Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

it was the first book I ever read, and I decided to do it on my own. I was 16 and it was the greatest thing I had done for myself up to that point. It was such a big thing for me. I had never read a book front to back before, let alone deciding to do it on my own.

And so I checked that book out at the library. Went home and started to read the first couple chapters. Got some tomato soup and a grilled cheese and then next thing I know its 2AM and I read that whole book in almost one sitting!!!

The freedom it gave my mind was a gift I can never reply. Douglass Adams is and always will be one of my favorite humans for what he gave me in that story.

1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Grew up seeing it on the bookshelf and thought it was a horror book. Like Texas Chainsaw Massacre in book form.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Gave me fresh perspective on the state of America

2001: A Space Odyssey touched me in that special place between science, religion, and spirituality.

It was always hungry, and now it was starving. When the first faint glow of dawn crept into the cave, Moon-Watcher saw that his father had died in the night. He did not know that the Old One was his father, for such a relationship was utterly beyond his understanding, but as he looked at the emaciated body he felt dim disquiet that was the ancestor of sadness

In their explorations, they encountered life in many forms, and watched the workings of evolution on a thousand worlds. They saw how often the first faint sparks of intelligence flickered and died in the cosmic night. And because, in all the galaxy, they had found nothing more precious than Mind, they encouraged its dawning everywhere. They became farmers in the fields of stars; they sowed, and sometimes they reaped. And sometimes, dispassionately, they had to weed.

Can I say the entire Discworld series? Sure they're funny fantasy stories, but I reckon Pterry's view on humanity formed a lot of how I think about the world.

Also Dark Money by Jane Mayer.

How to seize the means of computation By cory Doctorow.

Great author love all of his books. Love his its free to read any of his books on craphound. But i ended up buying physical copys because i just needed to own them.

The book talks about how things were with betamax and VHS. And how modern day tech is crap and how to fix it!

Its diffently the most influential books ive read.

This was a short story, but I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream left me in a depressive state for a few days. Based purely on the feelings I got involved I wouldn't recommend it. It's not necessarily bad though. It's just... Intense I guess.

Enders game a it was the only novel I had finished in my life. Took me 3 years but disabilities like ADHD is horrible for me. I can read pretty well but any books like novels just can't do it. Also with aphantasia it gets even worse.

Manufacturing Consent. Chomsky.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight was one that set me on quite the Dragonlance collection and reading journey

The Lord of The Rings. This book changed reading for me. I always enjoyed fantastical themes, but this one really got me. Then, I found out there was more. More background, more world building, more why.

I've never turned back. I re read it occasionally and I've read much of Tolkien's other works. Next on the list is to begin working through The History of Middle Earth. I will be starting this in the fall. It may take me quite some time to get through.

"What Is a Laser?"

When I saw that book in the elementary school library it was a revelation: There are books explaining the cool mysterious stuff like that! And written for kids to understand!

I think that one book is a big part of what sent me on the path to geekdom.

It wasn't technically my first nonfiction science book, which would be "Our Friend the Atom" but I wasn't old enough to actually read that when I had it (probably got destroyed before I could). I liked the pictures though.

The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer

It isn't just sci-fi, there's a lot of coming to terms with your limited amount of human influence on your environment and life, that there unknowns that will always be unknown, and that's ok, we're no different than the gains of sand by the lighthouse, as subject to nature as the grass, or birds.

There are also clones of people that have to come to terms with their identity as to what they are, even if they themselves don't fully understand it, and can't.

The universe is bigger than you, and your scope is limited, but that's ok. Find wherever you fit and try to find purpose in the chaos.

Time enough for love - Heinlein

Nor crystal tears - Foster

A world out of time - Niven

Ringworld - Niven

Sassinak - McCaffrey

The Martian - Weir

Hatchet.

It taight me that you never have to give up. Even when all looks completely lost, keeping your head on a swivel and keeping yourself goal oriented, you can get yourself through almost anything.

Growing up? Stranger in a Strange Land

MIchael's way of viewing the world felt so natural to me, and yet so different from almost anyone else around.

Not one book but an entire series: Goodnight Punpun.

The ending of the last night angel books really follows you around.

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.

The main character’s reflection on his past and continuation of growth really resonates with me.

Krabat

Everybody Poops

How to solve it by Polya.

Crime and Punishment.

1984 and Brave New World

Learning Perl, 2nd edition

Played bloody knuckles with hard copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire once in grade school, and still have a lil mark from it.

Unauthorized Bread by Cory Doctorow. Based on a few true stories and set five minutes in the future, telling the story of the poorest in society, the arbitrary restrictions put on them and, the namesake, the way their lives are controlled by corporate surveillance and physical DRM enabled by disinterested legislators. It's a short story from one of his collections.

Consider Phlebas

I had been reading, mainly fantasy up until that point because of 2 less understandable sci-fi books. The feel of realism and cynisism, mixed with optimistic philosophy. I'm not a very visual reader, but that book made some awe-inspiring scenes in my head. It's just the very peak of 80s sci-fi

A lot but here are the most recent ones (all non fiction)

Immense World : How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
Essential for understanding how other creatures live in our world and insight on how ours evolved to what it is right now.

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Chur
Really great intro to practical ethics that is incredibly accessible as far as ethics books go. Everyone should at least skim this.

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Best introduction to in my opinion the most important philosophy branch of western culture - Stoicism!

All Quiet on the Western Front

Tells you everything you need to know about war. First book which made me cry. Everybody should read it.

The End of Policing.

The Scar, China Meiville - It's an epic journey and the clear best, in my opinion, of the Bas Lag novels. It has such weight and magic to the journey. Mystery too. It's a book that leaves you feeling like you want to feel more.

The Wild Girls, Ursula K Le Guin - a tale so emotional that I was broken for two days after reading it. Couldn't bring myself to read, or really do much except think about what I'd read.
Its about a slaving raid on a village near a city state, family, love, and gender.

Voltaire's Bastards by John Ralston Saul. It showed me how the world really works. Also The Doubter's Companion as a supplement to that.

Edit to add that after reading through all the comments, it's pleasing what a well-read community we have here.

'Blindsight' and 'echopraxia' have had some of the longest reach in me, as far as books i read in adulthood.

Horror, but philosophical horror. It's so good.

These two changed my whole perspective on American history and the public school system, as I learned a lot of information that had been deliberately withheld from me.

• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• A People's History of the United States

As for fiction:

• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Beautiful and a little sad)
• The Tapestry Series by Henry Neff (Just a wonderful series to read)
• Night Shift by Stephen King (Read it way too young, in elementary school)
• The Bible (in a bad way, God is an asshole)
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (A trip through my childhood, basically)
• Incidents Around the House (A scary book that touches on all our worst fears as kid)
• The Witches by Roald Dahl (Just a great kids horror book)

Anna Karenina. There's no better pshychological character study of upper class Russian culture (but at the same time, about people in general).

The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog.

The technological society by Jacques Ellul. This book introduces a new way of looking at the world.