10 most influential books
So I've seen this list going around on Facebook, and at first I thought that it was just another cheesy trend. But then I read some of the reasons behind the books and I felt such depth of emotion. It made me want to weep. Books are so valuable. They take you to new worlds, show you a new perspective of life, teach you how to do something new. They open up doors that would never be open without the ability to read. So powerful. So here is my list of the 10 most influential books in my life.
1. Of course, the top of my list starts with the Harry Potter Series. It is so much more than a story about magic. The themes that are woven through out the entire series are timeless. Friendship, loyalty, love, courage, intelligence, good vs. evil. The literary genius that is J.K. Rowling is outstanding. She created an entire world, thought about every action from beginning to end, used foreshadowing and tied up loose ends. I got to the point where characters started dying and I wept. My heart broke for Harry when Dumbledore died because I've been Harry. I've had mentors that influenced my life. When Dumbledore admitted his short comings, and decided to use his death for a purpose in the game against evil, I wept as well. I've been the leader, and I know that I would do anything for my kids, including take a bullet for them if it came down to it. I see all sides of this story and relate to all of them. I absolutely CANNOT wait until Luke reads these books.
2. What should I do with my life? by Po Bronson. I remember getting this book in college. I don't even recall where I got it, or if someone else got it for me. One story in particular stuck. It was about an adult who was still trying to decide what they wanted to do with their life. As a 20-something year old, I felt this pressure to decide what I would do with the next 50 years of my life. It felt overwhelming. But the book told me that it was ok to NOT know what to do with my life, it just WASN'T ok to stop trying to figure it out. To this day, at the age of 30, I'm not 100% positive that I want to be a college professor. But I'm going to give it a try. At worst, I hate it and go back to teaching junior high. At best, I absolutely love it and don't feel like I'm working. This book gave me the courage to keep trying to figure it out.
3. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. This book is a fictional book about a man who was picked to be the next messiah. It's about how everything in life is an illusion. If you want to change a situation, change your thinking about it. It also taught me that you create your own destiny. If you don't want something, choose differently. It also touches on the fact that the souls within us recognize other souls, and the souls transcend our bodies and come back, thus the ability to recognize another soul. Very powerful ideas in a fiction book.
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I remember reading this book in high school and being completely fascinated and horrified by it. I could tell that it was probably pretty realistic in terms of how evil our society would be without societal rules. Akin to Heart of Darkness but not as boring. The only thing I didn't really like was the ending where they get saved from a boat. That seemed a bit contrived.
5. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells - I read this in my 20s and was intrigued by the relationship between a mother and her child. The ties that bind and the ties that break us in life. How a parent is fallible and human and not perfect. I couldn't understand how a parent can just go crazy and leave their child, but I realize now that it was about a mental illness. People with mental illnesses are so wrapped up in the darkness that they don't realize their effect on the people around them. Very eye opening.
6. The Secrete Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - again very similar to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I loved the way Gatsby loved Daisy and how he created his lifestyle from nothing. I also appreciated the revelation that if you live a life that isn't authentic and honest, it creates chaos up to the point of death. You can create a life of lies and those lies will be your undoing and destroy you. Despite the pureness of his love, Gatsby lived a lie and continued to lie and to fantasize about this lie. In the end, it was his undoing.
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Sometimes life just sucks. Sometimes you can fight on the side of justice and things still don't come out fairly. Sometimes you do the best you can, and you still don't get the outcome that you want.
9. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - I read these book series as a little girl. I've read it several times actually and I loved how it transported me to a different, simpler world. It is the reason that I want to go to that part of Canada. I laughed with her, I loved with her. I feel like we grew up together a little bit.
10. Travel books - I guess this is my cheating one. But every trip that I've gone on, I purchased a travel book and read it cover to cover. It gave me ideas of what to do/see and also history/culture. It gave me such a thrill to read it and anticipate what I would do on my own travels. It ignites my passion for traveling and experiencing new things.
1. Of course, the top of my list starts with the Harry Potter Series. It is so much more than a story about magic. The themes that are woven through out the entire series are timeless. Friendship, loyalty, love, courage, intelligence, good vs. evil. The literary genius that is J.K. Rowling is outstanding. She created an entire world, thought about every action from beginning to end, used foreshadowing and tied up loose ends. I got to the point where characters started dying and I wept. My heart broke for Harry when Dumbledore died because I've been Harry. I've had mentors that influenced my life. When Dumbledore admitted his short comings, and decided to use his death for a purpose in the game against evil, I wept as well. I've been the leader, and I know that I would do anything for my kids, including take a bullet for them if it came down to it. I see all sides of this story and relate to all of them. I absolutely CANNOT wait until Luke reads these books.
2. What should I do with my life? by Po Bronson. I remember getting this book in college. I don't even recall where I got it, or if someone else got it for me. One story in particular stuck. It was about an adult who was still trying to decide what they wanted to do with their life. As a 20-something year old, I felt this pressure to decide what I would do with the next 50 years of my life. It felt overwhelming. But the book told me that it was ok to NOT know what to do with my life, it just WASN'T ok to stop trying to figure it out. To this day, at the age of 30, I'm not 100% positive that I want to be a college professor. But I'm going to give it a try. At worst, I hate it and go back to teaching junior high. At best, I absolutely love it and don't feel like I'm working. This book gave me the courage to keep trying to figure it out.
3. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. This book is a fictional book about a man who was picked to be the next messiah. It's about how everything in life is an illusion. If you want to change a situation, change your thinking about it. It also taught me that you create your own destiny. If you don't want something, choose differently. It also touches on the fact that the souls within us recognize other souls, and the souls transcend our bodies and come back, thus the ability to recognize another soul. Very powerful ideas in a fiction book.
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I remember reading this book in high school and being completely fascinated and horrified by it. I could tell that it was probably pretty realistic in terms of how evil our society would be without societal rules. Akin to Heart of Darkness but not as boring. The only thing I didn't really like was the ending where they get saved from a boat. That seemed a bit contrived.
5. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells - I read this in my 20s and was intrigued by the relationship between a mother and her child. The ties that bind and the ties that break us in life. How a parent is fallible and human and not perfect. I couldn't understand how a parent can just go crazy and leave their child, but I realize now that it was about a mental illness. People with mental illnesses are so wrapped up in the darkness that they don't realize their effect on the people around them. Very eye opening.
6. The Secrete Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - again very similar to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I loved the way Gatsby loved Daisy and how he created his lifestyle from nothing. I also appreciated the revelation that if you live a life that isn't authentic and honest, it creates chaos up to the point of death. You can create a life of lies and those lies will be your undoing and destroy you. Despite the pureness of his love, Gatsby lived a lie and continued to lie and to fantasize about this lie. In the end, it was his undoing.
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Sometimes life just sucks. Sometimes you can fight on the side of justice and things still don't come out fairly. Sometimes you do the best you can, and you still don't get the outcome that you want.
9. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - I read these book series as a little girl. I've read it several times actually and I loved how it transported me to a different, simpler world. It is the reason that I want to go to that part of Canada. I laughed with her, I loved with her. I feel like we grew up together a little bit.
10. Travel books - I guess this is my cheating one. But every trip that I've gone on, I purchased a travel book and read it cover to cover. It gave me ideas of what to do/see and also history/culture. It gave me such a thrill to read it and anticipate what I would do on my own travels. It ignites my passion for traveling and experiencing new things.
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