The Babysitter's Club series - As silly as this may seem, when I read my first Babysitter's Club book as a child, it opened my eyes to the wonderful world of series. Each time I ended a book, I couldn't wait to pick up the next one. I couldn't wait to find out how these characters were progressing through life, and what joys and difficulties they would experience next. When there wasn't a new Babysitter's Club to read, I would seek out other series just to follow the character development and get sucked in to another fictional world.
James and the Giant Peach - I can't remember a lot of the details about this story, but why it stays with me is because this was one of my mom's favorite books, and she would read it to me at night before bed. We'd curl up on the couch, and she would take a chapter at a time. The copy we had was an old one, one from her youth, and I loved the smell of the aging pages and the excitement on mom's face that she was getting to share one of her favorite stories with me.
Tuesdays with Morrie - As a child, I read a lot. We were a reading family. It was a very common scene for dad to come home from work with mom, me and Philip curled up in our own corners of the house reading. But when I got to college, the amount I read slowed down due to trying to juggle the college workload that came with my classes. But when Tuesdays with Morrie came out, somehow it ended up in my hands, and I started to read it. I remember vividly laying in bed late into the, my roommate asleep in the bed next to me, while I curled up under the bed lamp devouring the chapters. I was taken in by the life lessons, as well as the pain the main character felt when Morrie passed away. I remember finishing the book sometime in the wee hours of the morning and laying in my bed crying. I wanted all books to be that good, that meaningful.
Summer Sisters - Summer Sisters was Judy Blume's first stab at a novel for adults, and it is one that I have read multiple times. This genre of book is a theme for me in my reading choices: two young girls - one beautiful and confident, one quiet and introspective - who are the best of friends until life takes it tolls and eventually they have a falling out. This is usually because of the actions of the beautiful friend, while the ordinary one is left having been taken advantage of and forgotten. All of this changes in adulthood when the two women are back in each other's lives and sorting through the growing pains that come with facing your childhood demons. In all of the books that I've read that fall under this theme, I am always drawn in by this ordinary character, typically the protagonist. I relate to her, both in who she was as a child and who she has become as an adult. I think I read this story over and over again looking for layers of reflection in my own world.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - I was late to the Harry Potter craze. In true Briana fashion, I was stubborn and didn't have an interest in reading this series over which the world was going crazy. After all, it was a kid's book, right? It was the summer I graduated from college when the hype was hitting it's peak, and book four was about to be released. My aunt gave me a copy of book one as part of my college graduation gift. Her reasoning: it was a great book that she had read with my cousin and the main character is going away to school, and I was about to go away to graduate school. I remember putting the book on a pile of things and thinking I'd never touch it again. That summer, my whole world was turned upside down when one of my best friends was killed by a drunk drive just days before I was supposed to leave for Ohio. When I got to the Buckeye state, I didn't know a soul, and I was alone in an apartment with nothing but my overwhelmingly sad thoughts and feelings of loneliness. I wasn't sleeping much, and on my second night there, I looked around the apartment for anything that would take my mind off of things. And there it was: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I grabbed the paperback copy, opened to the first page and by morning, I had finished it. I spend the next day searching book stores in Columbus for the next book. I bought book two and ordered books three and four from Amazon. But without the ability to sleep, I finished the second book that next night and had to go for another search for book three. I figured I could always return the copy from Amazon once it arrived. I love the Harry Potter books now, but at the time, The Sorcerer's Stone may have saved me from losing my mind.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince - As I mentioned, I love a good series, so while I'm talking about Harry Potter, I should mention my love for The Half-Blooded Prince. I think this books stands out to me because it is part of the hero's journey when we've gone through the dark, angst stages (in Harry's case, The Order of the Phoenix) and get to have some light-hearted fun before things get difficult again. (All heroes have their angst and anger phrase. Remember Luke Skywalkers'?) I found this book a fun read in the series before gearing up for what was sure to be a challenging end.
Trumpet - I believe in love, and I don't believe that life is as black-and-white as some think it is. Trumpet is an incredible story of a man whose father passes away, and upon his death, he finds out that his father was born a biological woman. This story is told in part as memories from his mother about the love story with her husband and in part from the son's point of view. The range of emotions that the main character goes through as he learns about his father's past and his mother's love is a beautiful tale of what truly matters in life: unconditional love.
The Time Traveller's Wife - My heart melted the first time I read this book. I was sailing on Semester at Sea, and it was one of the only things that made me want to stay in my cabin rather than enjoy ship life. I loved every word, even the ones that broke my heart. The idea that these two characters were drawn together and would find each other through time spoke to every inch of the romantic within me. Like most of the other books on this list, I've read it multiple times.
Tattoos on the Heart - This book is a collection of memories and life lessons by Fr. Greg Boyle, a Jesuit who has created the country's most effective gang rehabilitation program. The messages about love, forgiveness, dignity and compassion are the type that make your mind take a step back and think about life from a bigger picture.
No Plot, No Problem - This book is a how-to on writing a novel written by the guy who started NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). While I have still never sat down and made myself participate, this book still sits on my shelf and I think about it often. It truly helps you consider all of the ways you can just sit down and start writing. He helps you come to grips with the fact that your first novel is likely to be a bunch of crap, but that doesn't mean you should do it.
These are the first ten books that came to mind when I sat down to think about the pages that have impacted my life. I'm sure at some point I will sit up and think about another book that should have been on the list, but for now, this is what I have. Books and reading have played such an integral part of my life. They have been my escape, my sanctuary, my fairy tales and my dreams. And I'm always looking for the next great read.
