This post + tag made the rounds of Facebook a while back, so I thought I’d take a chance to expand (expound?) on my list and explain why each of these books affected me, and why you should read them.

 Ten Books That Make You Think

The Road – Cormac McCarthy

The Road is a simple story about a father and son traversing a post apocalyptic landscape in search of resources and a place to call home. It’s bleak, desolate, and dreary. What stuck with me about this book was the relationship between the father and son. The son keeps asking the father, “but we’re the good guys, right?” as they steal from other people and do whatever it takes to survive. Could you defend the morality of your choices in such a horrible situation? How would you behave?

No Country For Old Men – Cormac McCarthy

No Country For Old Men tells a story of causality vs. chaos. The controversial ending only helps to illuminate this question. Is there such a thing as free will, or are our paths laid out in an irreversible course? It’s worth it just to experience the reaction to the ending.

The Four Agreements – don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements is probably my top in the list of books that make you think. Four simple rules for better living, driven home clearly and easily with concrete examples, repetition, and plain language. Maybe it’s too clichéd to say a book changed your life, but this one might just do that.

Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury is one of the fathers of science fiction, and this book is a seminal work in the field of dystopian fiction. Before Divergent and Maze Runner, Fahrenheit 451 predicted a bleak future that will make you question the benefit of all this technology we obsess about and use to simplify our lives.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman

Nerd-hero Neil Gaiman has written a beautiful, haunting piece about childhood, innocence lost, and imagination. Click to read my full review of The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

If you’re an adult and want to feel nostalgic about being a teenager, you need to read this book. The depth of the point-of-view immersion is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Click to read my full review of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

American Psycho – Brett Easton Ellis

American Psycho puts you deep inside the head of a serial killer, and it’s a troubling and visceral experience. Perfect example of the unreliable narrator. During one scene, the protagonist has a panic attack in a grocery store, and the tension and paranoia scream from the page. Take a trip into crazy town with this book.

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah – Richard Bach

Illusions is a parable about a man discovering the messiah in a cornfield in Illinois. It’s about free will, choice, passion, and flying small planes. It’s the kind of book that you can read multiple times and get a different impression each time you finish it. That kind of staying power and readability is rare.

On Writing – Stephen King

Half memoir, half writing advice, On Writing is Stephen King’s confessional about his life as a writer. He bares his soul about alcoholism, his writing process, his insecurities, and more. If you’re a writer or just a fan of Stephen King’s, you need to check out this book.

Mother Night – Kurt Vonnegut

There are many Kurt Vonnegut books I could have included in this list, but Mother Night stands out in particular. It asks the question, “are we who we pretend to be?” I think Vonnegut believes the answer is yes.

And now I’m tired. Bye friends!