As a Late-30’s American Male, Here’s the Novels I’ve Read Which Have Stuck With Me (Long)
This is a long one. As anyone in their late 30s who’s been a lifelong reader can say, I’ve read a lot of books. This list is just about novels, so forget about any non-fiction up front. I went in thinking this might be a long list (maybe it’s a lot of writing for a Reddit post), but as I finished it, I realized it’s not really that long. These are the books that, as I have thought about and written this post, have stuck out. For about 3 decades of reading, I wouldn’t say this is a monster list. There are plenty of other books I’ve read and liked, but I’m focusing here on those who have left some “special” impression in my mind.
This is in as close to chronological order as I can make it.
THE THINGS I’VE READ WHICH HAVE LEFT A LASTING AND POSITIVE IMPRESSION:
1. “Catcher With a Glass Arm,” by Matt Christopher. I read this book, over and over, in approximately 1986-1987. I was maybe 8 to 9 years old. It was given to me as a gift from my aunt. I’ve read a summary of it to refresh my memory of what it’s about, but any reason I give now for why it has left such a positive impression on me will be tainted. The reality is I can’t remember. I remember loving the book, and being excited by it. Not the most interesting explanation to start off, I know, but I’m trying to be as honest as I can with this list. Also, I know this isn’t a novel, but it’s fiction and was an important book for me at such a young age.
2. “My Brother Sam is Dead,” by James Lincoln Collier. I read this book in approximately 1988, and I would have been about 10 years old. This is probably one of the first “novels” I read. I was somehow connected with it through school, but I can’t remember if I just got it in the school library or had to read it for a class. I remember (probably more of an impression now) laying on the bed in my early-childhood bedroom, reading this book and just being taken away emotionally by the story. I remember telling my mom about how good it was. I have always remembered the title and at least part of the premise (war, etc.), but I haven’t re-read it in adulthood. Out of curiosity, at some point in the last year I looked it up and learned it had even been nominated for a National Book Award. Apparently, it’s also been a frequently-challenged book. Nothing in particular about it sticks out to me as memorably violent or otherwise, and I can’t remember now if that’s how I felt back then. I only remember that I really loved this book, and that’s it’s left a lasting impression on me, and to be honest, probably played a major part in my lifelong love of reading.
3. “Ender’s Game,” by Orson Scott Card. I was about 12 years old when I read this, in around 1990. I’ve read it many times since. I just felt that I related so much to Ender’s social situation, because I was starting to get at that age when you really notice different social circles forming, etc. and I was going through my own experiences with the cruelty of children. Also, I just loved the story and the page-turning suspense. I guess just like anyone else who read this book and loved it.
4. “Streams of Silver,” by R.A. Salvatore. Kind of a memory gap here, which really means the books between the last one and this one didn’t leave an impression, or that my timeline is screwed up (possible). I read this around 1991, and would have been about 13 years old. I can’t remember for sure how I got my hands on it, but it might have been given to me by my older sister’s boyfriends at the time to read. It’s not even the first book in the trilogy, and I doubt I knew that at the time. I remember just being swept away by the fantasy elements of the story, feeling page-turning suspense, and falling completely in love with The Forgotten Realms Books, and I guess I’m cheating a little here, but I’ll just allow this one number to encompass all of the Realms books I read for the next four or so years. I don’t know how many that is, but it’s a lot. R.A. Salvatore has always been my favorite of the many authors that wrote those books, but that whole phase of my reading life has left a huge impression on me, and definitely made me a reader for life. I’ve gone back and re-read many of them, although I don’t read as much fantasy these days. This genre basically puts me up through high school and into college.
5. “Night,” by Elie Wiesel. I read this in about 1999, when I was in my second year of college. (I was a little older though. After one year I dropped out for 2, then went back). I was about 21 years old. I’m sure I was reading between high school and this point, but maybe only a little. This part of my life is more heavily associated with music than books. Also, as much as I loved reading, I was always reluctant to read class-assigned books, no matter their merit, and I often didn’t do it. I don’t know why I was like that, given how much I love to read, but I was, and so frankly I put myself quite behind in having read many “classics” and probably also set myself behind in having a basic foundation for understanding literature. “Night” was just heartbreaking. I still vividly remember specific scenes from the book. I won’t go into them here, because I’d rather simply recommend this book to anyone, regardless of what genre(s) you like to read. It is a book I would consider “mandatory” reading for any adult who wants to think of themselves as a well-rounded person. Actually I’d recommend it for others, too. Just any adult who can read, should read this book. This was a book that was assigned to me in a literature class, and I’d grown up enough by then (and the class was an elective) to read what I was told to read. My professor had timed the class reading with an appearance and speech by Elie Wiesel at my university (which was a genius move, and let us all know who was actually coming to speak). I was lucky enough to be at the speech and dinner afterward, and it was an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life. So. Read “Night” if you haven’t. It’s even a quick read, even for a slow reader like me.
6. “The Stranger,” by Albert Camus. I read this in about 2003, during college, about 21 or 22 years old. This one wasn’t assigned to me by a class. I was a philosophy major during college, and I started to get more interested in broadening my literature interests around the same time I was introduced to existentialism. The ideas I learned in college definitely shaped who I am today (although I can feel that my views since then have sometimes changed), and when I discovered that there were philosophers who wrote literature, I was automatically interested. So I call this my “Camus Phase.” I read The Stranger maybe 3 times, I read The Plague, and a bunch of other Camus (actually, I read all of his novels, but none of his other short stories and none of his non-fiction that I can remember). I specifically remember just laying on my back, staring up at my dorm ceiling after finishing The Stranger, and being amazed that such a book existed. This is the time when I started to pay more attention to language, and to deeper ideas in books than just the plot. I still don’t have a great understanding of the ideas underlying “deep” books, but I think about it now. This started with Camus, and I remember liking The Stranger the best.
7. “Invisible Man,” by Ralph Ellison. I also read this in about 2003, and it was assigned for a class. Man, this book is intense. I remember thinking at the time it was long. I was feeling pressure to keep up with the assigned readings of it for class, in part because I’m such a slow reader. I did love this book though, and still have my college copy (I sold back many, many books, because college, and broke). I haven’t re-read it, but I probably will at some point. At any rate, I had to keep it. Just seeing it on my bookshelf brings me back to specific scenes in this book. I remember thinking that prior to reading this I had no real perspective on being African American, and thinking after I’d read it that at least I was aware I had no real perspective on being African American. This book did nothing less than shape my entire world view. I am convinced that literature is the best way to show others how the world is for you, and forgive me the political opinion (I said it shaped my world view), but this book convinced me that if you don’t read literature, it’s questionable whether you are qualified to lead in a political role. Literature, like Ralph Ellison’s novel, has taught me that we must dialog with each other and approach each other with the knowledge that the world is a different place for everyone. Without that starting premise, we’ll always fall into the traps of simply believing that other people don’t have any common sense, are simply stupid, or are basely criminal.
8. “Angels and Demons,” by Dan Brown. That’s right. Dan Brown. This was around 2003, I’m about 25 years old. I’m in grad school at this point. I didn’t read many novels in grad school because I wasn’t studying literature and I was just too busy. I borrowed this from a classmate who recommended it as an entertaining and quick read. I read it in a weekend, which for me, is amazing. At this point I was just looking for a guilty and hopefully quick read to give my brain a rest, and this novel hit the spot. It also broke a sort-of spell I had put on myself telling myself I should only read “high brow” novels. This has left a positive impression on me because it was a memorable and fun read, and I associate it with a change in perspective allowing me to feel more open with myself about just reading anything I thought looked good.
9. “The Satanic Verses,” by Salman Rushdie. I read this one around the same time as Angels and Demons, and they’re the two novels I remember positively from my time in grad school. This was the first time I had read language like this. Salman Rushdie’s writing is so unique and powerful, and the plot! I remember thinking what struck me was that these extraordinary things were happening and everyone just acted like it was normal. I read more on the internet about those ideas and learned I was thinking about magical realism. This book made me a huge fan of the genre, but did more than that. The kind of writing Salman Rushdie does in this book changed my idea of what a novel could be. It was like he didn’t follow any of the traditional rules or formulas that I could recognize.
10. “Midnight’s Children,” by Salman Rushdie. I was going to include this with the last post for concision, but that’s really not fair to this book. It deserves it’s own spot on my list of specials for Reddit. I’m out of grad school at this point, and it’s maybe 2005. In fact, I can place it specifically at summer, 2005. Just out of grad school, studying for licensure exams, and spending any free moment reading this awesome book. It’s thick, and I’ve only read it once, but I want to read it again, because I can’t remember the story almost any at all. That’s odd to me, but I remember loving it and thinking literature would never be the same (just like after The Satanic Verses – seeing a pattern?) I’m sure it’s deeper than I can recognize, but the language, the characters, the plot, I remember loving it all.
11. “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” by James Joyce. This was 2005, right after I finished grad school. I read it during a vacation in Florida, and I remember loving the language, but it is too thick for me to have completely understood. I’ve been afraid to tackle any more Joyce since then, but this small book is a really great one. Maybe someday I’ll get the courage to open more Joyce. If you want to experience his writing, though, I’d recommend this as a good starting point. It’s left a lasting impression on me specifically because of the beauty of his writing.
12. “Interview With the Vampire,” by Anne Rice. I read maybe the first four of The Vampire Chronicles right in a row. I had gotten a box set of maybe those four. I had already seen the movie, but really enjoyed all of these books. They were well-written, placed in interesting times, and were easy to read. Lots of fun.
13. “The Road,” by Cormac McCarthy. This was maybe 2006. I was about 28 years old. I lived alone in a small town I moved to for my first job after school, and spent a lot of time reading. I read this in a weekend, and it just devastated me. It’s such a great book. I’ve recommended it many times over the years, but I’ve honestly been surprised how many people started it and didn’t like it so they stopped, or read the entire thing and told me they didn’t like it. People how do you not like this book? It makes you feel real emotions. By putting words on pages. Real, actual body-response emotions. That’s magic. McCarthy’s writing was (and still is) so cool to me. It’s much different, of course, than Salman Rushdie’s, but I put them in the same category in my mind. If I could write 1/4 as good as either of these guys I’d be a genius. I remember thinking how odd it was that you never got inside the heads of McCarthy’s characters. Later, when I read “Child of God” I remember being struck by this even more. You had to just watch these characters do things without having any perspective as to why. It’s still such a unique way to approach writing, and McCarthy is the master.
14. “Gravity’s Rainbow,” by Thomas Pynchon. It’s true. I struggled through this, but I did finish it. It was around 2006 as well. This novel is unlike any other I’ve ever read, and if you feel you’re up for the challenge I say give it a shot. I won’t even pretend I understood even a fraction of its references, and that’s OK to me. It was written with incredible language and I love the paranoid, Alice-down-the-rabbithole feel of the entire thing. There are so many memorable scenes in this book, even for those of us who can’t understand it all. In fact, I was so enthralled by it that I started a little collection of different printings and copies of this book. I also have “Pictures Showing What Happens on Each Page of Thomas Pynchon’s Novel Gravity’s Rainbow,” by Zak Smith, and a companion reader I can’t remember the name of right now. I’ve read other Pynchon novels too: “The Crying of Lot 49” and “V” in particular. I started Vineland but didn’t finish it. Really liked V, and I thought Lot 49 was good but not great.
15. “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” by Dave Eggers. Read this in about 2006, soon after grad school. I was about 28. Maybe it’s cheating to call this a novel since it’s autobiographical, but I think it counts. This is a book that, to me, is just like the title says. But it’s another that, like The Road, I’ve been suprised by the number of people who’ve read it and didn’t like it. All I can say is I just don’t have that perspective at all. This book left a huge impression on me. I remember thinking Eggers was a genius (still do) and that his voice was so developed and moving. I still recommend this book to anyone.
16. “The Naked and the Dead,” by Normal Mailer. This is the only Norman Mailer I’ve read so far, but I really loved it. This was also about 2006. I don’t remember many specifics from the plot, but a few memorable scenes still stick out. It’s another one I want to read again. I think I could get a lot more out of it now than when I read it.
17. “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison. I think of this as one I probably should have read before 2008, which is about when I read it. I was about 30 years old. Wow. Toni Morrison. What a writer. You know I’ve learned my experiences with “famous” books can vary from the public opinion, but all in all I’ve found the jury of public opinion to be pretty spot-on when it comes to what constitutes timeless, wonderful literature. This book is like that. When I finally read it, I knew instantly why it had such a reputation, and why Toni Morrison is a genius. This book instantly left an impression on me, and I remember asking myself why I had waited so long to experience this amazing story.
18. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” by Douglas Adams. I read this about 2008 too. I hadn’t read it before, by this point I’d seen the movie. I loved this book. It’s so full of humor and insight and it’s so witty. This is a great read, but I wouldn’t think to recommend it to just anyone. I feel like it might be one of those “you’ll know it if you see it” situations. If you think it looks interesting, then you’ll probably love it. If you know a little something about it and aren’t intrigued, you probably won’t.
19. “2666,” by Roberto Bolano. I read this book in about 2008 as well. I don’t want to spoil anything, but for those of you who’ve read it, I remember just sitting in my chair reading that one chapter with just graphic description after graphic description and thinking, my goodness this is powerful. It’s a really dense and amazing story, and it had me completely enthralled. This book is dark, but very powerful and an amazing read.
20. “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle,” by David Wroblewski. I read this novel in maybe 2012. I was about 34 or 35 years old. This novel just drew me in. I loved the story and felt very emotional when it was over. Many scenes from this book have kept a prominent place in my memory, and I’d recommend to almost anyone. Has Wroblewski written anything else yet?
21. “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini. This book I read around 2012 as well. I don’t remember the entire storyline (I do remember some of it), but it left a remarkably positive impression on me anyway. I haven’t read anymore of Hosseini yet, but it’s on my list. I remember reading this book on the front porch of my house and just having to stop, put it on my lap, and think about what I was reading. The language is beautiful. I’d recommend this book to anyone at all.
22. “Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West,” by Cormac McCarthy. I initially started to feel like I was cheating you all by re-listing some authors, but that can’t be the case since I’m being honest. I read this about 2012 or so too. By this time I had read The Road and Child of God, and decided to tackle this one. Boy am I glad I did. This is one of my favorite novels of all time. It’s so violent and mysterious, and the entire idea of the character of Judge Holden is fascinating because of how McCarthy used him in the story. This book isn’t for everyone (it’s quite violent, so if that isn’t your thing, be forewarned), but it’s a masterpiece. It’s one of those books I feel like I could always be reading, over and over, along with anything else I happen to be reading at the time, and very few books have made me feel that way (Gravity’s Rainbow might be the other).
23. “Everything is Illuminated,” by Jonathan Safran Foer. This book I read about 2013, and I was maybe 35. It’s a fun read. I can understand why there’s some controversy surrounding whether Safran Foer is a “great American writer,” but the truth is I really like his writing (I’ve also read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” but not his newest novel, yet). I know there are traces of some cliche to it and all that, but there’s no denying he knows how to put an entertaining story down on paper. Again, this is a book I can recommend to anyone.
24. “American Pastoral,” by Philip Roth. I read this about 2013 too. This book is so good and the story is so powerful. I read this and knew why Philip Roth is Philip Roth. It’s not a book for everyone, but for anyone who likes some literature that you can really think about, it’s a good one.
25. “The Corrections,” by Jonathan Franzen. I read this about 2013 too. This book made me a Franzen fan (I’ve since read “Freedom” which I also thought was very good, and some of his essays). I thought the story was so funny and touching. I tried to get my wife to read this but she just couldn’t get into it, so I guess it’s not for everyone, but honestly I can’t understand why.
26. “The Pillars of the Earth,” by Ken Follett. I read this about 2013. Man this is a page-turning, awesome read. I think the story is so compelling, and this book has one of the best villains I’ve ever read. It’s an easy one to recommend to anyone. It’s not too “deep,” it’s entertaining, and it’s a can’t-put-down type of read.
27. “All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr. I read this in 2014. About 36 years old. This is such a powerful novel, and I enjoyed every bit of it. The language is beautiful, the story is beautiful and eye-opening, and it’s left an amazing impression on me. It’s touching and sad and I could go on and on, but I’ll just say read it.
So those are the books that, right this moment, I’d say have left the biggest impressions on me. I’ve obviously read a lot more than these, but this is a pretty solid list of amazing books in my mind. What do you think?
by kinginthenorth78