Posts like this are interesting because they show how different people nurture different values and priorities, and it reminds me to appreciate diversity, regardless of personal ideals.Originally Posted by Mountain Dew
The way you think/talk about "getting ahead" of others is a bit distasteful to my liking.
And your general forum presence doesn't fit the ENFp sociotype at all. Maybe you're just pushing your mindset way ahead of us. Don't try too hard though.
Last edited by Park; 02-20-2012 at 06:56 AM.
“Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, like diamonds we are cut with our own dust.”
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Winds of Light series by Sigmund Brouwer
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Dictionary by Webster
Hermann Hesse - Siddhartha
Gabriel García Márquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude
John Kennedy Toole - A Confederacy of Dunces
One of my favourite books of all times is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig.
Strongly agreed with recommendations of Hermann Hesse, Terry Pratchett, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Le Petit Prince).
Other worthy time-spenders:
Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Berniere
Some of O Henry's short stories. The Last Leaf is the most famous.
Something by Dostoyevsky, The Gambler is short and sweet.
Something by Stanislas Lem. Solaris is his most famous work. The Mask a good selections of short stories.
Love in the Time of Cholera is also a good G. G. Marquez book.
The Idiot is a good one, and Notes from the Underground would provide a properly bracing kick in the nuts for Jinxi. I also recommend the Gogol collection, The Overcoat & Other Tales of Good and Evil.
Just scored his Futurological Congress as a light treat between reading the present heavy tome and the next.
Kafka's "Das Prozess" is always a classic.
Stieg Larsson's popular trilogy is quite good, in spite of its excessive popularity.
C.J. Sansom's "Dark Fire" is another sure bet, if you enjoy exquisite writing and accurate historical reconstructions.
A personal favorite: "The Master and Margarita", by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Obsequium amicos, veritas odium parit
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Half of a Yellow Sun
Anne Rice: The Mayfair Witches series (better than the Vampire Chronicles)
For some good laughs: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I really can't stand "this is how you master your life and become successful and rich" books. I have been through times of too much partying, excessive drinking, debilitating depression and anxiety, underachieving, procrastination, plan changes, rejections (tons!), confusion, etc. and now I have a Ph.D. and a prestigious postdoc BECAUSE (not despite) of all of that. The best thing I did in life was to allow myself to fail, be confused, take my time, try new things, trust that people will see my potential through my writing and research (not my credentials), and NOT be on a straight path for the sake of success. My personal success is made up of all the drama and chaos and I wouldn't do anything differently. I would NEVER want to be self-employed. My dad is self-employed and loves what he does, but there have been horrible struggles. I am perfectly happy to be paid by a university for the rest of my days, thank you very much.
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.”
― Anais Nin
A fond memory.
The Man in the High Castle is another good one, as is A Scanner Darkly.
And since I'm here, John Le Carre writes very good spy novels. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A Most Wanted Man, The Little Drummer Girl, The Mission Song etc etc. His recurring character George Smiley is one of the most notable in that genre.
Then start a new thread if you wish, don't derail the topic on this one.
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