1. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
While I know this pick is probably cliche, I can't lie and pretend it didn't have an impact on my life. I've had to replace my personal copy twice because I can't get enough of it, or how I take away something new every time I read it.
2. House Immortal by Devon Monk
This was a suggested read by a dear friend and I cannot thank him enough for introducing me to one of the best trilogies I've ever had the pleasure of reading. House Immortal is different in that it offers a unique female character who defies many of the stereotypes set out for female characters. Time travel, special stitching that alters and enhances life, and science that astounds combine to make a world worth remembering and characters you can't forget. I aspire to completing such a series in my lifetime. Incidentally, I've also read the entire Allie Beckstrom series and her steampunk series is beckoning me from my bookshelf even now....
3. The Lord of the Rings
I've been a fan of all things Tolkien since I read The Hobbit as a child. I even plowed through The Silmarillion (because who doesn't love the full backstory where you realize that Sauron was just a mini-evil). Still, The Lord of the Rings trilogy remains my favorite of all Tolkien's works. My only regret was the true lack of female characters in the central storylines. Why did they all have to be men? Could not a female elf or warrior have joined the troupe? Could not a female hobbit have protected Frodo as ferociously as Sam? Perhaps, but then I realized that such changes should have cheapened other stories like that of Eowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan whose strength and defiance shone through in the end. I actually have a tattoo on my wrist (in Elvish, of course) as a reminder that beautiful things can blossom from the ugliest of times.
4. Everything by Edgar Allen Poe
I'm not ashamed to admit that I went through a dark phase. Initially, I loved Annabelle Lee and The Raven for the darkness and morose imagery, but then I grew to appreciate the beauty of Poe's prose as I delved into his works. Sure he was disturbed on a very base level but the man could string together words like nobody else. For a while, I thought that a writer must be depressed or depraved or just plain mad to truly write of the human condition. Of course, this is not so, but reading Poe allowed me to identify the potential for darkness in myself, an awareness that has served me well.
5. The Stand by Stephen King
You ever heard the one about good versus evil embodied on Earth? Yeah, this is one of those, but not like you've read it anywhere else. Yes, it's ungodly long (see what I did there?) but it is so worth the ride. The utter brilliance of the plague and how it spread like wildfire across the country hooked me and I never looked back. It was a wild ride that I've taken three times since just to remind myself why I need to keep reading and writing.
6. The Warren Report: The Official Report on the Assassination of JFK
Speaking of good versus evil...this was the first book that made me realize how corrupt our government is. Magic bullets and doctored information that were warped, twisted, or blatantly ignored. Anybody who believes our government to be infallible should read The Warren Commission's report and all of the accompanying information that has been released since. Incidentally, it seems that the remaining undisclosed documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy will be released later this year. Also, as a pseudo-disclaimer, I linked to the product page on Amazon for this book if you'd like to buy it, but I just checked it out from the library when I read it. There's generally not a waiting list for this behemoth.
7. 1984 by George Orwell
Piggybacking off of number six, I have to add 1984 to this list. To this day, I recall being horrified at the world Orwell created and how suffocating it must feel to exist in such a place. I cherished my privacy and every freedom I held as a minor child in America. Sadly, 1984 is once again a bestseller in light of the current political climate and my childhood fears of Big Brother are once again too real for comfort.
8. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Don't laugh at my inclusion of a picture book. Incidentally, it's not the only picture book on this list so deal. The Giving Tree taught me about unconditional love and how it can be incredible but how it can also leave you whittled down to a stump if you let it. As a child, I thought the tree's sacrifices seemed so reasonable because she loved the boy no matter what he looked like or what mistakes he made and in the end he came back to her. Years later as an adult reading The Giving Tree to my kids left me with a very different take on the classic. I wondered why the tree didn't stop giving when she didn't get the return on investment, why did she let the boy abuse her unconditional love? I actually grew angry at the tree and the boy for having such a dysfunctional relationship. Now, I teach my kids different lessons than my teachers taught me when reading The Giving Tree in classes. Unconditional love is beautiful, I say, but it only works if both parties give equally because you don't want to end up a stump. Yeah, I'm cynical, that's what happens when you think the tree had it good and you strive to be the tree. I'm not bitter, just damn glad I didn't get whittled down to a stump!
9. Curious George by Margaret and H.A. Rey
George taught me to be curious. Sure he got into lots and lots of trouble and always relied on the Man in the Yellow hat to bail him out, but he didn't let it stop him from scoping things out. Essentially, the little cartoon monkey, Curious George, taught me the value of asking "why" and actively seeking the answer instead of just accepting what I was told. Maybe I make a mess, maybe I make a giant catastrophe but I know I have my personal Man in the Yellow Hat (Hi Mom & Dad!) to help guide me to the right solutions and, I know that just accepting the status quo is never the right answer.
10. Song of Fire and Ice Series by George R.R. Martin
Probably a token answer for all fantasy lovers, but for me, I found this series at a time when I needed it most (thanks Joel!), a time when I needed a reminder that women have power and women can save themselves and when knowledge is the most important asset in the world. I learned that even the best people can die in books, a reflection of our reality, that the most flawed people can have silver linings and the most golden people can be the ugliest, most hateful wretches in the world. I learned that there are books where life isn't fair and you can successfully write about such worlds and people will read stories where favored characters don't get happy endings. Though, I'm a little bitter at waiting so long for the next book - I mean, when else have we had to say "spoilers" about the TV version of a book?
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