I'm going to state the "obvious" first and say, the scriptures.
After that, though, there are two.
First, and this may sound silly / obsessed / ridiculous, but I would honestly have to say Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter, people. Is it the most inspiring book? I don't think so. Does it have the most take-home messages, best plot, and everything else good you can imagine? Who knows. I've definitely read books that had something Harry Potter didn't ("can't think of any right now" - name that movie), but I've never read another book / series that has been as life-changing as Harry Potter.
Without Harry Potter, I wouldn't have nearly as many inside jokes with some people. I never would've waited for a book at Walmart at midnight or seen a non-High School Musical movie had midnight. I never would have known who Nicholas Flamel was or pretended to cast [specific] spells at people using sparklers on the Fourth of July. I would not have had a single impassioned conversation about how Petrificus totalus is the most underestimated and under-used spell of all time. I don't know if I would have lasted some of the truly boring days at my old job. Is my life better now? I would argue yes, but that's not the point. The point is, my life is different than if I'd never read those books.
The second book on my list is a collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales my dad read to us before bedtime when we were younger. The first time I remember appreciating fairy tales as real literature, more than just Disney movies, was while listening to that book. It was so interesting and funny to hear the differences between how the stories started and how they've "ended up" (although I'm sure they'll never have a "final" version). I remember wanting to hear more and more because it was so fun. And you all know that now I love fairy tales.
So. If you haven't picked up a Harry Potter book or a fairy tale recently (or ever), you should! You might be surprised.
What's the most life-changing book you've ever read?
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"The truth is that there was a something about Peter which goaded the pirate captain to frenzy. It was not his courage, it was not his engaging appearance, it was not --. There is no beating around the bush, for we know quite well what it was, and have got to tell. It was Peter's cockiness." - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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3 comments:
Harry Potter, hands down. I was actually having this same conversation with a friend not 30 minutes ago!
I would agree with you 100% when it comes to Harry Potter. I love that series. I already have the books and movies, but I also want the books on CD so I can listen to them while I drive. (Which isn't all that much, but honestly, sometimes I can't get enough of Harry Potter.)
Another book would probably be "The Giver". I've read that book probably about 15 times since grade school. I love that it shows that we shouldn't take for granted anything and that agency truly is a blessing and we should be grateful we have choices.
So, there are my life changing books, besides the scriptures. I think those are a given if you're religious.
Granted, the scriptures are the most life-changing books of all time. I would argue that, in my life, the Book of Mormon specifically has changed it more than the others, but that may be because I've read it so many more times than the others.
There are so many other books that have changed me, such as The Last of the Mohicans, A Christmas Carol, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, To Kill A Mockingbird. But the book that has changed my life the most would probably be The Hobbit. I've read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, too, but only once. I've read The Hobbit about six times. It helps me to see that even the little guy can succeed, no matter how little faith others put in him. The heart of the little guy can be as large and impressive as those of the biggest. Being a little guy myself, I quite enjoy watching him win.
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