This one is pretty simple. Name 15 (or so) books that have been important to you in your life. Don't take too long to think about it. Tag some of your friends, if you feel like it. If I'm tagging you, of course it's because I want to see your book list!

[Tagged by Kevin. For the sake of understanding I've included short reasons to why these books I deem important to me. If I tagged you it means that you should probably think about this too. Good reflection.]

1. Enid Blyton's story collections
This is way back in my childhood but these were the very books that got me into reading in the first place. And early moral convictions too, cos Enid Blyton had many moral "case studies".

2. Sherlock Holmes detective stories (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
This introduction of books was probably wat sparked my mode of thinking and got me into the whole British literature thing. Also was the collection that found me some common friends

3. The Lord of the... Flies (William A. Golding)
My very first, serious literature text. This has got to be one of the most important books in my life because it exposed me to issues of human nature, the question of society in life, developed in me a hunger for more literary works and burned my innocent being.


4. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
Important not because it was a bestseller nor due to its content but because it led me to find out more these claims to Christianity and religion. Could have been the book that sparked my religious orientation

5. NKJV The Holy Bible
Naturally the next relevant book would be the Holy Bible itself. Was my reading companion during my lazy NS days. Was the book that set me thinking about God and others. Was the book which after reading I made myself a religious 'deviant'. My religious views are wholly mine and mine alone.

6. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
I didn't realise it then, but on re-visiting it recently this book stand a very very high chance of being the book that sowed the seeds of interest I now have for Sociology, as well as my hardened views on character types and material consumption. The utopia that the protagonists live in disgusts us and looks more like dystopia to us, even if the daily-desired material wants in society today are all catered for in the book. Scintillating and so relevant to our lives even after 7 decades.

7. Sociology: The Compass for our new world
Enough Said

8. Tonnes of journal articles
Enough said

addendum

9. Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
I can't believe I didn't include this book in list previously. Ray Bradbury has got to be one of the writers with the most influential works on me. This book I picked up when I was in Secondary 3-4, and the dystopia inside probably was a precursor to my interest in Brave New World.

I can't say how much the idea of dystopia - or simply the idea that a lot of things are warped and wrong in the world today - has planted my thought bearings and my life-world perspectives (did I use it right?). It sounds scary but I have formed my own notion of dystopia - and the elements are all right in the world that I, and maybe you live in.


Am still thinking for more books.