Arsène Hodali

web novels, poetry, prose.

  • War Dancers
  • poetry
  • prose

← I Haven’t Watched TV (Or Played Video Games) In 2+ Years
Brains, Vats, And Skeptics: The ‘Reality’ Question Revisited →

10 FICTION books that will f**k up your reality (and make you smarter).

Thought Provoking: dancePROOF- fictional books smarter

Every once in a while I look around me and wonder why there are so few people who think like me, causing me to go through this whole self-awareness thing which is… overly time consuming. But, something which I always account for my weirdness/smartness (<— gotta love my cockiness) is my love of books… yah, it was said, I LIKE BOOKS. Can’t blame me though, I don’t watch TV, and from what I know I’m not missing out.

Anyways, a few fictional books I read impacted my view of the world a lot more than the others did. Here’s a list of my 10 that did:

FICTION

  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

You know that whole thought provoking idea of babies in pods, sleep-learning, and how these things will make the future better. Well… watch it go wrong.

  • Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Think of a city filled with perpetual war, public mind control, the voiding of citizenship, ever-changing history, and torture… and then imagine you lived there right now without knowing (you probably do)… Welcome to Nineteen Eighty-Four (provocative right?).

  • Animal Farm by George Orwell

*Sigh* When power corrupts. “All animal are equal, but some are more equal than others.”

  • A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

I never knew quiet how to look at this book. The main character is f**ked up to begin with (single word –> rapist), yet through government f**kery (classical conditioning) he becomes better (?). Who should my anger be directed towards?

  • Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

The Catch-22 specifies that a concern for one’s safety during war requires a rational mind, but proving he was rational meant he had to fly the planes, the only way to not fly was to be crazy. If he flew the plans he was crazy and didn’t have to, if he didn’t fly the planes he was rational and had to. *huh?*

  • To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“A Mockingbird does nothing but sing sweet beautiful music”… The ending of this made me sooo mad. Mad at the book in general, and mad that society once used to be exactly like this. This is like Romeo and Juliet with a whole lot of racism, told through the eyes of an innocent girl.

  • Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Time traveling seems cool, until you take in that there’s still things such as war, your own imprisonment, your own murder… kinda sucks.

  • Lord Of The Flies by William Golding

Societies made by man FAIL… horribly.

  • The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

The profanity, sexuality, and teenage angst is what hooked me.

  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

One of the best things I ever chose to read (and all the sequels). Douglas Adams will forever be an icon. And remember… DON’T PANIC.

I know, I know I’m missing sooo many other great fictional books (the list is HUGE, leave me alone). I specifically limited it to 10 anyways because I’d like for YOU to comment by listing your TOP 10. I’d rather like to see your favorite books, and whether or not I have/have not read them. Stay tuned for “10 NONFICTIONAL books that will f**k up your reality (and make you smarter)” later on next week btw.

**all links are amazon affiliate links**

57 Comments

leave a comment Leave a Comment

  1. Robert says:
    02.03.10 at 10:05 pm · Reply

    Adding all these books to my list, NOW.

    I don’t read too many fictional books, besides plays. I’ve always been into the power, personal development, self-help, power, etc. But there is some good stuff there I’m sure. I never read to Kill a Mockingbird before I had to play the part of Tom Robinson. The scenario in that play kind of reminds me of the movie Rosewood. You seen it?

    • Arsene Hodali says:
      02.04.10 at 12:02 am · Reply

      Never seen Rosewood, just Googled it, seems interesting. I’ll watch it soon. If anything can live up to “To Kill A Mockingbird” then it’s a must watch.

  2. Robert says:
    02.04.10 at 3:05 am · Reply

    Adding all these books to my list, NOW.

    I don’t read too many fictional books, besides plays. I’ve always been into the power, personal development, self-help, power, etc. But there is some good stuff there I’m sure. I never read to Kill a Mockingbird before I had to play the part of Tom Robinson. The scenario in that play kind of reminds me of the movie Rosewood. You seen it?

    • Arsene Hodali says:
      02.04.10 at 5:02 am · Reply

      Never seen Rosewood, just Googled it, seems interesting. I’ll watch it soon. If anything can live up to “To Kill A Mockingbird” then it’s a must watch.

  3. Dan says:
    01.19.10 at 10:33 pm · Reply

    Arsene,
    came across your list while stumbling, so congrats on that. The only problem I have with your article is the fact that almost every one of these books is required reading in public high school, at least where I’m from. I was hoping for some more obscure work when I clicked on this but maybe I can offer you a couple suggestions.

    the greatest book I’ve ever read, and one that will truly fuck with your head and make you smart, is The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson. It’s an immense mammoth of a book, and I came across it while reading a discussion about Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories, but this book is a hidden treasure. buy it, and don’t be discouraged if you are still confused 100 pages in. by the end you will be so amazed you’ll want to read it again once your brain has caught its breath.

    try naked lunch and junky by william s. burroughs. Former is a surreal drug induced fantasy that gives social commentary on addictions of all kind, and the latter is a simple narrative with haunting circumstances.

    finally, stephen king has written some of the most amazing stories I’ve ever seen. He may seem like one of those hack writers whose books are for the people who don’t want to read but have to ie. on an airplane, but The Stand, Pet Sematary, and the entire Dark Tower series will stay with you forever.

    I hope I don’t sound like a pretentious prick. I have read all of these books and they are exceptionally good (especially Catch-22), but I was just a little discouraged by the list and thought maybe I could help with some recommendations. Then again, the only book I recommended that isn’t already in mass circulation is The Illuminatus! Trilogy. O well. Happy readings and happy days.
    -Dan

    • Arsene Hodali says:
      01.20.10 at 1:11 am · Reply

      You don’t sound like a prick at all. I actually like that the most of these books are required reading for high school students, at least something good is coming out of English class. I also wanted this post to mainly be about the recommendations left by people in the comments, I think both I and others can learn most from these.

  4. Dan says:
    01.20.10 at 3:33 am · Reply

    Arsene,
    came across your list while stumbling, so congrats on that. The only problem I have with your article is the fact that almost every one of these books is required reading in public high school, at least where I’m from. I was hoping for some more obscure work when I clicked on this but maybe I can offer you a couple suggestions.

    the greatest book I’ve ever read, and one that will truly fuck with your head and make you smart, is The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson. It’s an immense mammoth of a book, and I came across it while reading a discussion about Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories, but this book is a hidden treasure. buy it, and don’t be discouraged if you are still confused 100 pages in. by the end you will be so amazed you’ll want to read it again once your brain has caught its breath.

    try naked lunch and junky by william s. burroughs. Former is a surreal drug induced fantasy that gives social commentary on addictions of all kind, and the latter is a simple narrative with haunting circumstances.

    finally, stephen king has written some of the most amazing stories I’ve ever seen. He may seem like one of those hack writers whose books are for the people who don’t want to read but have to ie. on an airplane, but The Stand, Pet Sematary, and the entire Dark Tower series will stay with you forever.

    I hope I don’t sound like a pretentious prick. I have read all of these books and they are exceptionally good (especially Catch-22), but I was just a little discouraged by the list and thought maybe I could help with some recommendations. Then again, the only book I recommended that isn’t already in mass circulation is The Illuminatus! Trilogy. O well. Happy readings and happy days.
    -Dan

    • Arsene Hodali says:
      01.20.10 at 6:11 am · Reply

      You don’t sound like a prick at all. I actually like that the most of these books are required reading for high school students, at least something good is coming out of English class. I also wanted this post to mainly be about the recommendations left by people in the comments, I think both I and others can learn most from these.

  5. Self Esteem says:
    01.13.10 at 5:03 am · Reply

    Thank you so much, there aren’t enough posts on this… keep up the good work

  6. Self Esteem says:
    01.13.10 at 10:03 am · Reply

    Thank you so much, there aren’t enough posts on this… keep up the good work

  7. Marcus says:
    01.02.10 at 12:53 pm · Reply

    I would add

    Scarlett Thomas – The End of Mr. Y

    and

    Franz Kafka – The Process

    otherwise, great list. I’ve read most of them, but not Catch-22. Think I will have to go to the library.

    Happy New Year!
    /Marcus

    • Arsene Hodali says:
      01.02.10 at 12:56 pm · Reply

      Just googled it. The “Troposphere” sounds interesting. Thanx for the great suggestions. More books to read.

  8. Marcus says:
    01.02.10 at 5:53 pm · Reply

    I would add

    Scarlett Thomas – The End of Mr. Y

    and

    Franz Kafka – The Process

    otherwise, great list. I’ve read most of them, but not Catch-22. Think I will have to go to the library.

    Happy New Year!
    /Marcus

    • Arsene Hodali says: (Author)
      01.02.10 at 5:56 pm · Reply

      Just googled it. The “Troposphere” sounds interesting. Thanx for the great suggestions. More books to read.

  9. ugh says:
    12.29.09 at 9:25 pm · Reply

    seriously, how about something that not everybody has read?

    • Arsene Hodali says:
      12.29.09 at 9:29 pm · Reply

      Ugh- Not everyone has actually read these books, especially in the age of the television. I put down the list of my fav books, most are classics, for good reasons.

      And I think I mentioned in there somewhere (somewhere) about how it would be great to add to the list with books you have read, that not everyone has read. … Thanx for the positive input though.

  10. ugh says:
    12.30.09 at 2:25 am · Reply

    seriously, how about something that not everybody has read?

    • Arsene Hodali says: (Author)
      12.30.09 at 2:29 am · Reply

      Ugh- Not everyone has actually read these books, especially in the age of the television. I put down the list of my fav books, most are classics, for good reasons.

      And I think I mentioned in there somewhere (somewhere) about how it would be great to add to the list with books you have read, that not everyone has read. … Thanx for the positive input though.

« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Comment

sexy people leave comments.

Click here to cancel reply.

← I Haven’t Watched TV (Or Played Video Games) In 2+ Years
Brains, Vats, And Skeptics: The ‘Reality’ Question Revisited →

© Copyright 2025. Powered by "QUOTES".

you can also find me seeking attention on quora, instagram, facebook, twitter, & pinterest.