Top five to ten books you've ever read

I have read most all of the books on this list. The Boy Scout Manual is one I should have put at the top. Lots of books that taught me from a young age how a man should act. Hornblower series, Call of the Wild, Glory Road and all the Heinlein books.
I grew up in the church and the Bible was one of my first books. I have also read some of the aforementioned anti-religion books. The enemy never sleeps and it is good to know what he is thinking. The Count of Monte Christo taught me that "forewarned is forearmed". I waited until late in life to read Atlas Shrugged. I am glad I did. If I had read it when I was in my teens, I might have been influenced by it. As it is, I recognized it as bad sci-fi, and worse social commentary. She had a couple of good points, but she had no idea about real people.
I have read all kinds of technical books. I have learned how to rebuild an automatic transmission and engine from books. How to build a home, electrical wiring and engineering. And I have used all of it. From building rope bridges to circuit boards, I learned it all from books.

Ah, the boy scout manual. I wish I had an older edition. 
Atlas Shrugged - I have read none of her works, but from what I have seen of Rand in interviews she was all about self building up and glory at others' expense.
Oh, and on a line with BS Manual I read My Side of the Mountain, which was about a boy going off by himself to live in the woods. Loved the movie, but it missed a lot. So what else is new.?

You might find The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran interesting. It's not any specific faith, but it's a wonderful prose on all the feelings, emotions, and actions that we have. Many free online versions and epubs

So why limit it? Let everybody continue to expand their lists. 

There's this thread, too: thebriarpatchforum.com/thread/124/reading?page=6&scrollTo=64046

I suspect that few kids read today, and that is a crying shame. It broadens your vocabulary, and familiarizes a person with proper sentence structure naturally. The magic of being transported to different times and places that allows you to imagine how beings and places visually appear is one of life’s simple pleasures.

I tried e-readers, I am sure that they have their place especially for people that travel a lot where carrying a bunch of books doesn’t make sense. Nothing better than a hardcover book with a cup of coffe and a pipe... at least for me.

Dinner is delayed, so here goes:


The Bible - Yes, it's the obvious feel righteous pick, but I have put thousands of hours into studying it, though mostly in days gone by.

The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran - Almost as profound as the Bible and teaches you to think about the tenets of good and evil in you. Most of this guy's books are great

The Right of Way - An unknown (these days) book by Sir Gilbert Parker around 1900. About a total asshole who loses his memory and tries to work out his new life in a good way, not realizing who he was before. Made into three films, one starring fave actor Conrad Nagel, This book so totally spoke to me about redemption

Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan - A remarkable book that weaves a tale from China in the past to Chinese-Americans in present. The ending was very sweet. Admittedly this is a chick book. I read it when I was doing a lot of Asian American studies

The Last Buffoon by Lew Levinsky, pulp writer - was so funny and rang true about a pulp writer that was always getting into trouble and not getting paid from publishers. I can identify with all of that. With the next book spurred me to writing.

Hammett, by Joe Gores - I love Hammett. Love the movie with Frederick Forrest. I hated the book. So poorly written, imo, that I felt I could do better. Wrote a novel after that. Was such a piece of shite I never showed it to anyone. I look at it occasionally to humble me

Ghost Story by Peter Straub. The best of his books, though the Blue Rose Trilogy is totally gripping. Straub as mastered the art of suspense as opposed to cheap goopy horror

1984 by Orwell - Read this one thrice, as I have with a few of the others. Don't think it needs an explanation

Mystery of the Witches Bridge - forgot who wrote it, but it was the first mystery book I read as a child and the first one over 200 pages. It set up my love of the Mystery Genre for life

Riders of the Purple Sage and Rainbow Trail by Zane Grey - Totally got me on a lifelong Western love

There are tons of non-fiction ones that have also had a large effect, but mostly for knowledge, not for a really inner experience