Over the last 21 years, I’ve been through so many different book phases. There’s been some strangely specific phases and some that pretty much everyone goes through at some point. There have been so many books that have made an impact on my life, or books that I could read over and over again. I have so many books to chose from that picking ten is hard but I am going to attempt to do it.
1. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Science fiction is NOT my thing. That’s what I told myself the summer before 7th grade when I was assigned this book. I remember reading every other book that was assigned to me before I even thought about this book, let alone picked it up to read it. And once I finally got around to reading it, I was hooked. I finished the book the same day I started. This was the book that made me want to be a writer, because of how it captured me and made me appreciate a genre that I hadn’t even considered a real option before.
2. Dash & Lily’s Book Of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
As someone who loves NYC, book stores, and when characters fall in love, this book literally had my name all over it. This was one of the first books I read with different perspectives for the characters and I absolutely loved it. Everything about this book seemed authentic and relatable, especially when it comes to navigating all kinds of relationships as a teenager.
3. Notes from a Public Typewriter by Michael Gustafson
There’s just something extremely powerful about reading anonymous notes from people. Some are heartbreaking, funny, interesting, and every single one is relatable in some way. One of the notes that struck me the most is pictured below.
4. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
I don’t even remember why I even picked up this book. I remember seeing the cover and thinking, “Wow. This looks boring.” (Yes. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but sometimes I do.) I read the description and wasn’t really sold on it, but I still got it because it had four different character perspectives in it, and it’s not every day I find a book written in various perspectives. This book probably sat on my bookshelf for a good couple years before I even glanced at it again. When I finally got around to reading it, it was so worth it. Depression and suicide plays such a crucial role in society today, and this book addresses that in such a natural way. I gained so much understanding and I was rooting for everyone by the end of this book. There is just so much within this book to love. I promise.
5. Every Day by David Levithan
I don’t know how to describe why this book meant so much to me. It might have something to do with waking up every day not knowing who you’re going to be. Or maybe even that you’ll change everything and go out of your way to be with the one you love. Either way this book is fantastically written and worth every minute I spent reading it.
6. Frostbite (Vampire Academy Series) by Richelle Mead
Okay, remember when I said I went through a lot of phases? This was my vampire phase. Yes I read Twilight too, but the Vampire Academy Series was a thousand times better. This book didn’t necessarily have an impact on my life, but I sure as hell read it a million times. I could probably tell you in extreme detail everything that happened chapter by chapter. That’s how much I read it. It’s the second book in the series, and I’ve only read the first four books (by the time the others came out I was out of my vampire phase). This was one of the first books I read that executed a spectacular death scene. There was such raw emotion and I felt like I was right there with them.
7. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Not gonna lie, I definitely watched the movie before I read the book. Honestly I probably would’ve never even touch the book if my mom didn’t own it, but I’m so glad she did and that I decided to read it. This book was different because I was able to read from the perspective of a soldier and got to know him more than just what was portrayed in the movie. Reading this made me truly realize how significant the difference is between the book and the movie. A movie can only fit as much information within two hours, whereas a book can go on for as long as it wants. While the movie did a great job, there’s nothing like reading the book, especially this book.
8. This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
I bought this book, started it, finished it, and read it again all in the same day. Everything about this book roped me in. It’s a fictional book about a school shooting and told in four different perspectives. I think it beautifully captured how traumatic and traumatizing being a victim of a school shooting can be. At the same time it showed how everything evolved to this point and really made me feel for every character in this book. I think this was probably one of the most impactful stories I’ve read because of how well it was written and how important the topic of school shooting is today.
9. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Everyone went through a dystopian phase right? Okay maybe not, but I definitely did. This book, and series, meant so much to me because it taught me what kind of person I wanted to be. It taught me the importance of being a well-rounded person and not just focusing on one attribute more than others. But let’s be real, I also love this book because of Tris and Four. I could read about them a trillion times and never be bored.
10. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Honestly, I debated for a while whether to add this to the list or not. I love this book. I adore the movie. This book gave me so many feels and played with every emotion I possess, but there were times where I didn’t love it. I just wanted to be finished with it, or I was struggling through the story part of the book, just to get to the next chapter with emails between Blue and Simon. But like I said, I love this book. It meant so much to me, as a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, to read a book where the main character is gay, finding himself, trying to navigate through high school, and just being an average teenager. I’m sure there are probably other books out there that do the same or something similar, but this was the first book I read where the gay character wasn’t a side kick or just a way to be diverse. I needed this book more than I know and that’s why I love it so much and it made it on to this list.
Hopefully my experiences and thoughts encourage you to give these books a try. I promise it’s worth it. I think I’m a better, more well-rounded, person having read them, and maybe you will be too.