The books that formed me into the reader/person I am today.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries by Gertrude Chandler Warner
I was a late reader. I couldn’t read until I was ten. When I finally picked up a book, it was the 8th Boxcar Mystery. It made a reference to one of the previous stories and I thought, “I should read them in order.” I never did read all the original books (someone continued ghostwriting books) but if that 8th one hadn’t mentioned an earlier book, who knows where I’d be today.
I read almost 120 of those books. Worth it? It got me out of the reader-less rut, so I guess so.
Victory by Susan Cooper
Not only was this my first proper historical fiction book, but it spawned my fascination for Lord Horatio Nelson. And boats. I even read a biography of Nelson’s life soon after. Yeah, I had weird tastes for an eleven-year-old.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
One of my earliest exposures to fantasy and a host of good memories. The audiobook by Rob Inglis has been quoted by me and my siblings so much, it’s a part of our normal conversations. The movies, eh, they deserve their own post.
Enchanted Forest series by Patricia C. Wrede
Another quotable series. This one has dragons, witches, princesses and princes, wizards, cats, swords, traveling and a bunch of other stuff. I’ve only experienced the audiobooks, voiced by a full cast. The fourth and final book doesn’t focus on the original protagonists and wasn’t good, so be warned.
The Chicken Doesn’t Skate by Gordon Korman
Again, man, the audiobook is pretty much perfection for my ears. My sister and I love this book, even over a decade after we first heard it. Something about older people taking on the personas of a bunch of eleven-year-olds—who get overly invested in one kid’s science project—never gets old.
Mister Monday by Garth Nix
Garth Nix has done something few other authors have: made me want to read all of his books. It began with Monday but didn’t end with Sunday.
Assassin by Patricia Finney
My first dip into the world of the Tudors and back then I didn’t know it would create the portal into my favorite historical time period.
The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan
I think this is the only series I’ve read that takes place in a fictional world and doesn’t have magic. Alright, the first one may have had magical inklings but I guess the author decided to ditch them ‘cause the rest of the series remained magic-less. But it was magical in everything else it did. I don’t know if I can pinpoint what’s so influential about this other than it spawned one of my favorite fantasy-lite series and good memories. I recommend the audiobooks.
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
Who’d have thought a story about a boy’s life on a farm could be so good? Steinbeck had an incredible talent to write about mundane things but infuse them with vivid colors and insightful perspectives. One of my favorite classical writers.
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
This guy knew his stuff. And he made politics interesting for me.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
My first adult fantasy book and it blew my mind. I almost exclusively read adult fantasy because YA seems childish to me now. Locke Lamora isn’t just good compared to YA, it is genuinely well-written with memorable characters, world and story. Here's my review.
Ones curiously missing:
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
I like them fine, they just weren’t the end-all-be-all for me. I've started rereading the series.
Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
Yer kidding, right? I was a little young when that world came into being and didn’t read the first book until around the time the movie came out. And I never read another Clare book. Yeah, it’s probably gonna be talked about more at some point.
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
I think I read the first page and decided “Nope.” I have no regrets.
Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
This is one of those rare instances where I like the movies better. Part of the reason is I saw the movies a few times before listening to the audiobooks. Let’s just say Bombadil and that thing with The Shire didn’t sit well with me. The movies, though, are the best thing since sliced cheese.
Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Never read them. In general, the dystopian genre couldn’t get on my good side. I watched the movies and didn’t like those, so the desire to read the books died even more.
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis
The popular stories (Lion, Caspian, Dawn Treader) are fun and quirky. And the full production version of the audiobook was a cool way to experience them. But when you’re around nine and you don’t understand the allegorical leanings of the story and get to the donkey and gorilla part…the hatred is strong with this one.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Oh boy, another book I hate. So many unlikable characters, ridiculous conversations and cringey messages portrayed. I'm glad I read it 'cause now I know how much it sucks.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Let’s end on a high note. I like this series. It’s fun, strangely educational and a good ol’ romping adventure. It just didn’t change my life.