<p>Hi
I want to know what books out there are worth reading. What are the books that "shaped the personalities of their readers" as some people like to put it? By the way, I'd like them to be downloadable for free, because decent books are just to expensive to buy, and never in paper-back. I want to make the most of the summer vacation, and to read anything of literary value.</p>
<p>Thanks,
NA</p>
<p>hmmm i think everyone should read ‘catcher in the rye’, and for recreational purposes= ‘the five people you meet in heaven’ by mitch albom [best book ever]
not sure if it’s available for free because i dont download books-but the authors are popular so you can most likely find them online.</p>
<p>I think the book that has most inspired me was… Anthem by Ayn Rand. It’s short, but powerful.</p>
<p>“Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad</p>
<p>i agree with sapphire_ocean… “the five people you meet in heaven” (albom) is a great book! although its not a difficult read, it is thought provoking.</p>
<p>i’ve also really been enjoying john irving’s books. so far i’ve only read “a prayer for owen meany” and “the world according to garp”, but they are amazing.</p>
<p>dostoevsky obviously</p>
<p>There are so many! I’m not sure if you can download them for free but here are ten in no order:
1)The Catcher in the Rye
2)1984
3)To Kill a Mockingbird
4)Pride and Prejudice
5)A Tale of Two Cities
6)Little Women
7)The Scarlet Letter
8)Schindler’s List
9)And Then There Were None
10)The Da Vinci Code</p>
<p>I agree with Mitch Albom’s books. Also try Tuesdays with Morrie by the same author.</p>
<p>For me, the most influential/thought provoking books I’ve read are To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and The Little Prince</p>
<p>War and Peace</p>
<p>The Prince by Machiavelli and Meditations by Aurelius but I’m kind of old school…</p>
<p>Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi
Once Upon A Potty was pretty inspiring, too.</p>
<p>There is a website, Wattpad, that has many of these books available for free-- you can download them to your Iphone, too. I think they are complete versions.</p>
<p>Great books to read online for free:</p>
<p>George Orwell: 1984, [1984</a> by george orwell (Eric Blair) - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/158851-1984-by-george-orwell-Eric-Blair-]1984”>http://www.wattpad.com/158851-1984-by-george-orwell-Eric-Blair-)
George Orwell: Animal Farm, [Animal</a> Farm - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/151354-Animal-Farm]Animal”>http://www.wattpad.com/151354-Animal-Farm)
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice: [Pride</a> and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/81628-Pride-and-Prejudice-by-Jane-Austen]Pride”>http://www.wattpad.com/81628-Pride-and-Prejudice-by-Jane-Austen)
Antoine de Saint Euxpery, The Little Prince, [The</a> Little Prince - Wattpad](<a href=“The Little Prince - Wattpad”>The Little Prince - Wattpad)
Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities, [A</a> Tale Of Two Cities - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/75662-A-Tale-Of-Two-Cities]A”>http://www.wattpad.com/75662-A-Tale-Of-Two-Cities)
Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, [Nicholas</a> Nickleby-complete-Charles Dickens - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/75143-Nicholas-Nickleby-complete-Charles-Dickens]Nicholas”>http://www.wattpad.com/75143-Nicholas-Nickleby-complete-Charles-Dickens)
Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, [Oliver</a> Twist by Charles Dickens - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/83189-Oliver-Twist-by-Charles-Dickens]Oliver”>http://www.wattpad.com/83189-Oliver-Twist-by-Charles-Dickens)
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist, [alchemist</a> - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/27265-alchemist]alchemist”>http://www.wattpad.com/27265-alchemist)
Albert Camus, The Stranger, [The</a> Stranger - Albert Camus - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/92220-The-Stranger-Albert-Camus]The”>http://www.wattpad.com/92220-The-Stranger-Albert-Camus)
Albert Camus, The Plague, [The</a> Plague - Albert Camus - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/157681-The-Plague-Albert-Camus]The”>http://www.wattpad.com/157681-The-Plague-Albert-Camus)
Fyodor Dostoevski, Crime and Punishment, [crime</a> and punishment - Wattpad](<a href=“crime and punishment - Wattpad”>crime and punishment - Wattpad)
Fyodor Dostoevski, Notes from the Underground, [Notes</a> from the Underground - Wattpad](<a href=“Notes from the Underground - Wattpad”>Notes from the Underground - Wattpad)
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, [War</a> and Peace - Wattpad](<a href=“War and Peace - Wattpad”>War and Peace - Wattpad)
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, [The</a> Prince - Wattpad](<a href=“The Prince - Wattpad”>The Prince - Wattpad)
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, [To</a> Kill a Mockingbird by Nelle Harper Lee - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/82466-To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-by-Nelle-Harper-Lee]To”>http://www.wattpad.com/82466-To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-by-Nelle-Harper-Lee)
William Golding, Lord of the Flies, [Golding</a> - LORD OF THE FLIES - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/24936-Golding-LORD-OF-THE-FLIES]Golding”>http://www.wattpad.com/24936-Golding-LORD-OF-THE-FLIES)
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, [Heart</a> of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/84054-Heart-of-Darkness-by-Joseph-Conrad]Heart”>http://www.wattpad.com/84054-Heart-of-Darkness-by-Joseph-Conrad)
Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie, [Tuesdays</a> with Morrie - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/131133-Tuesdays-with-Morrie]Tuesdays”>http://www.wattpad.com/131133-Tuesdays-with-Morrie)
Mitch Albom, [The</a> 5 People You Meet In Heaven - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/150204-The-5-People-You-Meet-In-Heaven]The”>http://www.wattpad.com/150204-The-5-People-You-Meet-In-Heaven)
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, [Little</a> Women by Louisa May Alcott - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/83028-Little-Women-by-Louisa-May-Alcott]Little”>http://www.wattpad.com/83028-Little-Women-by-Louisa-May-Alcott)
Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, [Agatha</a> Christie - Murder On The Orient Express - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/30529-Agatha-Christie-Murder-On-The-Orient-Express]Agatha”>http://www.wattpad.com/30529-Agatha-Christie-Murder-On-The-Orient-Express)
Agatha Christie, Murder in Mesopotamia, [Agatha</a> Christie - Murder In Mesopotamia - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/30528-Agatha-Christie-Murder-In-Mesopotamia]Agatha”>http://www.wattpad.com/30528-Agatha-Christie-Murder-In-Mesopotamia)
Agatha Christie, And there were None, [And</a> then there were none - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/92510-And-then-there-were-none]And”>http://www.wattpad.com/92510-And-then-there-were-none)
Ayn Rand, Anthem, [Anthem</a> - Wattpad](<a href=“http://www.wattpad.com/5783-Anthem]Anthem”>http://www.wattpad.com/5783-Anthem)</p>
<p>READ BEFORE YOU DIE:
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
[Rita</a> Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption - eSnips, share anything](<a href=“http://www.esnips.com/doc/da21e5f5-eea2-4382-b6c4-942e8177b3a6/Rita%20Hayworth%20&%20The%20Shawshank%20Redemption]Rita”>http://www.esnips.com/doc/da21e5f5-eea2-4382-b6c4-942e8177b3a6/Rita%20Hayworth%20&%20The%20Shawshank%20Redemption)</p>
<p>HARRY POTTER BIT.CHES</p>
<p>■■■■■ everything else</p>
<p>Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Best, most original comedy of the twentieth century.</p>
<p>If you want books that have a high probability of redefining the way you practically live your life, (books that do more than you make you ponder philosophical questions), I’d recommend the following for young readers. </p>
<p>Catch-22, Catcher in the Rye, the Fountainhead - they all have incredible heroes/borderline anti-heroes. You’ll either love or hate Yossarian, Holden, and Howard, but in my opinion, they have all tremendously influenced the way I see the world as a young, ambitious, slightly pretentious slacker. </p>
<p>The Prince - at first I thought this was just political philosophy, but this knowledge will crop up in all types of situations. The ideas you form in your mind in reaction of Machiavelli’s outline of how a Prince should run his land will influence how you act with your friends, how you work the college system, how you influence people, etc. </p>
<p>Richard Dawkins - I really don’t like the guy, but I think his books, especially Selfish Gene, are just behemoths of mind-fckingly interesting ideas, and if ten percent of those ideas are integrated by your mind, then you will be damn glad you read him. </p>
<p>Count of Monte Cristo - Edmund Dantes just has the greatest heroic journey since Odysseus. And it’s just a great story-line, even if you don’t consider the tremendous themes that Dumas put into his masterpiece.</p>
<p>Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. Most books by Kurt Vonnegut - especially Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five, and Player Piano.</p>
<p>I’d regullary read up on magazines like National Geographic and Popular Science while you’re not reading books. But yea people here have already given good lists. Try any book by Agatha Christie, or just google something the lines of “best books of all time”</p>
<p>My personal recommendation: Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”
Or read up on some sports books and take up a sport like tennis or something.</p>
<p>“Culture Warrior” by Bill O’Reilly.</p>