My mom challenged me to list 10 books that have impacted my life. I cheated and worked in an extra 10. It got a little too lengthy for Facebook, so I’m posting here. Here we go! (I tried to list these in the order I read them.)
Little House in the
Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (shout out to one of my
author-birthday-buddies!): This was the first real series I remember being
obsessed with. I just realized I never technically read this series because Mom
read them to me. Anne of Green Gables
by Lucy Maud Montgomery is a close second in the series-about-plucky-girl
category.
A Proud Taste for
Scarlet and Miniver by E. L. Konigsburg: Eleanor of Aquitaine in heaven
waits for Henry II to be delivered from purgatory. While doing so, different
people from her past relate her story. Weirdest set-up for a children’s book
biography ever, but so good. Inspired me to be Eleanor for Night of Nobles in
sixth grade. Upon rereads, made me think about story framing, viewpoint, and oddly, purgatory. From the Mixed-Up Files of
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler gets second place in the Konigsburg category.
The Chocolate War
by Robert Cromier: People are damaged and mean to each other. This book introduced me
to Cromier’s books, which I flew through in late middle school. They were all
kind of heavy and depressing. They taught me that stories didn’t always have reliable
protagonists or happy endings (but could have lots of Catholic imagery). No real second place in this category,
although I would suggest sequel After the
Chocolate War for the full story.
1984 by George
Orwell: Went from pessimist Cromier into dystopian literature in early high school.
1984 is by far my favorite dystopian
piece because of its use of language. I’ve read this multiple times, and each
time it makes me paranoid about the world around me for a couple of weeks.
Plus, it has my favorite ending line. The
Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood gets second place in the dystopian category.
Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis: This book made me look at the larger implications of theology
and introduced me to a deeper level of faith. I began reading a lot more
religious writings, church history, theology, and philosophy. It also sparked
my C. S. Lewis phase of late high school/ early college. The Great Divorce gets second place in the Lewis category.
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald: This book made me make an exception to my British-bias.
Hey, Americans can write too! Fitzgerald really captures the Lost Generation and
paints an over-saturated picture of unsettled young adults searching for meaning in
an upturned society. This Side of
Paradise gets second place in the Fitzgerald category.
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens (shout out to another of my author-birthday-buddies!):
Contains some of my favorite opening and closing lines. Contains a revolution
in between. Finally got through it
and realized that classics are called that for a reason. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen gets second place in the classics
category.
Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows by J. K Rowling: It was awesome being the perfect age to
grow up with this series. The final installment came out the summer I graduated
high school, and there was such a sense of contentment in seeing how it all
ended. Plus, parts of the seventh book got pretty heavy with the religious
imagery. This series also made me want to write. Tales of Beedle the Bard also
by Rowling gets second place in the children’s-books-really-for-adults
category.
The Four Quartets
by T. S. Eliot: I was made to read through this set of poems in a workshop
setting in Honors British Lit my freshman year. My sophomore year, I
student taught in the class and looked forward to the workshop all term. The
more I sit with them, the more powerful they become. The rose and the fire are
one. Beautiful imagery that makes you think through a religious mystic's eye. Eliot’s Ash Wednesday gets
second place in the poetry category.
The Sun Also Rises
by Ernest Hemingway: This book impacted me by how much I just generally liked
it. I had to read it for a class less semester. I wouldn’t have read Hemingway
on my own, and I wasn’t expecting to like him, but I loved his writing style,
and his characters reminded me a lot of Fitzgerald’s (Lost Gen expats). So I’m
trying to be more open with my reading options now. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs gets second place in
the pleasantly-surprised category.
Themes: Seems to be religious imagery, strong prose, and
depressing endings. That sounds about right. I still have no idea what my
favorite book is.
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