A blogging buddy of mine, Jackie Cangro, recently posted a list of books that influenced her the most, and just as she did with her what-makes-me-happy list she manged to totally inspire me to create one of my own. In my 39 years of eating chocolate these are the books that made the most impact in my life.
It wasn’t just because of the story, it was the characters. They were both flawed and heroic. I wanted to meet them. They inspired me in some way, they changed my perspective. I think any book that changes you in some way is a great book. Some of these are complex, intense sagas, some are simple stories, a few are fiction, while others are based on people’s lives. Fact or fiction they share their truths, sufferings, A-ha moments, life lessons, and successful outcomes.
They’re written with such magic that they’ve left an imprint in my life. These stories left a profound impact and changed the course of my direction, whether I was a teenager in high school, a 20-something learning about myself, or a 30-something badass still learning about myself. There are a lot of books out there I haven’t read yet so many fall on my to-do list. But for now, this is my Shook Me-Pushed Me-Slapped Me-Thelma and Louise Awakened Me- Passionately Embraced Me-Scared The Crap Out of Me-and Changed Me List.
What are some of yours?
🙂
The Alchemist–Paulo Coelho
Daughter of Fortune–Isabel Allende
The Catcher in The Rye–J.D. Salinger
Pudd’nhead Wilson–Mark Twain
Life of Pi–Yann Martel
Invisible Man–Ralph Ellison
Native Son–Richard Wright
The Notebook–Nicholas Sparks
The Count of Monte Cristo–Alexandre Dumas
One Hundred Years of Solitude–Gabriel Garcia Marrquez
Eat, Pray, Love–Elizabeth Gilbert
Tuesdays With Morrie–Mitch Albom
The Last Lecture–Randy Pausch
In Cuba I was a German Shephard (The Short Story)–Ana Menendez
