Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week’s prompt was to list ten books with Sensory Memories, and I decided to take it a bit further.
These are ten books that impacted me on an unexpected level, in a good way. Some of them are books I expected to impact me at least a little, but not as much as they did in the end.
These are sorted in order from oldest memories to newest. 🙂
So, uh… let’s get personal?
1. Eragon — Christopher Paolini
year of impact: 2002
When Eragon was released, Chris was 19 years old. He started writing it when he was 15. That was so inspiring to me as a kid and it got me into writing, which in turn led me to roleplay forums. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s where 2+ people write interactive stories together. I did this until I was in my very early 20s. I struggled with terrible mental health from a very young age, and roleplaying literally saved my life. There were days as a kid where I only fought through because I needed to see what would happen next in my story. I don’t think I ever would have found my love for it, and for writing as an outlet in general, without Chris inspiring me.
2. Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 — Natsuki Takaya
year of impact: 2003
While Fruits Basket was not my first manga (that was Hikaru no Go), it was the first one that I loved. I used to obsessively read/watch manga/anime as a kid, and I miss that.
While we’re on the topic, drop me an anime or manga recommendation in the comments if you have them! ♥
3. The Truth About Forever — Sarah Dessen
year of impact: 2005
I forever credit Sarah Dessen for getting me into YA contemporary, and this book is the one she did it with. I remember picking this up on a whim at the library, not thinking I’d really like it—until that point, I only read horror and fantasy—but end up falling totally in love.
4. The Nature of Jade — Deb Caletti
year of impact: 2008
The first book I ever read with blatant, on-page mental health rep: the main character suffers from extreme anxiety, and though I was still at an age where I had no clue what was going on in my head or what caused those feelings, I knew I saw myself in Jade, big time.
5. Cold, Thin Air, Vol. 1 — C. K. Walker
year of impact: 2016
This wasn’t the book itself so much as its timing: I’d been rating books on Goodreads since I joined in 2012, but this was the first review I ever wrote (it’s literally, like, a sentence, but still), and it was also the first book I posted to bookstagram! (Those photos are long since deleted. They were… not good.)
6. A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas
year of impact: 2016
I actually have an entire discussion post about this here, but ACOTAR was the first book in over a decade that sucked me into a bookish fandom and made me remember what it was like to 100% geek out over a book/series. It also kick-started my return as a consistent reader, after years of not prioritizing what had always been my favorite hobby.
7. How to Make a Wish — Ashley Herring Blake
year of impact: 2017
I’ve talked about this so many times, so I’ll keep it short: this was the first book I ever saw on-page bisexual rep, and it meant so much to me. ♥
8. Strange Weather — Joe Hill
year of impact: 2017
This wasn’t my first Joe Hill read, and if you’re a fan of his work, you already know he’s pretty unapologetically political/liberal, but one story in this collection is about racism and gun violence, and… holy shit. As a life-long horror fan, I’ve grown accustomed to hearing horror fans and writers alike say the genre doesn’t “need” political slants, and this whole collection, but especially that short story, proves that argument SO wrong. The story is called “Loaded”, and it wrecked me in every possible way, but it also raised my standards for current horror authors. Horror isn’t exempt from real world issues, and I want to see that represented more frequently!
9. Beneath the Sugar Sky — Seanan McGuire
year of impact: 2018
Cora, the main character of this story, is fat. Like, shamelessly, no beating around the bush, no “hints”—she’s plus-size, and she’s healthy, and gorgeous, and lovable, and incredible. As a plus-size woman, I’d never before seen a character who was allowed to be fat, and happy, and healthy, and beautiful, and capable, and smart, and… I could go on forever. It was so empowering. ♥
10. Circe — Madeline Miller
year of impact: 2018
I knew this would be a gorgeous story, but this was the first book I’d seen myself in as a mother. Circe has a child in the book, and her thoughts towards him were so perfectly mirrored of my own feelings for my son, and it just made me weep. One thing about reading so much YA and horror is that I don’t get to see the motherhood in my life reflected in the books I read very often, and this meant so much to me.
What are some books that impacted you more than you expected?
Tell me about them!
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It’s so amazing how you could remember all of this! I’m not an emotional person so yeah I have nothing! Hey Fruit Basket is one of my favorite too, if you had the chance please try Parfait Tic, it’s an old manga but they’re good. Tora Dora and Lovely Complex are amazing too, they had both manga and anime, and I love both!
Thank you! I am such a sap when it comes to books – or anything, really. You should see me watching sad movies! Lol! Oh, I will totally look those up, thank you so much!
These books hold such wonderful memories for you! 🙂 I’m glad that a book could bring you back to your love of reading!
They really do! 🙂 Thank you!
It’s wonderful when a book can have such an impact on your life. Twitter was all abuzz today about book piracy, and I’m thinking… if someone can have such a positive impact on your life, why wouldn’t you want to support them financially by buying their books (or checking them out at the library, which also helps authors)?
I agree completely! I know that some people who pirate ebooks don’t have access due to living in countries that don’t sell those books, but… I feel like that’s *almost* NONE of the pirates, lol. :/ I just can’t imagine calling myself a huge fan of an author and then pirating their books.
“I struggled with terrible mental health from a very young age, and roleplaying literally saved my life.”
Yes yes yes yes yes. I didn’t get this from Eragon, I ended up in Harry Potter forums and eventually into more contemporary ones, always boarding school based. I got so much shit about this from IRL people, but roleplaying forums were there when the world sucked so hard I didn’t want to be in it. I feel you SO HARD.
<3 <3 <3 <3
Oh my gosh, I loved boarding school roleplays, lol! And yeah, I definitely also loved the HP forums, though by the time I reached 14-15, my favorite was to just go into the OC boards and make up my own characters in contemporary settings. I never talked to people IRL about it because the two or three times I did, I got picked on so badly and it mortified me. I just love hearing that you had similar experiences. ♥♥
Definitely! You’re not alone! In a funny twist of fate, one of the originals I RP’d with turned out to go to a bluegrass festival with one of my bffs every year and they’re actually *still* really close friends. We put that all together YEARS later. 😛
That is so cool lmao!!
I love The Truth About Forever and all of Dessen’s books. Ahh I should have mentioned it in my post xx
She’s a wonderful author! I still need to read her two latest releases.
Great post! I get emotional about my favorite books too. I love how books can become part of our journey through life. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
They truly do become such a big part of our lives, don’t they? 🙂 Thank you! I’ll check yours out as well.
It always makes me so happy that you love the book that gave me my name!
Wait, elaborate on this? I feel like I should know what you’re referring to but I’m drawing a blank! (Maybe because it’s been a long time since I read most of these lol!)
haha – one of the characters in the book has a baby called Avery and that’s where I got my name from!
Awww, how sweet! I love that! 😀
Books really can trigger some great connections. That you for sharing!
They really can! Thank you for reading ♥
Yes to Eragon!! That’s helped me a lot with my love and passion for writing fantasy.
I love it! I love hearing about books helping others grow in their writing paths!
This is amazing. It’s so incredible that books have made so much impact on your life! Also I only just got into anime so I don’t know anything haha. My friends highly recommend Yona of the Dawn though!
Thank you! Oooh, I haven’t heard of that one – I’ll look it up! Thanks! 😀
You’re welcome!?
Fruits Baskets is the only manga I’ve ever read, and I remember loving it so much!!! My friends and I would draw the characters during quiet times in elementary school, and it totally convinced me that I was a good artist (I’m not)
It’s sooo good! I love that you used to draw them. I used to love drawing as a kid and I always drew manga characters, lol!
I love this post! I plan to write something similar soon – Thanks for the inspiration!
For me, I devoured The Baby-Sitters Club and Baby-Sitters Little Sister books. Then, Harry Potter was a game-changer for me. Once I read Sarah Dessen for the first time, I was absolutely hooked. Here’s a few more that impacted me: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Looking for Alaska by John Green, and Tornado Warning: A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence and Its Effect on a Woman’s Life by Elin Stebbens Waldal.
Oh yay, I can’t wait to read it! And thank you ♥
The Baby-Sitters Club was a favorite when I was a kid, too! And Speak was excellent. I remember reading it over and over.
I clearly need Beneath the Sugar Sky like now…
You totally do! It was so excellent and I just really, really loved it. I hope you do, too ♥
Oh I’m so, so happy How To Make a Wish meant so much to you and that you loved it so much, I have this one on my wishlist and I can’t wait to finally get around to it 🙂
It’s really wonderful, Marie! I hope you get to read it soon, and that you love it!
These are such beautiful stories,so happy to hear they made such an impact on you. I love how books can have such an impact on us in so many ways.
Thank you, Lindsey. They really do!
I geeked out over Sarah J Maas too. I don’t know how you can’t! Check out my TTT at Cats Luv Coffee Have a great week!
Agreed, Valerie! Thanks for swinging by, and I’ll check yours out, too!
How To Make A Wish! Beneath the Sugar Sky! Such amazing booooks! For a manga (and anime, although I haven’t finished it yet it’s really good so far!) I recommend Orange by Ichigo Takano if you haven’t read/watched it yet!! <3
Heather @ Heather's Reading Hideaway|My Top Ten Tuesday!
They really are wonderful!
Oh, I haven’t read Orange yet – thank you so much! I’m adding it to my TBR now!
I’m going to be bouncing between reading your post and commenting it so forgive any errors! First, I want to say, wow: I never knew that the author of Eragon was so young when he wrote it! That being said, I felt the same thing about Roleplay. In so many ways, that saved me as a teen (and I continued to use it into my very early twenties, as well) and more, it brought me one of my very best-friends. I always feel so happy to hear that many people felt the same about Roleplay. Love, love, love that Sarah Dessen got you into YA contemporaries as well. She is such a talent. AND, A Court of Thorns and Roses! Swoon. So many great stories and memories here, I’m so glad you shared in the way that you did!
Yes, he was just a kid! It’s wild, isn’t it? I love hearing that you feel the same way about roleplaying. I honestly miss it sometimes even now, but I don’t have the time for it because I know that I’m the kind of person who ends up focusing too much time on it every time I go back to it.
Ahh loved ACOTAR <3 Lovely post <3 <3
Thank you so much! <3 It means so much to me. It makes me sad that so many of my friends hate it, but I just remind myself that every book won't be for every reader, of course.
How cool about Eragon and roleplaying. I think roleplaying has had a phenomenal impact on a lot of people, and that;s so amazing. It’s nice too when a book is a gateway to an awesome fandom!
Circe looks great, I really want to get that.
Agreed 100%, Greg! And I hope you get the chance to check out Circe soon. Happy reading!
Reblogged this on Hot Shot Headlines and commented:
Thanks to Destiny at Howling Libraries for inspiring this post!
Here’s my top ten, in roughly chronological order:
1. Baby-Sitters Little Sister series, Ann M. Martin, circa mid-1990s
2. American Girl Classic series, Various Authors, circa mid-1990s
3. Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, J.K. Rowling, circa 1999-2000
4. A Walk To Remember, Nicholas Sparks, 2003-2004
5. This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen, 2004-2005
6. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson, circa 2006-2007
7. The Battle of Jericho, Sharon M. Draper, circa 2007
8. Looking for Alaska, John Green, 2011
9. Tornado Warning: A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence and Its Effect on a Woman’s Life, Elin Stebbens Waldal, 2015
10. Prez: A Story of Love, Margaret Garrison, 2018
Tell me about a book (or two, or five, or ten!) that impacted your life!
Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂
Ahhhh I like that you added the years when you read each of these!
Also omg Fruits Basket. I couldn’t get my hands on all of the mangas, but I did watch the anime all the way to the end…and it MESSED ME UP! Gah. And oh my gosh I think I read The Nature of Jade in the same year that you did, and I remember loving it….but I don’t think I even knew what anxiety WAS at the time! Also, I feel the same about ACOTAR as you do! Yay!
Great post, Destiny! 😀
Thank you! <3 Oh man, the ending of the series, I don't remember exactly what happened, I just remember being heartbroken! And I love that you remember The Nature of Jade! I never hear people talk about it but I thought it was such a great read. ♥ Thank you so much, Flavia!
It’s amazing when books change our lives and have such a big impact on us! <3 I'll have to give The Nature of Jade a read. I suffer from anxiety, so I love seeing it represented well in books.
My TTT post!
It really is! I hope you enjoy The Nature of Jade. It has been such a long time since I reread it, though, so please don’t hate me if it doesn’t hold up well LOL! I’ll check your list out, too!
[…] Destiny – Howling Libraries […]
I’ve been told many times to start in on Fruits Basket – one of these days. 🙂
Check out my TTT and my current giveaway
I hope you do – it’s so cute and fun and sweet! Thanks, I will check them both out! 🙂
Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing all this, Destiny! And wow! It’s amazing how young Chris was when he wrote Eragon! Truly inspiring! ❤️
Thank you, Kelly! ♥ And yeah, he was just a baby! I saw a picture of him from a convention a few weeks ago and was SHOCKED, lol. He’s all grown up now, and for some reason, I was still picturing him as a teenager!
I remember those roleplay forums. I was a member of one when I was a teenager, but I never wrote, I just read. I was too embarrassed to share my terrible writing. I still need to read a Joe Hill book. I’ve heard good things about them.
Aww, I bet your writing was way better than you gave it credit for! I always thought my writing was really bad, but a few years ago I came across a character intro I had written as a kid, and I was surprised that it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it!
And yes, Joe Hill is fantastic. 🙂 I hope you get to check his work out soon. If you like graphic novels, his Locke & Key series is great.
I loved The Truth About Forever. I only read it last year, but even at 26 I felt like I was still flailing around like a teenager not knowing what to do. I feel like Sarah Dessen’s books are quite literally saving my life. I just reread Saint Anything, and it was perfect. This is a great list, Destiny!
Aww, that makes me so happy! I’m so glad her books are doing so much good in your life. ♥ Thank you!
Okay, I also adored Eragon so much!! It wasn’t my introduction to roleplaying, but RPing was also a really positive force in my life when I was younger. 🙂 And I knooow we’ve bonded over Fruits Basket but I still love that you love it.
Re: the Joe Hill book (one of my favorites, as I think you know), I HATE when people say writers should leave their politics out of their books. It’s ok if someone doesn’t want to read something political, but writing is SO personal and none of their business. There are important yet terrible things going on in the world today and people have a right to write about them and to read about them. This is a criticism I’ve seen a lot of with Stephen King and Joe Hill, and I just don’t understand it. It’s not like the causes they support are doing any harm!
Anyway, I guess that’s my rant of the day!
Yesss! ♥♥ I am loving these RP stories haha! It makes me so happy to know it meant so much to you, too.
And yes, I’m so in agreement with you re: the politics in books! It reminds me of when people say celebs shouldn’t talk about politics (which fucking kills me because HELLO, YOU ELECTED A REALITY TELEVISION STAR) but you know… *sips tea*
[…] I have a discussion post about it here (plus a whole list of books that impacted me in a big way here!), but the short of it is that I had an abusive ex who basically made me stop reading YA and made […]