Books that have changed my life

In the spirit of Group blog #2 I'm going to write about a few books that have changed my life. For a look at other memes on this subject take a look at Sarah's blog and her friend's blog. So in no particular order here they are...

Sweet Valley Twins The Magic Christmas by Francine Pascal

So this book I remember reading sometime in elementary school. As a child I was a voracious reader (I still am) I read books faster than my parents could buy them for me. Part of that meant I didn't really remember all the books that I read unfortunately. However this book I remember in vivid detail. I loved the Sweet Valley Twins series as a whole and this one in particular left me with love and devotion for books that was previously unknown to me. It also introduced me to the world of fantasy. Jessica and Elizabeth are transported to another world in this book with two handsome princes that were trapped in dolls. They venture to a magical world where they can do magic and have to save a kingdom from the evil doer who has taken over. It was also about a rift between sisters and how the little things aren't as important as they seem. This book influenced not only my burgeoning love for the fantasy genre but also taught me moral lessons on how to get along with my sister-especially at Christmas.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

So this book I don't remember quite as well as the above. This was however the first book I remember being moved to tears. It's about two best friends living in Denmark during the German occupation. This book shaped how I feel about equality among people and their religions and anything else for that matter. Being different faiths did not matter to these little girls to the extent that the girl of Jewish faith was taken in by her best friends' Christian family. It's a powerful book, especially to my 10 year old mind. It taught me lessons about the value of friendship and the importance of realizing that people are different and that's okay. There are huge moral lessons in this book, I would encourage everyone of all ages to read it but especially children. Everyone should know about the Holocaust and everyone should learn about true friendship and doing whatever it takes to help them.

The Eye of the World, Book 1 of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

This book has probably been the most influential in regards to both my reading and writing habits. I'm pretty sure I've read this book at least a dozen times and it is still just as good-if not better-than the first time I read it when I was in Jr. High. The first "epic" fantasy that I've read by arguably the most influential authors in the genre. The entire series is fantastic, although some of the later books (particularly book 8 and book 10) are very weak when compared to book 1. If you've ever had an interest in reading epic fantasy then you must start with this book. Complex characters, a huge world, unique magic systems, quest to save the world, talking trees, expansive action scenes, secret societies...it's all there and all awesome. I started writing before I read this book however it was The Eye of the World that made me want to write fantasy. It stirred a passion in me to read every piece of fantasy I could get my hands on. Sadly Robert Jordan passed away from a blood disease prior to completing the Wheel of Time series. However the wonderful Brandon Sanderson is currently taking on the task of completing it using Mr. Jordan's extensive notes and he was personally selected to write the final book by Mr. Jordan's wife. Anyway, if you only ever read one fantasy novel in your whole life you should read this one. It's fantastic.

The Iliad by Homer
I'm pretty sure that if you haven't read the Iliad or the Odyssey then you need to. The Iliad was one of the few books that I refused to throw away after my ceiling collapsed onto it. The poor book was drenched and probably should have been disposed of but I simply couldn't do it. Every page of my water damaged copy is covered in notes from the class I took on it. The Iliad is chock full of morals and lessons on how to act proper in Greek society. It was a how to guide for ancient Greek and is largely still applicable. It's not just a classic story, it isn't just one of the most ancient pieces of literature out there. You can watch all of the movies about the fall of Troy and Helen and Achilles and still only grasp the tiniest bit of all of culture and life that is in the Iliad. I remember one of the (many) battle scenes in which the entire scene is written "Bob son of George son of Frank killed Sam son of Harry son of James" and it can be pretty tedious to read those parts. However if you don't then you'll miss tiny lines that go like this "Bob son of George son of Frank was about to kill Sam son of Harry son of James but they recognized each other and realized that Sam son of Harry son of James had dinner with Bob's family before the war started so guest right still stands and so they did not kill each other". Tiny little gems of wisdom, the struggle Hector faces fighting for his family and country but knowing he will die. Achilles battle within himself for glory or long life-he cannot have both. Books like the Iliad withstand time not because of their age but because they are still relevant. So go read this book, buy it and love it and let it teach you about life and group settings and sociology like it did me.


Those four books are not at all the only books that have influenced me, but they are the ones that jump out clearly. I certainly have a huge number of favorite books and I think it would be impossible to pick out what has influenced me out of each of those books. Books, like anything else can have whatever impact you want it to have. Some books are there only for entertainment value but others teach you things or influence your choices and thinking. Sometimes you don't realize the impact a book will have on you until much much later. So everyone, keep on reading!