If you’re anything like me, you love to read. I think I’ve probably read about 70 books since I was a freshman in high school. Ultimately, reading these is up to you, but I fell in love with all of them and more. These are just a few of the very best ones if you’re looking for some life altering reads.
1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Obviously, as a book nerd I wasn’t going to not put Harry Potter as the number one. It changed my life when I first read it and was the reason I got back into reading in the first place.
2. Everyday by David Levithan
This book is about a person, who isn’t really a person, but still is a different person every day. It’s complicated, but it really changed my outlook on life. If you really read it with some thought, it’ll make you think in a different way than you have before.
3. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
This book will really make you appreciate life while simultaneously making you fall in love with each character. It’s such a great read, and it will have an impact on the way you look at life in general because anything can happen.Â
 4. It’s Kind of a Funny Stoy by Ned Vizzini
I really learned a lot about what it was like to struggle with depression in this book as the main character does, and as Ned Vizzini himself does. If you don’t know anything about mental illness, you will definitely have a newfound respect for people who truly stuggle with it everyday. Vizzini was in and out of the psych wards at hospitals until, after the release of his book, he committed suicide in December of 2013. Nevertheless, this book still opened my eyes to the struggles that could be going on in the people around me.
5. Looking for Alaska by John Green
This book has so many things going on in it and somehow still gets me attached to the characters and still makes me want to live my life better. I want to get out of the labrynth, but doesn’t everyone? This book is a great read for anyone (probably over the age of 13) and will definitely change your outlook on the meaning of life and how important it is to live everyday to the fullest. Aside from life, this book also touches on the kinds of relationships we as humans can form with other humans, and how each person uniquely shapes your life.Â