I’ve been an avid reader – and rereader – almost since I learned how to read. (Just ask my parents, who swear they read Ned’s Numbers to me a million times when I was a toddler.) I’ve read – and reread – hundreds of books since then, but a few of them have truly, powerfully changed the way I see the world. This list is not exhaustive, but contains a handful of the gems that marked some important shifts for me. (Inspired by Roxanne’s Books Well-Loved series.)
1. Little Women, first read when I was seven – the first story that completely, wholly absorbed me and made me want to read it again and again. (Which I did.)
2. Walking on Water, my “back-door” introduction to Madeleine L’Engle (now one of my favorite authors) and her oeuvre of beautifully written, thoughtful, moving books. (And, eventually, a topic for my master’s thesis.)
3. Watch for the Light, a book of Advent reflections that has shaped my relationship to liturgy, and indeed my faith.
4. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, which constantly pushes me to be more honest in my writing.
5. The Sound of Paper by Julia Cameron: given to me as a college graduation gift by J, it has powerfully shaped my creative life.
6. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which revolutionized the way I think about food and seasonal eating.
7. The Cool Girl’s Guide to Knitting by Nicki Trench, which helped reinforce a lot of the basics for me.
8. A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren, which introduced me to the concept of postmodern Christianity.
9. The reading list for my World Lit class, my senior year of college – most notably Saramago’s Blindness and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. Horrifying, heartbreaking, powerful stories with pitch-perfect writing, and so many different ways of seeing the world.
What books have changed your life?
cakes, tea and dreams 
Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine made me fall in love with words and language. I liked writing and reading well enough before I read it in 9th grade, but reading that book taught me to savor words and language, and to savor life. And I agree on the world lit novels. A handful of horse training books and dog training books.
Little Women would be on my list too. I loved it as a child but had a slightly different reaction to it when I reread it this year. I wonder how I’ll feel on my next reread though.
I think Emperor of Maladies, a book about cancer, has changed something in me. Another book that I love and want to reread is Wolf Hall….
*Island of the Blue Dolphins – this was my favorite when I was young.
*The Swan Series from Celeste De Blasis – when I was a teenager, I loved the history, family story, and of course the romance. I was a teenager after all.
*Gone with the Wind – as a young adult. I had wanted to read this for so long, then I was given the opportunity to go on a 10 day vacation with my grandparents. I hadn’t been very close to them, so it was a perfect opportunity. It was the only book I took, so I had no choice but to read it.
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton – a couple years ago. I loved this book, her interweaving of story lines and literary history, was wonderful. It has stuck with me since then. In fact I am reading her newest book now.
My list would be ridiculously long. Maybe if I broke it down into categories? I’ll have to ponder this. That is one of the things I love about visiting your blog: you so often give me something to ponder.
Ooooh, I adore half of these books–which makes me think I need to hunt down the other half! The Sound of Paper, Blindness and The God of Small Things are all new to me. Thanks for the ideas!
Ooh, an intriguing list. Thank you for sharing!
I remember reading Little Women and being so caught up in the story I wanted to write a letter to the author and express some of my frustrations. Sadly, I realized that Louisa wasn’t around to discuss it with me! One of my greatest joys has been sharing Little Women with my daughter. We laugh, we cry, we learn together from one of the best rites of passage.
By any chance, have you also read Bread & Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter? (N.T. Wright is the editor, and it was compiled by the same publisher as Watch for the Light.) I was wondering what you think of it, if you’ve read it.