Quote:
Originally Posted by TexanAvenger
White Noise by Don Delillo. Amazing book.
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I strongly second this.
Plus, I'll add:
- The Dhammapada (The sayings of Gautama Buddha; the Thomas Cleary translation with notes is fantastic; this is a cornerstone to my morals.)
- Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (It raises classic moral questions. It's unfortunate that the story was appropriated by 20th century pop culture.)
- England, England, Julian Barnes (It challenges your sense of reality and your need for nostalgia.)
- Et Tu, Babe, Mark Leyner (Unconventional, unforgettable fiction; puts pop culture through the wringer; a prime example of meta-fiction.)
- Songs of Innocence and Experience, William Blake (Haunting, persistent, timeless, sublime.)
- Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Marks the shift in poetry from the divine high-style to the human; it's accessible, evocative, and a fine sample of Romantic literature; Wordsworth's capacity for perception is influential and inspiring, and it will stick with you for a lifetime.)
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 07-04-2010 at 09:21 AM..
Reason: typo
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