These are a few of my favorite books. Each one of the following made me look at the world in a new way or made me question some part of my existence. These are the kinds of works that reach out to everyone, so everyone should just go read them.

1. "The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star" by Nikki Sixx

This book is a memoir style piece by Nikki Sixx that I’ve read five times. It tells the story of the darkest year in Nikki’s life, the worst year of his addiction. Even if you’ve never dealt with addiction, in yourself or someone else, the message of the book can still be felt. His courage, not only in that year but also to publish this work, can be a lesson to anyone that, no matter how dark the road may seem, there’s a light at the end.

2. "Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon

This is another short piece of nonfiction that is brilliant and powerful. As a writer, it’s sometimes hard to convince yourself that it's OK to be inspired by other writers. This book teaches you that it is OK to look to others for inspiration because basically everything that can be said has already been said. So find a way to say it differently.

3. "The Stand" by Stephen King

This book, although fairly long with over 800 pages, is well worth the read. It follows the story of several characters during the end of the world and the two forces that must face off at the end: Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg. This book really made me think about the way I live and how things might actually end.

4. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera

This is a fiction piece, beautifully written about the lives of four major characters whose lives are all intertwined. The way the piece mixes the history of the Czech Republic with the problems these couples face is incredibly interesting. The book touches on how people can be light and dark and twists the classic “opposites attract.”

5. "Sphere" by Michael Crichton

This work is different than so many other sci-fi novels like it. Most sci-fi stories that actually describe alien life depict the beings as too humanoid. Yes, they may look a little different, but they typically have a few limbs, stand erect, and have some sort of head. Crichton explores something completely new, something completely foreign. I’ve always known there’s something else out there, but this book made me wonder: What exactly is it out there?