Please give the five most memorable books that you have ever read,
with a short explanation of why.
I detest political correctness so this should not be a factor.
Any comments will also be welcome.

Dear boyo62,

These are the five most memorable books I have ever read:

1. "Bring the Jubilee", by Ward Moore. This novel was my first
encounter with the concept of Alternate History. In this particular
case, it's about a world where the Confederate States won the Civil
War. The idea that history could have developed differently, and that
even small events can set or change the course of things to come, was
most fascinating. The insight that history is not, like history books
imply, a chain of events developing with inevitable logic has
influenced my view of the world and my own literary work in a way I
can't underestimate.

2. The Germanicus trilogy, "Procurator", "The New Barbarians" and "Cry
Republic", by Kirk Mitchell. I found these three books (which I count
as one single work in this case) as a result of my interest in
Alternate History. The description of a Roman Empire that still exits
in what would be the late 20th century for us is, at least for me,
among the most interesting and at the same time most frightening
things I have ever read. A world where fragments of modern technology
seem oddly misplaced amid a society that remained unchanged, a brutal
society with strange values. I have never read anything like it before
and ever since.

3. "Das erfundene Mittelalter" (The Fictitious Middle Age), by Dr.
Heribert Illig. A non-fiction book by a German scholar who made a case
that about 300 years of medieval history were nothing but invention,
with the consequence that important figures of European history, like
Charlemagne, became fictitious characters, made up in later times for
various reasons. Though I am not at all convinced that Illig's
theories are correct, his book made me think more deeply about many
aspects of historic tradition. I still do not doubt the existence of
Charlemagne or of the years between 600 and 900 AD. But I noticed how
easy manipulating history could be if one had the will and the means
to do so. We can never be sure what really happened, not even
concerning the most basic things regarded as rock-solid historical
facts - that is the disturbing and fascinating insight I got from this
(otherwise quite dodgy) book.

4. "Mit dem Fahrstuhl in die Römerzeit" (Into the Roman Era by
Elevator), by Rudolf Pörtner. Another non-fiction book written by a
German scholar, but this time of non-speculative content. I read this
book, an account of the Roman Era in Germany, for the first time when
I was quite a young child, about 9 or 10 years old. And I have read it
again and again since then. Pörtner presents locations of both "big"
and "small" history, always building bridges between the far past and
the present. With his enjoylably casual and unintrusive, yet very
exact style, he did his part to awaken my interest in history with
this book.

5. "Sam & Max - Surfin' the Highway", by Steve Purcell. Inclusion of
this comic book is not the attempt of being funny. I am absolutely
honest when I say that it belongs to the books I will surely never
forget. The stories about the dog Sam and the (seemingly) cute white
rabbit Max, the Freelance Police, are sick, brutal, insane,
disturbing, bizarre and incredibly hilarious in a morbid way,
lightyears away from Disney. They are true masterpieces of a twisted
genius. Weird (but excellent) drawings are complemented by texts that
have burned deeply into my brain. Such as Sam talking about having
breakfast on vacation: "Don't you just love stopping for breakfast
when you're on the road? I do ... and so does my hairy little friend.
And Max does, too."


Hope this is what you were looking for!
Regards,
Scriptor

Many thanks Scriptor. By strange coincidence my wife is german, and
hers is the language we have spoken together for more than 40yrs, so
we shall definitely take a closer look at the books on your list. My
thanks also to those who  have posted lists in the form of comments,
it certainly seems as if there should be plenty to read in the coming
winter months.
P.S. The 5 stars are automatic – you certainly did what you were asked to do!

http://bible.gospelcom.net/

Walden-- Henry David Thoreau. This was my first (and best ever) intro
to thoughtful insights and well-written ideas on nature, life, etc.

Genome-- Matt Ridley This was my first intro to the depths of
molecular biology, yet it is written in very understandable,
literature-like prose. I'd recommend it to anyone-- it opens up
insights on the human body, and it does so in a very ingenious way!

The Odyssey-- Homer. This was the first Greek literature I ever read,
and I loved it. It was a fascinating journey, in an archaic yet
intriguing prose.

Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman-- Richard Feynman
Einstein's Universe-- I forgot the author
Relativity-- Albert Einstein. I group these three books together
because these were my first exposure in high school to the reality and
depths of theoretical physics, and they're what made me want to be a
scientist when I grew up (especially Feynman's book-- he had the
funniest stories I had ever read, and they were so enlightening!).

Running With Scissors-Augusten Burroughs. This memoir is out of
control funny. I thought I had a wacked out upbringing. This makes it
look like Leave It To Beaver.

Life Extension- Dirk Pearson and Sandy Shaw. More discoveries in
personal health and longevity than all other books combined. This is
the bible and it was written over 20 years ago! Plenty of time to
watch others harness pieces and bring them to commercial market. An
amazing guide.

As A Man Thinketh- James Allen.  You thought Norman Vincent Peale was
the Father of Positive Thinking? This small profound book should be in
every childs hands as soon as it can be read. It never leaves my
bedside. A gem.

Please Understand Me- Dr, David Kiersey. A guide to the different
personalities and how they associate. Why this topic is not studied
from grade school on is a mystery as it unlocks all of us and creates
a excellent opportunity to understand and communicate beyond
differences.

Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim- David Sedaris. Current Best
Seller . Read it last month and still laugh when I read a new review
in the paper. This guy has few boundries and the perfect family for
it. Dave Barry on drugs in a bad neighborhood teeming with
disfunction..and true.

Hi, boyo62--

My test of memorability is that the book has indeed been remembered
for a long time.  Any recent reading might at best be a candidate for
memorablity, but I often find that those seemingly big, high-impact
books fade into vagueness in less than a year's time.  All the
following have remained vividly with me for more than four decades.  I
think they all marked me and shaped me.

The fact that I read several in school takes nothing away from the
fact that I read them with a responsive attention that goes deeper
than mere pleasure; I had teachers who did not systematically ruin
books by employing every conceivable device likely to make students
hate them.

The books that children and young people read matter greatly.  They
should stretch readers.  They should contain real words, not
controlled vocabulary, and it is all right if readers don't understand
every word.  And they should present drama, conflict, strong feelings,
and real problems and dangers that allow readers to feel as if they'd
experienced something outside the safety of their small worlds.  They
should be books that can mark and shape a child.  And they should be
books that enrich adult readers as well as the young.

Children should see their parents reading.

Forgive me for naming six, not five, but approximate compliance with
rules is usually the best I can manage.

====================

1. The Elephant's Child, by Rudyard Kipling.  It's all right to ask questions.

2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the other six Narnia
stories, by C. S. Lewis.  Deep magic.

3. Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain.  A journey to freedom, led by the heart.
  
4. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell.  Rhett, Scarlett, and the
Civil War in the South:  characters so vivid that it was hard to
believe they were invented, and a setting that pulsed with immediacy.

5. Silas Marner, by George Eliot.  Seeing deeply, tenderly, and wisely
into the mysteries of the human heart.

6. A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens.  High drama and
melodrama:  love and death, mayhem and intrigue against the supremely
dramatic background of the French Revolution.

====================

Archae0pteryx

http://www.kuro5hin.org/comments/2004/3/4/3157/15548/123

That's a link to something I posted earlier this year. If you view the
entire article ("What Books Have Influenced Your Life?"), you'll find
many more suggestions, and even a few links to other, similar
discussion threads.