1
How to Read a Book: The Cla...

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3.98 avg rating — 27,908 ratings
"In 1987 I was in bed taking penicillin recovering from Lyme disease. No TV, so I read Adler's book and it inspired me to read in a new way. At first I read a lot of Plato and Aristotle, and continued to read in libraries on the weekends. "
Martin rated it 5 stars
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2
Dune (Dune #1)

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4.29 avg rating — 1,630,303 ratings
"The first book that truly gripped me. Later I couldn't help but feel connected to the character Paul because I left a life near the ocean and travelled far to live in a new world."
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3
The Five Love Languages: Ho...

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4.28 avg rating — 481,226 ratings
"I wanted to be a better lover, and needed a guide. I'm a believer in what this book is all about: know your lover's preferences and take action."
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4
Psycho-Cybernetics: A New W...

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4.25 avg rating — 28,730 ratings
"The book helped me understand the importance of perception. 'Self-image is destiny' is an empowering idea that works for me. "
Martin rated it 4 stars
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5
Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

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4.11 avg rating — 12,891 ratings
"This helped me clarify what I needed to do to improve my self-esteem. Part of a self-improvement movement I started years ago."
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6
We

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3.88 avg rating — 112,767 ratings
"I really liked the poetic nature of the writing. I also respected the warning of being too reliant on the collective from someone who knew it better than anyone. Very original. Banned for years. Orwell said it inspired him to write 1984. "
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7
Animal Farm

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4.02 avg rating — 4,563,486 ratings
"The idea that greed and power will corrupt anyone is very relevant and will remain so. "
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8
Harry Potter and the Sorcer...

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4.47 avg rating — 11,433,366 ratings
"Starting my first novel meant that I needed to read a lot more novels. I reread this book four times. Reading the HP books helped me improve as a novelist.
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Martin rated it 4 stars
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9
The Nicomachean Ethics

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 60,426 ratings
"Helped me improve by discussing moral and intellectual excellence and how this relates to happiness. "
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10
Poetics

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3.83 avg rating — 29,575 ratings
"One idea from this book stays with me: that if the audience doesn't respect the speaker, the message won't get through. The message won't be accepted or appreciated no matter how important a message is or how well that message is delivered."
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11
The Republic

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3.97 avg rating — 226,324 ratings
"The story about the knife helped me understand the difference between being fair and being just. By focusing on fine tuning my mind, spirit, and body, I feel like I'm doing my best. Paying back what is owed, balancing the scales, being fair is a good concept to apply in many cases, but not in all cases. And that's when justice steps in, and it requires a different way to approach the situation. "
Martin rated it 5 stars
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12
Ulysses

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3.76 avg rating — 138,009 ratings
"Good brain food, forces you to think about what is going on. "
Martin rated it 4 stars
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13
Infinite Jest

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4.25 avg rating — 101,635 ratings
"Much like Ulysses, the quality of writing is uplifting and it's good brain food. "
Martin rated it 4 stars
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14
Stranger in a Strange Land

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3.92 avg rating — 326,576 ratings
"The book creates a wonderful world, with much of the focus on how one unique character can influence others. "
Martin rated it 4 stars
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15
Handwriting Analysis : Putt...

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4.30 avg rating — 563 ratings
"This books helped me improve my understanding of myself and others. It changed how I looked at handwriting. "
Martin rated it 4 stars
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16
Aesop’s Fables

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4.05 avg rating — 129,730 ratings
"Helping students improve their communication skills was a lot of fun - I would make up dialogue and the students would repeat the words and learn about the fable. "
Martin rated it 4 stars
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17
The Writer's Journey: Mythi...

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4.10 avg rating — 10,390 ratings
"There may come a time when you start buying a lot of books on writing. I went through that stage, and this book stood out as the one I kept rereading. I used it for screenwriting and the concepts helped me with my novel. "
Martin rated it 5 stars
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18
Plato's Dialogues

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4.52 avg rating — 23 ratings
"The Symposium was one of my favorite scenes. The dialogues helped me clarify my thinking. These dialogues nurture a love of knowing and searching for the truth."
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19
The Complete Personal Memoi...

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4.14 avg rating — 9,844 ratings
"The story about him riding a horse a great distance when he was very young left a deep impression. It made me think of the difficult decision a parent will make when they have a child or teen who want to go off alone on a journey.
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20
The Monsters (Doc Savage, #7)

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3.77 avg rating — 401 ratings
"My favorite of the half dozen Doc Savage novels I read as a boy. Doc Savage focused on daily self-improvement and the books helped me develop this habit. "
Martin rated it 3 stars
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21
The Martian Chronicles

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4.16 avg rating — 286,183 ratings
"A cherished gift from my uncle during college."
Martin rated it 4 stars
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22
Fahrenheit 451

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3.97 avg rating — 2,844,310 ratings
"Read it several times during my effort to write Star Racers. An inspiration to write with an emphasis on the visual."
Martin rated it 5 stars
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23
Cop Hater (87th Precinct, #1)

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3.83 avg rating — 8,712 ratings
"I discovered and enjoyed a number of McBain books involving the 87th Precinct thanks to my visits to the Mid-Manhattan Library on 5th Avenue. The books felt real to me, and helped me understand some of the procedures that detectives used. "
Martin rated it 3 stars
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24
All About Love: New Visions

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4.01 avg rating — 136,778 ratings
"Helped me define love and broaden my understanding of many aspects of love. "
Martin rated it 4 stars
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25
The Opposite of Loneliness:...

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3.85 avg rating — 52,199 ratings
"Writers do need determination. She had it.
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Martin rated it 4 stars
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26
Just Kids

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4.21 avg rating — 354,762 ratings
"A valuable autobiography. Helped me rearrange things.
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Martin rated it 5 stars
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27
A Game of Thrones (A Song o...

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4.45 avg rating — 2,737,891 ratings
"I've read it three times. While reading this book I could feel my mind upgrading, and this happens with all the GOT books. GOT has really helped my writing improve and I've read and reread the other books in the series and highly recommend them. This includes A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms which I'm reading now. "
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28
I Can't Make This Up: Life ...

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4.10 avg rating — 37,318 ratings
"Entertaining and inspiring; he contributes all the qualities and insights that helped him succeed. Very detailed and a must read for those wanting to work in the entertainment industry. "
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