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What has been THAT book for you?  

post #1 of 78
Thread Starter 
So, I have this feeling that the next book I read needs to be one of those books. One that will change something, or solidify a belief, or make me laugh till I pee. Or something. You know? A book that's not just any book. I spent an hour browsing a bookstore and finally left empty handed, deciding to do my research first.

I don't want to give too much information about myself because I don't want to bias your responses. So, just tell me. What has been that book for you? And why? Can be fiction or non, new or old. Could be a children's book, or poetry, or essays. You get the point, I'm open to anything.

Ready? GO!
post #2 of 78
Jane Eyre.

And Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton.

Both are a bit similar in that that are girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, boy and girl separated by unfortunate events and misunderstandings, girl and boy learn valuable lessons, boy and girl reunited each as better people.

But the writing is just stunning in each of them.
post #3 of 78
For me, it's Baby by Patricia McLachlan. It's YA Fiction, very emotional and very moving. I read it as part of a grad school children's literature class. My stepmother, who was like a mother to me, was killed by a drunk driver a few years before, and this book, for whatever reason, really helped me work through it.

And it introduced me to Edna St. Vincent Millay's Dirge without Music, which is in the public domain, so I can post it here

Quote:
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains,--but the best is lost.
The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love, --
They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave,
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

-- Edna St. Vincent Millay
Great question, by the way!
post #4 of 78
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver -- really just deeply affected me, her writing is incredible, the story is amazing.
post #5 of 78
The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
post #6 of 78
I Edna. Her poems are also "that book" for me.
post #7 of 78
Quote:
Originally Posted by fek&fuzz View Post
I Edna. Her poems are also "that book" for me.
Totally. Maybe I should have said that one poem was "that book". It really changed my perspective to know that I didn't have to find meaning and contentment in a stupid, senseless death.
post #8 of 78
Quote:
Originally Posted by annettemarie View Post
Totally. Maybe I should have said that one poem was "that book". It really changed my perspective to know that I didn't have to find meaning and contentment in a stupid, senseless death.
Is that poem from the little series where her friend has died, and she writes something about her small shoes and "I'll shall write you little elegies"?

Hmm, must go gather my Vincent and review them.
post #9 of 78
Thread Starter 
Wow. Wow wow. We're on tonight! Already, 2 of your responses have mentioned things that have been "that" for me in the past - "The Poisonwood Bible" and "Baby". Awesome. Off to check out Edna St. Vincent Millay in more detail, seems like she'd be right up my alley in ways I hadn't considered before.

Thank you for the responses so far, looking forward to more!

And something that was "that" for me recently that I'm sure many of you would enjoy: Andrea Gibson. I had never heard/seen slam poetry until I stumbled across her work. I listened to her poems on repeat for weeks.
Blue Blanket (Rape mentioned)
Dive
Titanic
Dive
post #10 of 78

Margaret Atwood

This is a great topic.

For me - The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood. Powerful when I was 15, powerful still at 26. An artful feminist / orwellian combo.

Actually, I find a great deal of Atwood's work is resonant with me.
post #11 of 78
Oh and yes, The Poisonwood Bible was amazing...ITA.
post #12 of 78
The Shack. It's religious in a not-so-religious way and that will make sense when you read it. Loved it. Definitely not just any book.
post #13 of 78
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride.

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

And I LOVE Edna St. Vincent Millay. Even her name is cool.
post #14 of 78
The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk. I can't really explain why. It's a great story with great writing. I just fell in love with the characters. It's magical.
post #15 of 78
The Road Not Taken (a poem) by Robert Frost.
post #16 of 78
Yeah, wasn't The Poisonwood Bible just incredible? Barbara Kingsolver really has a gift.

Eat, Pray, Love was pretty amazing. I hate to suggest books that the entire world loves, but once I started reading it, I realized why!

For some entertaining, yet well-written, light stuff, I really enjoyed Something Borrowed, followed by Something Blue, both by Emily Giffin.

OMG, WAIT! I JUST THOUGHT OF ANOTHER ONE:

The Art of Racing in the Rain. We listened to it on cd during a long drive, and holy cow, it's... I'm out of adjectives... really... still out of adjectives... I recommend it very highly.
post #17 of 78
Some of my top choices:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Gloria by Keith Maillard
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
post #18 of 78
As a child I read again and again the Wizard of OZ series. I'm sure it helped me to get thru it all.

As an Adult, Man's Search for Meaning for understanding making sense of one's purpose on earth and why bad things happen and how are some ppl resilient and others crack.
and then People of the Lie for understanding and breaking free from my family of orgin.
Neither of these two are light hearted reading but there is a lot of truth in them.
post #19 of 78
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (anything by him, really)

Absolutely blew me away. I cried so hard I could barely breathe. Soul-rocking, gut-wrenching sobs. Beautiful book.
post #20 of 78
Oh another one...

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.

I thought it would be just fun fluff, but it's soooo much more! It really touched me.
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