So there's a fad going around on Facebook regarding books that have stuck with you for some reason... it got me thinking more on the general basis of things that have stuck with me in general. So with no particular order in mind:
Books:
1. Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise
For showing me that fiction doesn't have to be written in just prose. I know it's a kid's book, but it was also my first epistolary novel and I loved it so much that I lost count of the number of times that I reread it. Also, a mystery that doesn't involve murders!
2. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
For providing insight into what it's like to be mentally ill and the difficulty of trying to explain the experience to another person while you're still undergoing it. This felt especially more relevant to me during college.
3. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
For triggering my random obsession with Russian literature. A crazy murder setup, a crazier Ubermensch-obsessed perpetrator, some cat-and-mouse detective mind games, a moment of redemption at the crossroads, and a long ass character list. So much awesome crammed into one book.
4. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
For making me conscious of how easily and completely the past can consume one's thoughts years later. Not my first stream-of-consciousness book, but the first one to make me really appreciate the technique and what it could accomplish.
5. To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
For teaching me the value of considering other people's perspectives. So many insightful thoughts and ideas worth pondering on here. I feel a little spoiled by reading this first, as Woolf's other novels, while great, haven't impacted me anywhere near the same level that this one did.
6. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Sussman/Abelson
For making me fall in love with computer science. I would not be where I am today career-wise were it not for this book. Considering that I hadn't had any real exposure to the subject before, my mind was blown away by the concepts presented here.
7. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
For having some of the most memorable characters and moments that I've ever experienced in literature. Also because the BBC adaptation with Maggie Smith and 10 year-old Daniel Radcliffe left quite an impression on me when I was ten. I thought I'd have hated Dickens after reading Great Expectations, but this and Oliver Twist made me realize that I'm a huge sucker for his immersive serial writing style when the characters don't actually piss me off.
8. The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan
For explaining the value of critical thinking and reminding me why I love science. Sagan points out of a lot of common threads that can be found in pseudoscience/fallacious viewpoints and the dangers of not maintaining healthy skepticism in the face of them. Quite an eye-opening book.
9. The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware
For forcing me to completely rethink my understanding of what it means to be Christian. I'm not Orthodox, but there are a lot of ideas in Orthodox theology that fundamentally make sense to me, some of which I actually feel more inclined to agree with than their Protestant counterparts. It's made me realize how much thought we take for granted within Protestant circles that might actually merit reexamination.
10. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
For blowing me away in its combination of depth and simplicity. Props especially for its incorporation of the Jesus Prayer from Orthodox tradition and portraying its use in a different light. I probably should've realized this after Arrested Development, but stories about dysfunctional families are actually really fascinating.
Games:
(This list will probably be familiar if you've seen/paid attention to any of my past video game posts, but eh, one more won't hurt.)
1. Pokemon (Blue, Silver/Soul Silver, Platinum, & X in particular)
So I probably haven't consumed as much time on this as some people I know ahem, but it's hard to deny that the sum total number of hours I've spent on this series is greater than almost all other game series I've played haha. Also the number of lists I've made trying to come up with teams I liked. -__-
2. Putt-Putt Travels Through Time and Spy Fox in Dry Cereal
It's hard for me to decide between the two here, but both of these Humongous games are my favorite in their respective series. They were so memorable that replaying them over and over again was really an integral part of the experience, and despite being targeted at kids, they never really felt like they were forcibly talking down to you the way some educational kids games and TV shows did. Love the quirky characters in Humongous games in general and their imaginative settings.
3. Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross
First set of games that got me seriously into RPGs in general (Pokemon/the Mario RPGs don't really count... those were more Nintendo diversions) as well as video game stories. Just hearing some of the songs from Yasunori Mitsuda's soundtracks for both games is enough to make me emotional even today, especially To Far Away Times. And Frog from Trigger has been my avatar on every computer I've owned ever since.
4. Kingdom Hearts
For all the gripes I have with this series, the first game was something special. It's hard to imagine that someone actually thought combining Disney and Final Fantasy in a game was a good idea, and yet somehow it turned out to be massively popular. All those hours spent discussing the storyline on message boards and theorizing about the future games... one of the forums I frequented for this game ironically is the reason why I got into indie music and going to concerts, but that's a whole other story.
5. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
First introduction to visual novels and the adventure game genre at the same time. I was looking for a murder mystery kind of game to begin with since I had a random obsession with mysteries (blame The Boxcar Children and the Clue books... yes, the Parker Brothers board game Clue spawned a children's book series) and stumbled across an article on Hardcore Gaming 101 in anticipation of the upcoming English DS release of the series. It was love at first sight.
6. Day of the Tentacle
Okay, so this is the first real grown-up point and click adventure game I played. I am still in awe of some of the puzzle solutions in this game; such a clever use of time travel object manipulation, the likes of which I wish I'd seen in Putt-Putt, though obviously it would've made that game too complicated for its target age group. Purple Tentacle was a pretty awesome villain too.
7. Planescape: Torment and Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
Two of the best stories (and settings) I've ever experienced in a video game and my introduction to Western RPGs. I really wish there were more games that aspired to this level of thematic depth... one could argue that these kinds of stories are best sought after in novels, but realistically speaking, trying to novelize Torment's story actually weakens its impact (I know... I've seen the novelization). It's all about the Choice and Consequences.
8. The Longest Journey
April Ryan is my favorite female protagonist in a game ever just because of how down-to-earth she is... in the face of being tossed into a somewhat nonsensical fantasy world. I also love how this game takes the "Chosen One" trope from typical fantasy storylines and turns it on its head.
9. Mother 3
Strange, funny, and heartrending. Lucas in the field of sunflowers. I have never wanted to cry so much while playing a freaking video game (Chrono Trigger was more after the fact than during to be honest); it's odd how both tragic and lighthearted this game is at the same time.
10. Gemini Rue and The Blackwell Epiphany
My two favorite Wadjet Eye releases thus far. Gemini Rue for exploring the relationship between our sense of self and our memories (the last series I can recall that did this was the anime Kaiba), and Blackwell for its unique take on the relationship between spirit mediums and ghosts. Blackwell kinda requires playing the first four games in the series to really appreciate, but luckily they're each fairly short (a few hours per game), and the payoff at the end is seriously worth it, which is not something I can say for a lot of other series. So many bittersweet feelings in the end.
I have plenty more where those came from, but stopping here for now.
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