Your Three Most Influential Books

[abaris]

I can relate.  I've always preferred nonfiction but every now and again I read a novel and love it.

I find it interesting how nonfiction, especially in my field, which is history, changes rapidly. It's a sign of science doing it's job. For example, many of the books about the third Reich and it's exponents that have been written more than 25 years ago, are simply wrong in places. The reason for this being that the Russian archieves haven't been accessible for research.

[pocaracas]

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky.  

As I was reading that, I kept thinking "man, this guy is a pussy - just stay away, keep busy and all will work out!"
But noooo...

[Mudhammam]

I think I was sweating with him during the interview at the police station though.

[Whateverist]

My favorite quote from C&P:

“To go wrong in one's own way is better then to go right in someone else's.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

It gives me more patience with theists and people generally. Sing your song until your song changes. Imitation may be flattering for the one being imitated but it is demeaning for the one abandoning his own voice.

[Faith No More]

The Sneetches and Other Stories, or really any other book by Dr. Seuss, which showed me that being weird and different can be beautiful. The story about the sneetches, though, had a good message about not following fads and being an individual.

Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. It was the first book I read that gave me a real itch to want to be a writer.

1984 by George Orwell. It opened my eyes to how language can be manipulated and people can easily hold contradictory ideas.

I'd say at least 95% of the books I've read were fiction.

[Mudhammam]

My favorite quote from C&P:

“To go wrong in one's own way is better then to go right in someone else's.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

It gives me more patience with theists and people generally. Sing your song until your song changes. Imitation may be flattering for the one being imitated but it is demeaning for the one abandoning his own voice.

I'm flipping through my copy right now to see what I underlined... found that quote. I marked the next sentence too as it is a nice touch:

"In the first case you are a man, in the second you're no better than a bird."

Besides that one it looks like I only made three other underlines in the book...

"The question whether the disease gives rise to the crime, or whether the crime from its own peculiar nature is always accompanied by something of the nature of disease, he did not yet feel able to decide."

"Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart."

"Nothing in the world is harder than speaking the truth and nothing easier than flattery."

[Nope]

My favorite quote from C&P:  

“To go wrong in one's own way is better then to go right in someone else's.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

It gives me more patience with theists and people generally.  Sing your song until your song changes.  Imitation may be flattering for the one being imitated but it is demeaning for the one abandoning his own voice.

 There scene where the character, Sonya came home after first prostituting herself to feed her family has always stuck with me. It was so sad. 

It is interesting how novels can make you see real life and human nature more clearly.

[robvalue]

Strangely enough, I can't think of any books that have had a profound impact on me. There may well have been some, but if so I can't remember them. So I'd have to say everything by Douglas Adams instead. It all got me through a lot of years.

[BoS]

[Angrboda]