A book that makes you feel deeply

[Anonymous]

“A Month in the Country” by JL Carr. It’s a short novel that is so evocative of a life experience that can take place only at a certain time and place. Even though it’s about a guy restoring a painting in a church over a few weeks (so not exactly anything I have familiarity with!), it really made me feel/think of completely different experiences where something both intense and perfect takes place, something that is both life changing and yet sealed off from the rest of life. (So maybe summer camp? Or study abroad?) There is also a current of nostalgia running through it. It’s a pretty perfectly crafted novel and it manages to evoke deep feelings without being horribly depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the nonfiction category: Far from the Tree

Hopefully it makes me a better parent and more empathetic in general. Blew me away.

Agree. What an amazing book.

[Anonymous]

One of the best books I’ve ever read was The Random Family by Adrian Nicole Leblanc. She embedded herself within a family in the South Bronx in the 90s. It’s beautifully written and I grew very attached to the characters. It’s non-fiction but reads like fiction.

[Anonymous]

i read Sophie's Choice.

F that.

A little too much emoting there as a reader.

I also have a tough time with John Irving books - Cider House, Owen Meany, Garp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i read Sophie's Choice.

F that.

A little too much emoting there as a reader.

I also have a tough time with John Irving books - Cider House, Owen Meany, Garp.

And if you really want to wreck yourself - Iris Chang.

She killed herself to bring this forth.

[Anonymous]

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Demon Copperhead

I thought A Little Life was just plain depressing

[Anonymous]

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

[Anonymous]

Winter's Tale, by Mark Halprin.

Super weird, and very wordy. I would probably not finish it now, but back when I had more patience for high metaphor and magical realism, it thrilled me, wrecked me, and haunted me.

[Anonymous]

Just finished Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, which won the 2023 Booker Prize.

It's both shocking in the context of global trends of totalitarianism and also deeply moving in its examination of what it takes and means to be a mother and a wife. The writing style is unique - I struggled to start then could not put it down.

[Anonymous]

A home at the end of the world

[Anonymous]

Alex: The Life of a Child by Frank Deford

Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

My god how I loved this book as a teenager.

In my early 20s I was politically indifferent but after reading Atlas Shrugged, I became staunchly anti-Democrat and voted Libertarian in the next election.

When I grew up a bit, I examined Libertarianism more closely and saw in theory it sounded good but was unrealistic.

Many people are lazy, self-centered and greedy. They cannot be trusted to maintain properly all the roads, bridges, police and fire departments, the military, and a judicial system to resolve disputes and enforce contracts. I came to the conclusion Libertarianism could only be viable in a state of anarchy or some kind of monarchy where thousands of little kings oversaw their patch of land who maybe would maintain public services or maybe not depending on who ascended the throne.

And so, I evolved into a semi-Libertarian Republican.

Also, libertarianism ignores the concept of "economies of scale".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations

lol all those nails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alex: The Life of a Child by Frank Deford

Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther

I read this as a child and still think about it from time to time (an older sibling leant it to me). Our mom thought it was morbid for us to read it.

Oddly enough, my first job out of college was working with children with brain tumors as well as other neurological conditions.

[Anonymous]

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

The book caused me to have many emotions.