I love to read. I have been influenced and changed by so many books. These were the ones to come to mind of some of my favorites, and I hope they are as good of a read for others as they were to me.

Hidden Figures

Most people know this book from the movie adaptation recently released (also amazing- definitely watch). This book, to me, is a story of inspiration. It changed my perspective of women’s rights and women’s achievements. It’s inspiring to read the stories and struggles of these women and to know that their names were never written in the history books we read because of their race and gender. Their story tells one of passion, perseverance, and dedication to their own improvement, and the improvement of a country.

The Wee Free Men

This is hands down my favorite childhood book series. This book opened the door to my favorite author, Sir Terry Pratchett (thank you, random Barnes and Noble employee who introduced me long ago). First off, it’s hilarious. What part of tiny blue Irish men isn’t? It’s also got a strong female main character who is witty, smart, strong, and independent, all at the age of like 8. It’s a fantasy and it tells the tale of a young budding witch fighting evil and such, with the wonderful humor of Terry Pratchett. When I was younger, I wanted to be Tiffany Aching- she was awesome, and made me want to channel my inner witty, independent, strong self.

Macbeth

Oh Shakespeare. Technically a play, but I’m counting it as a book. If you didn’t have to read this during school, then go read it now. It’s dark, kinda spooky, and has the dramatic eloquence that Shakespeare puts in all his tragedies (personally, where I think he really shined as a writer). I loved this play for all that it was and all that it wasn’t. It wasn’t a book with a happy ending, or a fulfilling one. It showed how easily people can be corrupted by ambition and the lengths they will take to achieve what they want, and not in a good way. The degeneration of human character in this play was what I think made it so fascinating and scary to read. Good people slowly became bad people as they were corrupted- a very real human capability.

Lord of the Flies

I read this in 7th grade and it messed me up. Similar to Macbeth, it shows how quickly people can be corrupted, and can manipulate and turn animalistic towards one another. My innocence was exposed to the reality of human nature through this book and it’s fascinated me ever since.

Good Omens

Another Terry Pratchett masterpiece. This book exposed me to Neil Gaiman, another favorite of mine. This book is a combination of the author’s writing style to a T. It’s dark (apocalyptic dark), which is Neil Gaiman. But it’s also hilarious, in a way that only Terry Pratchett could do. It’s about an angel and a demon teaming up to stop the apocalypse, for each of their own good-bad agendas. When I read this, I was amazed by the epic intertwining of humor and dark reality.

The Great Gatsby

Another book you probably had to read during school. It’s a classic and shows the downsides of the American Dream that are so often overlooked. This book changed me because it told a tragic love story, the dark reality of the roaring twenties, and the non-existent freedom so many women had at the time. Movie adaption is so-so: I definitely loved the book a lot more.

Lord of the Rings

You can’t go wrong with adventures and elves in any book. Movie adaptation is awesome. This series makes my heart happy because it’s a perfect fantasy telling of an epic adventure. It’s very thorough too, so if you’re gonna read it, be ready for many written out songs and long descriptions (especially if you read "The Hobbit" too).

Laughing at my Nightmare

This book is written by Shane Burcaw about his life as someone with a disability, and what that really meant for him. He tells his story with a lot of humor, and it helps lighten the otherwise rather upsetting reality that he, and many others with disabilities, face. His overall message has stayed with me though- you have to make light of the bad if you ever hope to get through it. A very inspiring story with a unique perspective.

The Butterfly Clues

This book is a mystery-romance book that follows a girl with severe OCD (no, not the everything needs to be clean and organized stereotype). This book was one of my first introductions to the perspective of people with mental illness, and what it looked like to the person with it, and to others outside of their life. It’s a really interesting look at what mental illness is actually like and how it can negatively affect a person because of social stigma.

The Year of Secret Assignments

First off, the author has the last name of a character in Sherlock Holmes, which is awesome (another favorite). This book is 100 percent a comedy, and is a story of secrets and friendship. I loved reading this book because it was all humor at every page, while also maintaining an actual plotline. This book changed me because it made me start looking for humor in my life, much like how it is with the characters in the book.

Like I said, I love to read. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.