Posted on 05/01/2018 3:18:41 PM PDT by Simon Green
Here's one that definitely influenced me: "Red Planet" by Robert A. Heinlein.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Planet_(novel)
It's the first novel I can recall reading, around age 8 or so. It was the start of a lifelong love of speculative fiction, and Heinlein's Libertarian(ish) philosophy certainly put its imprint on me.
(The main chsracter's father discusses getting a pistol permit for his daughter. The grandfather chimes in:)
"That a free citizen should have to go before a committee, hat in hand, and pray for permission to bear arms - fantastic! Arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats."
Betty or Veronica?
Ginger or Mary Ann?
Samantha or Jeanie?
Daisy Duke or Ellie Mae?
Great thread! Other than the Bible, for me it was “How to keep your Volkswagen Alive: a Manual for the Complete Idiot.” That was the first time I realized that I could just fix stuff myself. Changed my life.
Unintended Consequences by John Ross.
Always good to find a FRiend, and learn about a good book.
Veronica, Mary Ann, Jeannie and Ellie Mae.
Also Marcia over Laurie Partridge.
Galloway....Louis L’Amour
First L’Amour I read as a kid. Read every one after that....he couldn’t write them fast enough for me. 95 cent paperbacks back in the day.
More recently the best is Big Dog Little Dog....love reading to my grand kids. “ Do you like my hat? I do not. Good bye Good bye.
Betty.
Ginger or Mary Ann?
Mary Ann.
Samantha or Jeanie?
Jeannie.
Daisy Duke or Ellie Mae?
Daisy Duke.
Dale Carnegie was ahead of his time.
My sales office took the multi-week course and had this philosophy hammered into our brains.
“Create the eager want” is a marketing technique that works every time...
Harold Robbins’ book “The Carpetbaggers”.
Probably the greatest salesman in modern times was Billy Graham.
I did once hear a sermon by Peter Marshall and he was up there too. To bad he died so young.
FORTRAN for humans
Most definately, Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand’s intellectual and financial heir Dr. Leonard Peikoff was my teacher back in 1985 at UCSD in La Jolla, Ca. I still have my autographed copy of his book The Ominous Parallels in my library.
Since to me the Bible is the Book, I will name:
That Hideous Strength by CSL or The Lord of the Rings by JRRT (depending upon mood).
Once upon a time, my life lurched along like a clown car with four odd sized wheels. The following books by Dr. Jonathan Shay were of incalculable help. Still reboot my brain-housing group with an occasional re-read.
Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character (1995)
Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming (2003)
I loved My Side of the Mountain, too. I read it several times. Also loved the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I'm neutral on that issue. My go-to handgun for home defense is an 8 round 1911 in .45, of course - the only real 1911. I love everything about it, but I won't bother reloading it in a self-defense situation. If it runs empty, I'm switching to my 33 round Glock 17. It's only 9 mm, but if there are enough zombies that 8 rounds of .45 are not enough, I don't want to worry about counting my shots.
“The Ominous Parallels”
Back in the day, read an initial review or heard it discussed on radio. In that pre-Internet time in the boonies, it took a bit doing to acquire this book. I found it fascinating.
Wilma or Betty?
Back in 1970 I dated a girl named Carolyn but all our friends called her Wilma. They thought she looked like Fred’s wife. I was the only one who didn’t.
The Atkins Diet. Finally, a way to stop my weight from continuing to rise.
I think, Bambi... One of the first “Big books” I ever read. It started a life long love for reading. A year after that, I read Moby Dick, and I didn’t stop until there was nothing left in the library that I cared about in the slightest.
Also, The Looming Towers. It really opened my eyes about the insidious nature of radical Islam.
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