bluegreen17 | books or other media that have inspired you?

books or other media that have inspired you?

with the new year and all,i was thinking i'd like to find a few good books to discipline myself and read this year. i read A LOT,but rarely do i read an entire book.

so,i went to the library and poked around,but couldn't think of anything. there's tons of books that are pure junk food. i love junk food as much as anyone else,be it in actual food,or in the sense of reading (when i'm in the mood,people or the british ok or hello) or watching tv. (i think 'lost' fits in this category...i'm kind of intrigued but i feel that it will end up being unnourishing in the end.)

so,i think i will post this query here and in some communities...

what books have inspired you and/or changed your life? if so,why? any movies or tv shows?

i'd love to hear if anyone cares to share!

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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig
Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse
The Unabomber's Manifesto - Ted Kaczynski
Walden - Henry David Thoreau
Life Without Principle - Henry David Thoreau
In Praise of Idleness - Bertrand Russell
The Transcendentalist - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Mastery of Love and The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz

As far as movies, Powaqqatsi (second in the Qatsi trilogy) and The Motorcycle Diaries are the two most influential I can think of.

There are probably more in each category, but that's all I can think of for now. Some of these weren't really life changing, because they pointed in a direction I'd already begun to turn, but I think they could be life changing to someone who hadn't seen that path yet. It really depends where you are in your life as to what appeals.

excellent! thank you for your thoughtful response.

i've read steppenwolf,siddhartha and narcissus and goldmund by hesse and siddhartha remains an all-time favorite. i have re-read the chapter where he embraces all of life many times,and was actually pointed there by an essay by henry miller,whose nonfiction i love.

i've also read the four agreements and parts of mastery of love and they are quite good.

'in praise of idleness' sounds right up my alley!

thanks again for your recommendations.

wow, those were good recommendations, eh? I have to agree on the Don Miguel Ruiz books.. I only read The Four Agreements but that guy is so huggable.. ha! Even if you don't follow his advice, you feel better for having read it!

What a great question. I think I'm going to save your post to memories so I can refer back to all the comments later!

Off the top of my head...

Books:

Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh
Conversations With God by Neale Donald Walsch
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Living a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard
Plato's complete works

Movies:

The Little Princess
Life is Beautiful
I Heart Huckabees
What the Bleep
What Dreams May Come
Magnolia

I know I've left movies out...just can't think of more right now.

I'd recommend the book, What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson...

Oh, and you're probably wondering how I came across you LJ (I know I'd be curious if the reverse were true), it's our mutual interest in Atomic Ranch. So, I read a little of you bio and LJ and now here I am. I'd put you on my "friends" list, but that seems a tad presumptuous without your permission.

hello! thanks for the recommendation. i'll check it out. what is a SEATwriter?

anyway, certainly you may add me to your friends list. i don't think one needs to ask,but people do differ in their opinions in that matter,so i appreciate your politeness!

there should be a new atomic ranch out soon. i love a lot of 50's,60's stuff. i grew up then and it's partly nostalgia but there's also a neat spirit of those times i like to associate with. i love the retro-futurism and optimism of it all. i'm interested in different architecture,though i'm no expert. lately i'm really into island/beach cottages and florida and the caribbean. i'd probably hate the feel of florida if i went there (humidity...yuck) but i love reading about it and seeing photographs. i partly watch csi miami because i love the pretty aerial views (though the csis themselves are pretty as well--the men AND the women). i'm also currently in love with pastel colors...think of easter colors...and miami seems to have a lot of those. i'm a color fanatic. (my lj name might betray that a bit!)

anyway,i think i will add you back and i'm assuming that will be cool with you. i don't write much--it seems recently i do so much more reading than writing,and am not inspired to write all that much,but i do here and there and try to be amusing!

what attracts you to the atomic ranch style? is that a brilliant magazine or what?

I'll answer the "seatwriter" question first. A "seatwriter" is that person who places his butt in a seat in front of his writing instrument of choice (typewriter, word processor, computer), and sets about the task of writing a particular amount of words everyday, with the goal of having a finished product done before he gets to old to see what it looks like.

Take me for instance, I start my day by 9 am and write until at least 1 pm everyday. I'm a seatwriter.

Florida isn't all humidity, it's not bad along the coastline, with the northern East coast being much more palpable than Miami (and just as eclectic). I prefer the West coast [of Florida] though, particularly St Petersburg it's comparable to Miami without all the flash.

As for Atomic Ranch, I'm looking forward to having it arrive in my mailbox--I'm an original founding subscriber--and I enjoy reading it very much.

My interest comes by way of renting a Cliff May house when I first started working in Hollywood. Now, my wife and I are building a mid-century inspired home here in Malibu, which we hope to finished before fall.

For TV shows the only one I'd mention is The Outer Limits (new series), but I imagine you know of it.

Movies, here's a few, I have a feeling you'll already have seen most, and movie tastes are quite personal, but whatever, no point taking any chances you'd miss out on something worthwhile.

Inspirational and life-changing:
Waking Life (http://imdb.com/title/tt0243017/)
Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amelie Poulain (http://imdb.com/title/tt0211915/)

May be getting close to junk food depending on tastes, but life-changing for me:
Spirited Away (http://imdb.com/title/tt0245429/)
Donnie Darko (http://imdb.com/title/tt0246578/)
Mulholland Dr (http://imdb.com/title/tt0166924/)
Memento (http://imdb.com/title/tt0209144/)

Life-changing, uncomfortably jarring but worthwhile nonetheless:
Irreversible (http://imdb.com/title/tt0290673/)
Event Horizon (http://imdb.com/title/tt0119081/)
Jacob's Ladder (http://imdb.com/title/tt0099871/)

Krishnamurti "The Awakening of Intelligence" -it can be a personal revolution in paperback....throws out all preconception....is a good antidote for the insensitive politics of this millennium !

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