June 27th, 2010

#BooksThatChangedMyWorld

What can I say, when it comes to books, I get weak in the knees and lose all self control. So when I noticed that #BooksThatChangedMyWorld was trending on Twitter (over a week ago now, but shh!), I couldn’t help but join in to gush along with the rest of the globe! Good old Twitter providing an avenue to spread the word about awesome books.

I got to thinking about which books had made the biggest impact on my life. I have lots and lots of books that I’ve loved to pieces and that I’ve dubbed my “favourites”. And though they all draw me in in their own special way, there’s still a certain caliber of book that goes beyond that. Beyond love at face-value. Something deeper. So here are a few books that I’ve found the most inspirational and influential to me. In some way or another, each of these books has completely revolutionized aspects of how I see life.

#BooksThatChangedMyWorld

I won’t go into too much detail just in case anyone hasn’t read these. I don’t want to ruin them for anyone. :) No particular order.

01. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coehlo
A thought-provoking picture of the struggle to live and die. Very spiritual and a little bit philosophical. A book about redemption, reality versus insanity, and self discovery.

02. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
An insightful and unconventional point of view on sacrifice, the devastation of war, and what it is to be human. Powerful, horrifying, and heart-breakingly sad.

03. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Behind the cultural study into Afghanistan, at its very core, this is a book about loyalty and the extents to which someone would go to maintain it. I was left awestruck after finishing this.

04. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
A struggle of sexual and gender identity. Poignant, moving, dramatic, thought provoking.i

05. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
A story about loss and the after-math of 9/11. Intense, beautiful and honest, and written in a very unorthodox style.

Those five are probably the most mind-blowing/world-changing/left-speechless books I’ve ever read. They definitely made me re-evaluate how I see the world and how I go about my daily life.

Reading

A few honourable mentions. Not quite as “Holy cow!” as the first five, but all are still very awe-inspiring in their own way:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palaniuk
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
White Oleander by Janet Fitch

How about you? What books have changed the way you see life and the world?

P.S. Anyone on GoodReads and want to be friends? I’m goodreads.com/krissy_. I’ve been a member for a while now but neglected my account until just recently.

Second photo is my own. Click the other two for their original source.

  1. I found the first third a bit tedious, but once I got past that, I was captivated. (»)

Krissy

Category: Literature » Tags:

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24 comments · jump to comment form »

Luinae » 27 June 2010

The Silmarillion and Princess of the Midnight Ball. The last one in particular- girls with pistols, men that knit, awkward love. It’s perfect and it makes me think, but just read it at a superficial level.
(Luinae\’s last blog post: Lazy Links)

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Marthe » 27 June 2010

I have read 4/5 on your top 5 list, and I really liked all of them. They are not on my top 5 list necessarily, but definitely very good.

I think my top 5 is: (in no particular order)

1. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
2. White Oleander – Janet Fitch
3. Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
4. Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
5. Never Let Me Go – Kazou Ishiguro

:)
(Marthe\’s last blog post: Never let me go)

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Krissy » June 29th, 2010

Hmmm, now I’m curious which of the 5 it is that you haven’t read! I’ll guess Johnny Got His Gun since most people I mention it to have never heard of it much less read it.

And since we seem to have very similar taste in books, I will have to add the last 3 from your list to my “To Read” list. :D

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Eleanor » 27 June 2010

The Little Prince is probably my favourite book ever. Just its simplicity and the message it spreads. It makes me a little tearful thinking of it!

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

Ah, The Little Prince. So charming. I haven’t read it in so long. I think I need to find myself a copy and read it again pronto. :D

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Tess » 27 June 2010

I always think I’m going to come up with a spectacular entry, and then you go and do it for me! ;)

I feel really bad – all of my memorial books have something to do with murder, vampires or romance, but mostly just romance. I’ve never been interested in anything non-romantic – something I found out with the former, murder, in my first true “novel” – so to state “‘ROMANCE NOVEL by AUTHOR’ changed me… all the sex was so great!” seems a little less poignant than the others. :P Although, I suppose not stating Twilight as a memorable book in my life is a good thing, y/y?

You make me interested in these, though, if I were ever to venture into a different genre, especially the fourth one (that’s kind of not really a surprise. but sssshhhhh, let’s pretend… it’s the new black!). :D
(Tess\’s last blog post: Songs of Tess- Blood Brothers Collection)

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Tweets that mention Shimmer Like Gold ♥ » #BooksThatChangedMyWorld -- Topsy.com » 27 June 2010

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by SomeKindOfStyle, Krissy ♥. Krissy ♥ said: shimmerlikegold.org: #BooksThatChangedMyWorld http://bit.ly/bPC33i [...]

Cecilie » 27 June 2010

That book “Veronica decides to die” sounds very interesting:) I’ve read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coehlo, and I liked it a lot:) I’ll have to see if I can find the book at the library:) Thanks for mentioning it:)
(Cecilie\’s last blog post: I ♥ Adam Lambert)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

If you go ahead and read Veronika Decides to Die, I hope you enjoy it! It’s very, very different than The Alchemist.

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Marie » 27 June 2010

I absolutely adore White Oleander and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Unfortunately, I’ve never read your top 5, but most of them are definitely on my wishlist. It’s difficult for me to distinguish books that are my favorites and books that changed my outlook, but off the top my head they are:

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Wasteland by Francesca Lia Block
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell
(Marie\’s last blog post: Celebrity Crush: Matthew Gray Gubler)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

It’s official, we’re book buddies! Haha. Funnily enough, I had Wasteland on my list initially, but at the last minute took it off. And The Virgin Suicides and The Bell Jar are two of my all-time favourite books. :D

I’ve been wanting to read The Reader for awhile too. Now that it comes highly recommended by you, I’ll have to move it up my To Read list. :D

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Marie » July 2nd, 2010

Yes, you must! It’s a really great read, and the film is pretty amazing as well (although, to be fair, I’m a bit biased when it comes to anything with Kate Winslet). I would recommend reading the book before seeing the movie.
(Marie\’s last blog post: Spotlight On- Criminal Minds)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

Groovy, will do! I was planning on seeing the movie sometime soon (since I haven’t seen it yet either), but I’ll hold off now until I’ve read the book. :)

Angelique » 27 June 2010

I sent you a friend request over on Goodreads =)
I loved Kite Runner as well. Other books that literally changed my world would be Language Older than Words by Derrick Jensen and Ishmael and The Story of B by Daniel Quinn. Fictionwise, I would have to add The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.Wondeful book, check it out of you get the chance!
(Angelique\’s last blog post: Its the Weekend and That Means Its Time toCheck Out My Booty-)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

I’ve heard lots of really good things about The Book Thief from a good friend. It’s definitely on my list of books to eventually read. :D

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Caity » 27 June 2010

I’ve only read Kite Runner and Flowers for Algernon off your lists but I love them both. I added you on GoodReads. :)

Another book that comes to mind to me is “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. I’d have to think about the rest. Flowers for Algernon would probably be on my list too.
(Caity\’s last blog post: It’s my anniversary-)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

I loved The Life of Pi! Great book! And it has such beautiful illustrations too. :D

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Angie » 27 June 2010

Thanks for all the suggestions!

A series of fantasy books, “The Sword of Truth” series by Terry Goodkind are full of wizards, dragons and magic, but the meanings behind them are profound. I was surprised by how much the main characters inspired me.
(Angie\’s last blog post: Day 25-My day- in great detail)

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Manda » 28 June 2010

I’ve only read Le Petit Prince and White Oleander out of all those you listed. When I read for enjoyment, it’s usually chick lit. I love chick lit and all, but they don’t really change your world :P
(Manda\’s last blog post: Sexy New Frames)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

I haven’t read much chick lit in my time, but hey, it could happen. ;)

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Kya » 28 June 2010

I have read a few of those mentioned and they are amazing! There have often been times when I have been inspired by your reading list and discovered many amazing gateways to other places I may not have found myself. :’)

Books are the best thing ever (even better then cupcakes, shhh. :P)
(Kya\’s last blog post: The swift wings of change wait for no man)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

Aw, I’m glad that some of my favourites were loved by you as well! :D

Mmm… cupcakes and books might just have to be on equal playing grounds in my eyes. Both are much too delicious. ;D

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Zoya » 28 June 2010

All of those books are on my to read list. I must say the most recent book that affected me was The Reader by Berhard Schink its hust one of thoes stories that stay with you long after you’ve stopped reading……it gets under your skin
(Zoya\’s last blog post: Quote of The Moment)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

I’ve been meaning to get my hands on The Reader! It comes so highly recommended. :D

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Heather » 28 June 2010

I’m reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close right now and I’m loving it! I also really enjoyed White Oleander, both the book and the movie were excellent.
(Heather\’s last blog post: URL Change)

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

They did such a great job on the movie version of White Oleander. Even though a lot was left out, they got the essence of it for sure. It’s still to this day one of my favourite book-to-movie adaptations.

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Alice » 29 June 2010

This makes me want to blog again <3 lovely choices!

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Krissy » July 2nd, 2010

Aw, I do very much miss your blog! But as long as I can stalk your reading escapades on GoodReads, I’ll be content with that. :D ♥

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Books That Changed My World | breakthesky.net » 29 June 2010

[...] Inspired by Krissy, I’ve decided to compile a list of books that have changed my world. I don’t read life-changing books at a regular rate by any means; my book of choice is usually one in the chick lit category. But that’s not to say that I haven’t come across a life-changing book or two (or that chick lits aren’t capable of falling in that category!). [...]

Micaela » 29 June 2010

Oh wow, you’ve intrigued me with your comment! Do you like the academy? What are you taking? Do you have to take academic classes too (and if so, what?). And is it very difficult? Sorry for all the questions!
(Micaela\’s last blog post: GIVEAWAY- Shabby Apple)

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Karin » 30 June 2010

I must admit I haven’t read any of those books. But White Oleander and Veronika Decides to Die are on my to-read.
It may sound silly, but the most life-changing book(s) I’ve read is The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. I read them for the first time when I was 11 and it was… magic. I had never been that captured by anything before. And as soon as I was done with the last book I picked up the first and started all over again. Tolkien opened up a whole new world to me, the world of fantasy, and thought me that there’s more to books than just romance novels and boring school literature.
(Karin\’s last blog post: Sweden Rock 2010 – the music)

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Krissy » July 3rd, 2010

I really need to bite the bullet and start reading the Lord of the Rings books. I’m your standard movie-obsessed fan, but have never actually sunken my teeth into the books. Terrible, isn’t it.

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Emily » 30 June 2010

I love books, I love to collect old books and to read all the time. I have quit a collection going. Thanks for the new reads though. Will definitely be adding some to my collection of to read in the near future when you have all the time in the world. Whenever in the hell that will be :)
(Emily\’s last blog post: Is that you)

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ARTPIXIEYou » 30 June 2010

your blog is gorgeous <3
(ARTPIXIEYou\’s last blog post: Free Giveaway- Cat Coin purse from Buyster)

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Simon » 2 July 2010

I’ve been thinking about reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close but I keep choosing books that I feel will an easier read. I’m guessing you would recommend I give it a go?
The book that had the biggest impact on me was probably If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, its so inventive and original it blew my mind!
(Simon\’s last blog post: EU Caps Mobile Data Roaming Rates)

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Krissy » July 3rd, 2010

Without question, I would! It’s not a particularly difficult read by any means, it’s more of an emotional read. If that makes sense. Either way, should you give Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close a go, you’ll have to let me know what you think of it. :)

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Top 7: Books that Changed My World « Nothing Better.org » 4 July 2010

[...] by Krissy and Manda – with the amount tweaked slightly for my convenience – I’m jumping on [...]

Anastasia » 14 July 2010

I loved The Kite Runner. And White Oleander is something I re-read at least once a year.

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