I finally had some time this morning and cultivated the following list from all the great suggestions
that you, my faithful readers, lurkers, rapscallions, offered in response. Thank you.
The Bible
The Bible. Gospel of John
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Last and First Men and Starmaker and Odd John by Olaf Stapleton
Secret of the Golden Flower by Thomas Cleary
The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith
Any audio book by Alan Watts
Autobiography of A Yogi - Yogananda
The Little Prince
The Art of Living - Epictetus, Sharon Lebell
The Teachings of Don Juan, Castaneda
Tao Te Ching - Translated by Stephen Mitchell
Bhagavad Gita
Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
The Richest Man In Babylon by George Clason
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Jordan Peterson Lectures ( Pro and Con comments )
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
The Reason for God, Belief in an age of skepticism by Timothy Keller
The worst journey in the world by Aspley Cherry Gerrard
John Brown's Body by Stephen Vincent Benét
In search of history by Theodore H White
Messages From Michael by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
One Truth ,One Law: I Am, I Create by Erin Worley
Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan
The history of the English speaking people by Winston Churchill
Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis
The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne
"More than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell
Gulag Archipelago and A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
Archaix.com with Jason Brashears
LibriVox audiobooks are free for anyone to listen to
Patrick Taylor's An Irish Country Doctor
"The Obstacle is the Way". - Ryan Holiday
All of the volumes of the history of the world by Will and Ariel Durant
The Bright Country by Harry Middleton
Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Read Genesis 3, NKJV
I suspect if you actually read and pondered even most of that list (with a little compare and contrast work) WE would lose the Friday Femme AND you'd have a new understanding of Ecclesiastes about how too much reading of endless books is exhausting.
ReplyDeleteModeration in all things, even Moderation.
Smell the roses, sip the whiskey my friend.
Michael
Indeed, one of the most subtle & profound comments that I've ever read. Everyone should say "Thank You!"
DeleteMichael, I am taken aback by your comment, sir. And I agree with Anon, subtle, profound; thank you.
DeleteBear in Indy
Didn't catch your original request for suggestions but after scanning your list I'll make a late one. Anything by Vonnegut, Rand, Hemmingway or Uris.
ReplyDeleteAny of Heinlein's serious works, as well. Like "Take Back Your Government."
DeleteVery surprised to see Stapledon's books right up there! Be forewarned - they can be a bit plodding. But Odd John is the easiest to read and a wonderful story. The other two (basically future history of humans and future history of the universe) are grand stories, with Starmaker being the ultimate "what's it all about" SciFi. Loved them all.
ReplyDeleteInteresting list, and I like the wide variety. I should add those to my ever-growing list, which I never find time to get around to. Some, I've already read. The Tao of Pooh was fun. Can't say I remember much about Yogananda, other than that I enjoyed it back in the 80's.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why I didn't weigh in back on that post - perhaps because you mentioned audiobooks, and I haven't tried that mode, so can't comment on how well any particular book comes through.
My recommendation, noting the above, is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig. I've been meaning to find which box it's in, and read it again. I suspect it's one of those polarizing books - either you really get it, or find it a complete waste.
I find the whole "meaning of life" thing to be quite elusive.
- Mr. Mayo
I would say there is far more rose smelling, whiskey sipping, and FFF fapping than reading and subsequent pondering of well-communicated wisdom passed on from our ancestors. I'd speculate that none of us are in the remotest danger of exhaustion from excessive book reading.
ReplyDeleteWell that list should last the rest of your commuting life, at least. Enjoy. - Nemo
ReplyDeleteanything by Louis L'Amour. the walking drum is one of my favorites. also Alexandre Dumas .
ReplyDeleteYou forgot Solid State Radio Engineering published by Wiley...
ReplyDeleteGood read!
List looks interesting. Will have to read some blurbs and purchase a couple as I often do. Damn my que may get unfinishable.
ReplyDeleteSomehow missed that original request also. I'd have to go with two from Ayn Rand. Anthem is very short, but an excellent read. Then there's her masterwork, Atlas Shrugged, probably the single best novel I've ever read, though not sure how it would be in audiobook format.
ReplyDeleteStarship Trooper by Heinlein was an unexpectedly excellent social commentary.
Agree with Anthem and Starship Troopers.
DeleteAnother in Starship Troopers' vein is Freehold by Mike Williamson
I have Atlas Shrugged as an audiobook and I'm going through it now while I'm at work. but it's 56 HOURS long...
DeleteI have Atlas Shrugged as an audio book.
DeleteIt is full as good as the book. Though to be honest, the narrator doesn't meet the expectation I have of what the voices sound like - at least in my head.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
I'll read nearly anything. I am about to finish "Six Years With The Texas Rangers" by James Gillet. One of my favorite books ever in the non-fiction category is "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. Years ago when I had a job, went to an office, and made phone calls, I traveled a lot. This was just the beginning of the technological era of the 90's when average people began to have cell phones and internet access. It was before podcasts and satellite radio (for me anyhow) but audio books were available. I ordered "The New Testament" on cassettes. It was narrated by Gregory Peck. I enjoyed listening to it and think I still have them. Good luck with the selections. Another recent book I enjoyed was "Blood and Thunder" by Hampton Sides. The book is a factual account of the life of Kit Carson (40%) and U.S. westward expansion and conflagrations with Mexico, Spain, Indians, etc., (60%).
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered what happened to Guy Sajer's girlfriend ... great book, very powerful. Hybo
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what happened to her. Guy Sajer (pseudonym) lived until 2022. He saw a lot.
DeleteCormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" is a captivating book, if hard to understand. It gets high ratings by the critics, which is usually a bad sign but it is a good one!
ReplyDelete"The Weapon Shops of Isher" by A.E Van Vogt
ReplyDelete"The right to buy weapons is the right to be free"
CC
If you're a bit skint, like me, remember you can find almost any book used for just a couple of bucks. I get used hardcovers all the time for less than $5. You can just search "used books", but I've found the best deals on alibris, thriftbooks or even ebay.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason they're so cheap is hardly anyone under the age of 45 knows how to read anymore.
thanks to all of you. especially you Mr Jeffery!
ReplyDeleteI would add the works of Frédéric Bastiat, a French political philosopher. Surprisingly sensible and modern although written in the 1850s. Easy reading actually.
ReplyDeleteTim in Spring Hill.
Just finished "A People's History of Science: Miners, Midwives, and "Low Mechanicks".... for the third time. Now back into "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius."
ReplyDelete