10 Books That Changed My Life

I experienced two ‘firsts’ with this book: (1) It was the first novel I ever completed on my own and (2) it was the first book that made me cry.

This story is full of hope, adventure, beauty, acceptance, and the unyielding strength of love between a parent and their children. I think about this book often and look forward to sharing this story with my kids one day.

The world Cornelia Funke creates is truly one I will never forget – at only 10 years old, I just couldn’t put it down! Her writing pulled me into a fantasy world that made me fall in love and feel like I was right alongside Firedrake, Ben, and Sorrel on their adventures!

This is where I fell in love with fantasy novels, my favorite and preferred genre ever since.

I read this book in the 7th grade and remember being utterly confused and let down by the climax of this story.

The author does a fantastic job of creating a world full of mystery and magic, but I just couldn’t get over the severe disappointment that the entire plot led to a brain on a table and a 15-minute conversation before the plot was resolved… It left me feeling like the author gave up once Meg walked into the building where IT resided.

This book was my first experience of an anticlimactic ending and I realized that not all books will be agreeable.

My family was really into the Harry Potter series so naturally, this book was the first time I went to the midnight release of a book – in costume – and fell asleep in the backseat while my sister read it aloud on the way home.

This quickly became a tradition for the final 4 book releases and evolved into us dressing up for midnight movie premiers ever since.

This sequel to True Believer follows Jeremy as he falls deeper in love and starts to build a life with Lexie before experiencing one of the most gut-wrenching endings I’ve ever read. I was so completely blindsided by the outcome that I still distinctly remember being curled up on the couch in the living room, crying hysterically.

I’d never cried so hard over a book before so it may not come as a surprise that it took me several minutes to compose myself and even longer until I could recover from the heartache. I haven’t been able to read another Spark book since – decades later and I’m still triggered.

I couldn’t bring myself to suffer through this story, even after attempting to read it three times! Every character continues to make terrible life choices while expecting different outcomes and it quickly becomes too much to handle…

This story is yet another example of how a man should not write about the struggles of love and acceptance through a woman’s perspective. In my opinion, he got it terribly, terribly wrong. I have since avoided romance novels written by men.

I finished reading this book on the plane flying back from a work trip and I can’t remember another time where I’ve ever been so overcome with emotion in such a public place. I was a mess!

Not only is this story incredibly moving and inspiring, but it also left me with a sense of heartache for all the struggle and hope Lily endured during her life. It took me several days to fully recover and I still think of this story often.

There aren’t many books I own that I don’t like, but if you were to ask for my favorite series I’d have to say the Kingkiller Chronicles.

Now these books aren’t for the faint of heart – they are long and can have quite a few filler chapters with very little progress to the plot (plus a female character I can’t stand..), but the main character is my favorite male character I’ve ever read!

The only negative to the series is that we are still waiting for book #3. It’s been almost a decade since I read the first two for the first time and yet the wait continues with only rumors to give me hope!

This helps to keep sustainable living relatable and relevant. It teaches you how to change your views on your waste and provides simple steps that you can change today to reduce your future carbon footprint.

Since reading this book – I’ve replaced my paper towels with Swedish dishcloths that are machine washable; I use reusable diapers and make my own wipes; I bring jars/containers to Winco to fill instead of single-use plastic bags; I’ve replaced dryer sheet with wool dryer balls; etc.

My actions may not change the world, but every little bit helps!

This was the first (and only) self-help book I’ve read cover to cover!

Not only is the friendship between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu adorable and enduring, but their discussions on the conflicting views of Catholicism and Buddhism help to strip away the prejudice of religion to reveal what every life truly needs to live a life full of joy.

They have taught me that compassion, forgiveness, humor, and humility are keys to living a life free of sadness, stress, and suffering and I highly recommend this book to anyone lost.

All three of my current reads are from the Fantasy genre:

• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
• Dark Age by Pierce Brown

There are many more books on my TBR bookshelf, but my next reads will be the newest Pierce Brown release, Light Bringer, and the next in Sarah J. Maas Throne of Glass series, Queen of Shadows.

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