I first spotted this tag on YouTube (probably at CriminOlly), and thought I would also give it a shot. The goal is to list 10 books that influenced or shaped you the most as a reader. The books listed below awakened my curiosity about literature, introduced me to its true power, and also shaped my literary taste (something that cannot be taught, but can only be acquired, right?) I do not think I will ever outgrow my existentialism reading phase that I started as a teenager, and I will also not list books that influenced me in my childhood as I had already done a similar list – see here, where I included such authors as Jules Verne, Jack London, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Alexandre Dumas, Gianni Rodari, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Below is also the “five questions” tag, which is a variation of questions found in the Pianist magazine.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens 🏠
The Cave by José Saramago 🦇
The Stranger by Albert Camus 🏖️
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 🪖
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 🚆
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 🏚️
Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo ⛪
The Trial by Franz Kafka ⚖️
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James 🪞
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen 💌
If you could read only one book from now on, what would it be?
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. I have to choose something big with an exciting inner journey, and it also has to be philosophical so I won’t get tired, so Mann’s masterpiece is an obvious choice for me. I am sure I will keep discovering new things in it after each reading.
If you could read only the books of one author from now on, who would it be?
Thomas Hardy. His novels have everything: drama, engaging plot, vivid characters, thought-provoking social commentary, and beautiful writing. I will never tire of them.
Things you want to see more in contemporary fiction.
Sentences as though written by Dickens, Hardy, Wharton, or Nabokov. My wishful (pretentious) thinking. If seriously, just less formulaic storylines, more characters with depth, and more stories with substance. In other words, I want to see less “vibes” and more depth and meaning.
Things you want to see more in modern non-fiction.
More rigour and insight in non-fiction and less aimless, personal musings about the authors themselves or their lives (unless it is a memoir). Also, I want to see fewer pop culture references or other irrelevant information in science non-fiction. I guess I want to see more knowledge and insight shared. I think non-fiction authors should have more faith in their readers, their intelligence and attention spans.
An author you are not quite ready for?
William Gaddis.
What are the 10 books that made you? And/or, how would you answer the five questions above? I tag everyone who is reading this post and is interested in doing this tag. The feature image is a painting by Winslow Homer titled The New Novel [1877].
Thoughts on Papyrus 
Epic List; You wear the existential well😎
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Thanks!
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We have some authorial crossover, if not books: I’d go for Villette and Emma rather than Jane Eyre and P&P, but I also deeply love both of the latter!
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Villette and Emma sound like more profound and mature choices than my more popular ones 🙂 I also want to read Brontë’s Shirley this year.
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Not at all! Ah, I’ve read Shirley, but a very long time ago and I remember little about it.
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Nice! This is a tough question, plus I think most of the titles I would choose are not even available in English.
I want to revisit The Magic Mountain, and I just saw yesterday that a French woman has done an audio recording of it recently, and it sounds well done – on an equivalent to Librivox
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An audio recording of The Magic Mountain sounds wonderful. Come to think of it, the only time I love audiobooks is when they create cosy atmosphere. They can certainly do so with The Magic Mountain.
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I think Hardy writes beautifully descriptive prose! After having read a couple of his novels and loved them, a friend and I decided to go back to the beginning and work our way through his novels chronologically. Hardy knows how to craft a story! Although, I will say that I was underwhelmed by Under the Greenwood Tree. But I’ve really enjoyed every other book I’ve read by him so far!
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Yes, Hardy is brilliant, but I certainly understand that re Under the Greenwood Tree. He can be a miss for me as well. I thought the man can do no wrong and then I attempted his novel A Laodicean. I couldn’t get into it at all, and that’s putting it mildly.
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I must read The Cave and The Magic Mountain; it’s an interesting thought, the books that shaped you, rather than just favourite books, I must get thinking!
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Both are great. I would love to know your choices.
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Great list. I’ve read five of your books but a least one by the other authors, just not those. And I was really happy to see my favourite German author Thomas Mann mentioned. The Magic Mountain is indeed epic though my favourite is Buddenbrooks.
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Thanks and for the link! Yes, Mann was a no-brainer for me. I surprised even myself. I guess I was trying to land on an author who is capable of capturing the unsaid, the spiritual/emotional life within. I could re-read something like this endlessly. I love that we instinctively recognise truth in his novels, and in a way his stories become symbolic reflections of the human condition/life itself. I see your last review was Confessions of Felix Krull. I would love to read it this year.
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Oh, I’m looking forward to seeing what you think. The only diappointment I had with Felix Krull was that it is unfinished. Otherwise, just as great as Mann’s other work.
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What a great book list!
I thought about the question of just one book—and realized I couldn’t give up the others. I also couldn’t give up Dino Buzzati’s “The Tartar Hermitage,” Philip Roth’s “American Pastoral,” John Coetzee’s “Waiting for the Barbarians,” and so on and so forth.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reflect on this and remember the special works that had a key influence on me.
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Thank you. I also love Buzzati. I would have included him but I came to his books much later in life. And, I also need to read more Philip Roth.
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I’m glad there are similarities. It’s always nice to discover what you have in common with other people.
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Loved this post! I have never thought of which books “made me” but it is an interesting exercise! Though I think I’d have to read again a lot of books that I read when I was too young to understand them really. I share your thoughts on modern non-fiction! I read a lot less of these books now because I got a bit tired of reading the authors’ personal musings on topics that didn’t really require them…
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Thank you! Yes, this trend of authors making themselves the centre of their non-fiction is both amusing and annoying.
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