What is the fiction book that was useful to your daily life?

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.

The Wind in the Willows ~ Kenneth Grahame

@YARNLADY @boffin in what way were/are these books helpful in your daily life?

@flo
The story of friendship and loyalty… Thru thick and thin.
In this I learned patience, acceptance, and understanding.
Thus, to be content with what I have and to venture with an open mind into new experiences but keep the right and wrong values that make/made me who I am.

@flo I’ve never read much of Stranger in a Strange Land, but Heinlein’s heroes make for pretty good role models. They’re intelligent, resourceful, broadly skilled, and generally have a good attitude to them.—They also all bear his philosophical positions, which can be pretty useful, too.
One of the big shots in Stranger is typical: pragmatic, witty, at home in his skin (Heinlein’s characters tended to embrace a… minimalist approach to future fashions, so this is literal), and above all else: self-reliant.

I have often considered memorizing Gandalf’s incantations so that when I am asked the impossible, I can chant one, wait a minute, and then do the darn-it-didn’t-work finger-snapping.

What ever happened to @Stranger_In_A_Strange_Land? I haven’t seen him – or @dpworkin, but I think that he announced a sabbatical – around lately.

I’ve probably preached this an annoying number of times, but, and this is if comics count, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez. I was kind of angsty for a while (still kind of am, what with being a teenager and all) and it was a good outlet for negative emotions. A lot of Johnny’s rants and musings reflected some feelings I had (except for, well, murderous ones).

The book I mentioned was more of a revelation that I was not the only person who was feeling like the proverbial fish out of water . I identified with the main character.

pretty much anything by camus, kafka, bukowski or burroughs has helped me develop + hone my own personal philosophy of life.

Geek Love helped me come to terms with familial duties.

@ratboy : I was just going to write “Geek Love”! It is one of my favorite books!
I has helped me realize the subjective nature of beauty. When I’m having a bad (thinking I am looking like a dirty slob) kind of a day, I think to myself “I could always have a tail…and if I did, someone would still find me beautiful”...

jenandcolin, ha ha, yes, like in Avatar.

Thank you all.
Is there any book that did not help you rationalize the not so admirable of your practices? For example:
Helped you quit smoking, esp.in your car or house with your kids who are inhaling it, whereas before reading it, you were were fighting tooth and nail with people who pointed it out to you, for your right to continue doing that.

There should have been a quotation mark for the word “right” above.

The Bible. I don’t believe a word of it, but it’s useful to know when arguing with the Jehovah’s Witnesses who come to my door.

@Earthgirl : Yes, I liked Avatar (I remember hearing a lot of people didn’t like it. I really did).
The tail I was referring to was in the book “Geek Love”. Have you read that book? It’s one of my all-time favorites.

Let me phrase it better: Is there a book that made you a better human being, unintentionally. So, in the example I gave, without any mention of smoking inside the car…. kids…

jenandcolin I loved Avatar too and I really wasn’t expecting to love it. I found myself drawn in and loved both the beauty of the exotic landscape and the strong female character of Neytiri. People may laugh at me for this (or groan) but I had tears in my eyes when it came to that first flying scene…I know, I know… I haven’t read Geek Love, but I’ll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation

As for subjective nature of beauty…I think of two books dealing with odd attractions. The first is “Accidental Tourist” by Ann Tyler. Made into a movie starring William Hurt and Geena Davis. A man thrown off his life by a tragic event ends up divorced and on his own. He connects with a single Mom when he takes his dog for obedience training who shows him that she has more to offer as a person than he might think on first impression. Hurt’s befuddlement is so endearing. I loved the book and the movie was perfect.
The second is “White Palace” by Glenn Savan. 80’s yuppie finds love while slumming it. Was also made into a movie with Susan Sarandon and James Spader.
I think both books made me realize that you just have to be receptive to people and try to see them without all the cultural filters and judgements. If you do, you will see their inner beauty.

Not a book, but I used to watch a fishing-centric cartoon years ago. When I went fishing with the Boy Scouts some time later (and well outside of the program’s broadcasting range), I was able to successfully implement an atypical casting technique that had featured heavily in the series.

@YARNLADY’ Stranger in a Strange Land” Me too since my early teenage years, Heinlin’s been my favoite.