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I'm on Goodreads and LibraryThing, but these are some of the books that hold special meaning for me. These are books that I highly recommend.
CDB! by Steig
This is a book that I remember very fondly from my
childhood. I remember the excitement of figuring out the meanings.
Children Solve Problems by De Bono
I loved this book as a kid. When I think back, it is this book that
really triggered in me the idea that there were fantastic solutions to
problems in life that involved creativity and a sense of wonder.
Bury Me Standing by Fonseca
This book was a wonderful read and gave me a beautiful "Aha!" moment
when it reveals the probable reason for the presence of the Gypsy in
Europe and compares the experience of the Gypsy, as a feared outsider, to
the experience of the African-Americans in the United States.
The Scientification of Love by Odent
This is one of those books, like several on this list, that make
things make sense. There's just something really special about a book that
can flip you around and make things clear. The contents of this book
helped me to really start to understand how unnatural the birthing process
is in the modern world. I think I was scared of reading this book and
having my romanticism wounded, but that didn't happen. If anything, this
book filled me with even more wonder and joy with the idea of family and
love.
Real Magic by Bonewits
At some point in the 70s, I can't quite remember exacty when, I saw
this book on the shelves at the University of Washington Bookstore. This
book is a wonderful, serious and scholarly examination of the principles
of magic. Neither a new age flight of fancy, nor a cynically dismissive
work, this book filled my need for honest information about the subject.
One Human Minute by Lem
This book is a collection of short stories. These short stories are
reviews of books from the future. It's a fantastic device to create the
impression in the mind of the reader without having to trip over all the
details and spoiling the illusion. The title story was wonderful. It has
the quality of unsticking the mind in time and taking a new view on
something that seems mundane. It's similar to movies like Baraka in this
sense, but it's on the written page.
The Mind Parasites by Wilson
I found this book toward the end of a period when I was very
interested in Lovecraft and stories in his mythos. This is a wonderful
example of the kind of plot that develops in layers, revealing new facets
at each level. Oddly, it's very similar to another Wilson book called The
Philosopher's Stone, but this one I can whole-heartedly recommend.
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