When a book is written, it's safe to say that the author had dwelled on it for quite some time. They wrote the book because it displays one of their values or represents something in their own life. As an avid reader myself, I've read countless stories and books from many genres, but these 29 books inspired me, touched me and changed me, and I'm sure they will do the same for you.
I give you my favorite books...and my unique interpretation on each one.
1. A Christmas Carol — Charles Dickens
Ebenezer Scrooge is not very nice and he doesn't believe in the spirit of Christmas at all. Then on the night before Christmas, three ghosts come to him to show him what Christmas is all about and the joy of making others happy.
Seemingly bad people can become good.
2. Mockingbird — Kathryn Erskine
Caitlin's older brother died in a school shooting. She has Asperger's syndrome and is trying to find closure for her and her father.
Recovering from adversity will lead you on a hard path, but the things you encounter along the way will make the journey worth it.
3. Peak — Roland Smith
Peak is a climber. When he gets the opportunity to try Everest, he accepts, unaware of the physical and mental trials that await him.
Don't forget that no matter how high you may get in life, the people that matter are your roots down below.
4. The Fault In Our Stars — John Green
This is the story of two people with cancer whose lives cross as they struggle with their emotions.
Live as if there is no tomorrow. One day there won't be, and you may not see it until it's too late.
5 Animal Farm — George Orwell
These angry farm animals overthrow their abusive farmer and must discover how to run their own 'government'...but it soon turns into a dictatorship.
Seemingly good people can become bad and power-hungry.
6. Hunger Games — Suzanne Collins
Katniss lives in a world where teens aged 12-18 are chosen from each District to fight to the death in the "Hunger Games." When she goes to the arena, she must use tactics threatening the stability of the nation to survive.
When life isn't fair, you rebel against what has already been laid out for you.
7. I Am Malala — Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai lived in an area infested by the Taliban-cruel people who restricted women to their homes and forbid them from attending school. She was shot just for speaking out for girls' educational rights, and this is her story.
Stand up even if you are only one voice.
8. The Darkest Hour — Caroline Tung Richmond
Lucie is the newest recruit in Covert Ops — an organization of seemingly harmless girls who track down sympathizers of Hitler. Their ultimate goal? To take down Hitler.
Observe and record every last detail there is about something to be successful.
9. Endangered — Eliot Schrefer
Sophia is just visiting her mother in the Democratic Republic of Congo when invaders strike. She is left with her backpack and a bonobo that she'd adopted earlier. Together, they must find a way to survive in the wild — on their own.
Strength often has to bow down to wit.
10. Ungifted — Gordon Korman
Donovan has never been "gifted." A mix-up puts him in the Scholastic Academy for Distinction and he must hide out there from the superintendent because he is guilty of a huge crime.
Even the smartest people in the world wonder what it's like to be a normal person.
11. The City Of Ember — Jeanne DuPrau
Doon and Lena always believed that Ember was the only place in the world. When Lena finds a set of unfinished instructions, she decides it's important and her and Doon attempt to decipher it.
Work diligently towards your light. Don't give up on it.
12. The Maze Runner — James Dashner
Thomas wakes up in the Glade, an area where boys whose memories have been erased reside. There is only one way out of the Glade — the maze outside it. It is infested with Grievers, monsters that kill stray Gladers. Thomas and his friends must find a way to leave the maze.
Think outside the box. In this case, the maze.
13. Sea Spell — Jennifer Donnelly
Serafina, once a lost princess, is now the leader of the Black Fin Resistance, a group to take back her throne in the realm of Miromara. She must take back her realm and fight an ancient evil that threatens the world's very existence.
Friendship, courage and love will challenge you and wish you had none of them. But they will also fill you and allow you to overcome your greatest enemies.
14. And Then There Were None — Agatha Christie
10 people are called to an island with each of them being killed off one by one. Who is the murderer?
Common sense is more valuable than curiosity and indifference.
15. The Lightning Thief — Rick Riordan
Percy is an ordinary pre-teen...until he discovers he is the son of Poseidon. He is framed for stealing an invaluable lightning bolt and must prove his innocence by finding the real culprit.
Life can change in an instant. Both good things and bad things come out of it.
16. Ready Player One —Ernest Cline
Wade is a teenager living in the Stacks, but he really lives in the OASIS, a virtual world where anything is possible. When there is a competition to win half a trillion dollars, Wade discovers that he must keep the money from falling into the wrong hands.
Have a cause for using intelligence other than yourself.
17. The Crown — Kiera Cass
Princess Eadlyn is almost at the end of her selection and she must choose a husband. She loves every one of her suitors in their own way, but there is one person that she feels is right. However, she'd be breaking the rules to marry this person.
True love can come in the most unexpected form.
18. The Siren — Kiera Cass
Kahlen is a siren. She is tied to the ocean for 100 years and must serve by singing sailors to their deaths. When she meets Akinli, she wishes to be with him...even if it costs her dearly.
Follow your heart even if everyone else is against you.
19. Caught — Margaret Peterson Haddix
Jonah and Katherine must place a lost child in her place as Albert Einstein's daughter.
People are always cast in the shadows of others but sometimes they turn out to be brilliant.
20. Famous Last Words — Katie Alender
Willa has just moved to Hollywood-but there is a serial killer at the large. Can she save her life and her friend's life by uncovering the mystery?
Be observant and attentive always. It may save your life and help you save another.
21. The Giver — Lois Lowry
Jonas lives in a black and white society where there is no love. He is chosen to become the Receiver of memory only to find out that there is so much more in the world than he has seen.
Too much control is a bad thing. If things are too calculated and perfect, something is missing.
22. Matched — Ally Condie
Cassia is Matched to her best friend-and she is elated. But she is also falling for someone else.
Don't let a system determine your life.
23. Quake — Patrick Carman
Faith and Dylan must use their telekinetic powers to save the American population from the hands of evil power-seekers.
If you have special abilities, you can use them for good or evil.
24. The Tomorrow Code — Brian Falkner
Tane and Rebecca must stop an invention that threatens the survival of the human race. In this world, humans are the disease to the world.
People can become better if they try. The world depends on it.
25. All Our Yesterdays — Cristin Terrill
Em must go back in time and help her best friend-beforehe becomes evil in the future.
One seemingly small thing can change your entire life. Be prepared.
26. We Were Liars — Emily Jenkins
Cady spends her summers at a family island... but she cannot remember one of the summers. She soon discovers that the truth is ugly.
Sometimes giving in to your imagination and not wondering about what's missing is bliss... but it is often necessary to find out the truth.
27. Before I Fall — Lauren Oliver
Sam lives the good life of a popular girl, until she dies in a car accident. But she is instead put in a time loop of the same day she just lived over and over and making different choices each day. She must do something before she truly loses her mind.
If you get to repeat something, make it better than the last time. You will change.
28. Me Before You — Jojo Moyes
Louisa is running from job to job until she gets one as the caretaker of Will Traynor, a disabled man who doesn't want to live anymore. She tries to convince him life is worth living and falls in love in the process.
Don't be afraid to make the best of what you have even if you won't have it much longer.
29. The Outsiders — S.E. Hinton
When Ponyboy and his friend Johnny accidentally kill one of their rivals, they go on the run to save themselves from the police and realize themselves in the process.
Someone who is different from you is not always your enemy. They can even be your friend.
