by sj4iy** January 14, 2014 6:15 pm

"To Kill a Mockingbird". Simply the best and most profoundly moving book about racism I've ever read.

Last edited by sj4iy (January 14, 2014 6:17 pm)

**Posted by Weirdness** January 17, 2014 3:42 pm

"The Dark is Rising" series by Susan Cooper. This series really pushed me into reading as an adolescent and I'm not sure how many times I've re-read it. Also, it's on of the first things my husband and I found out we had in common back in high school as I was the only other person he know that read it. We were both huge fans! (And still are over a decade later.)

**Posted by TeeJay** January 17, 2014 3:58 pm

A book that really stayed with me for a long time is "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. It's a very thought-provoking story about manipulation of IQ and respective moral implications.

**Posted by Criosdan** January 24, 2014 2:08 pm

That question is really hard to answer.
I can't even name a single book. It is more the writers who influenced me.
The two main writers are Stanislaw Lem and Terry Pratchett.

Oh, and I love the works of Bill Bryson, too. There are only a few books missing in my collection.

**Posted by eurydike** April 5, 2014 9:35 am

There are four books that will always be a very important part of my life, no matter how old I get or how much I change.

Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History'
Antal Szerb's 'Journey by Moonlight'
Haruki Murakami's 'Dance Dance Dance'
André Aciman's 'Call me by your name'

I can read them over and over and over again and never get too much of them. They're my trusty longtime friends I can always turn back to and wherein I always find new favourite parts and quotes.

**Posted by Biggles86** June 8, 2014 4:39 pm

Hard to say what changed me but The Secret Garden has stayed with me ever since I read it as a child. Every time I am doing some gardening I always think about the main character clearing space so the plants could breathe - taught me the first fundamentals in gardening!!

**Posted by Aimee** August 3, 2014 10:26 pm

I think a book that really got to more than I thought it would is a book that I picked up off of the Recommended table at Waterstones just by chance because I loved the cover art. It's called The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer. The style of the narrative is just so unique and the development of the main character is so real and compelling that I had to constantly remind myself that I was reading fiction and that this character didn't actually exist.
The book discusses mental illness and grief in a way that I have never really experienced in a work of fiction before, not lighting it in a taboo way or an overly sympathetic way that makes it seem like a giant burden for everyone around the sufferers but in a real genuine way and I think that is really important for books to do within this topic.
AAAH I just love it so much, sso highly recommend it to everyone!

**Posted by Kittyhawk** April 23, 2015 1:50 pm

Maybe not life changing but it certainly had impact: Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

**Posted by ukaunz** April 24, 2015 5:11 am

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry was pretty life changing for me. I read it before heading off to India for 6 months, and it gave me an insight into the country and the people that I wasn't getting for my Lonely Planet. I keep meaning to read it again...

**Posted by tonnaree** April 24, 2015 11:53 am

Aimee wrote:
I think a book that really got to more than I thought it would is a book that I picked up off of the Recommended table at Waterstones just by chance because I loved the cover art. It's called The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer. The style of the narrative is just so unique and the development of the main character is so real and compelling that I had to constantly remind myself that I was reading fiction and that this character didn't actually exist.
The book discusses mental illness and grief in a way that I have never really experienced in a work of fiction before, not lighting it in a taboo way or an overly sympathetic way that makes it seem like a giant burden for everyone around the sufferers but in a real genuine way and I think that is really important for books to do within this topic.
AAAH I just love it so much, sso highly recommend it to everyone!

Looked this up at Amazon and it seems fascinating. Put it on the ever expanding wishlist!

**Posted by Ah-chie** April 30, 2015 3:38 pm

Interesting topic.

Without a doubt one of the most "life changing reads" I have had is The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence. Remarkable book - it is an exciting adventure, philosophical perspective, political essay, personal confessional and heartwrenching story all rolled into one gigantic emotional rollercoaster ride. I dare anyone to have experienced this book and not be affected by it.

There are many others that struck me throughout my life as something that made me hold my breath in wonder (and re-read many times over) - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Boy's Sherlock Holmes by Howard Haycroft, Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, The Hero With a Thousand Faces and Masks of God both by Joseph Campbell, The Golden Bough by Sir J. G. Frazer, War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town and Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich both by Stephen Leacock... too many more to continue.

Oh, yes - my own hubby's book on his father in WWII - Dad's War. Made me cry openly when I held it in my hands for the first time and read it, even though I know all the stories contained within by heart! (and I guess I should add that his first book REALLY did change my life - and continues to do so - so it counts up there as well!!)

-Val

**Posted by tonnaree** April 30, 2015 4:04 pm

Archie, A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time. It's such an emotional read.

**Posted by Ah-chie** April 30, 2015 4:07 pm

I cry every time I read it and even though I know how it ends I still get overly emotional about it (one time I even threw the book across the room!!).

Great book - and I really love almost all his books (John Irving).

-Val

Last edited by Ah-chie (April 30, 2015 4:09 pm)