#siraynine

Rules: In a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. Tag [ten] friends, including me, so I’ll see your list. Make sure you let your friends know you’ve tagged them.

Tagged by xxthesmittenkittenxx

1.) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.  This story is near and dear to me for a number of reasons.  First, it’s because the magic and beauty of Tolkien’s words and world has always ignited something in my soul.  Second, it was the first novel-length work that my father read to me.  I was eight years old at the time, and reading them was a bonding experience that later led us to bring the entire family into a reading time.  I’m twenty now, and still read with my parents and four younger siblings.

2.) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  I was in seventh grade when my father read the (abridged) version of Les Miserables to the family, and it was the first book that ever made me develop my own ideas of how the world worked in accordance of good and evil, justice and mercy.  Since then I’ve read the unabridged version (or at least large parts of it), and seen the Broadway show thrice: a traveling show, in Chicago, and in London.

3.) The Standard Works.  This is a bit of Mormon Lingo here, and it pretty much includes the scriptural texts of The Old Testament, The New Testament, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.  I have read all of these cover to cover, and studied them extensively. The Book of Mormon and the New Testament are my favorites, and both of them have brought me an incredible degree of peace in my life.

4.) Sons by Pearl S. Buck.  The second in Buck’s trilogy, and, for me, more fascinating than The Good Earth.  The characters and stories are as dynamic as anything you could wish for out of a high fantasy novel, but with a touch more realism. Aside from being one of those novels that places you completely in a world apart from your own that is still a part of your own, it was incredible to see how people, no matter their culture or time period, are fundamentally the same.

5.) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  Regardless of your belief system, Screwtape has some incredible insights into the human mind and the literal and metaphorical demons that we face.  It’s both insightful and frightening, because if it is read with an open mind, there is always at least one chapter where you realize that the devil is talking about you.

6.) Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.  It’s really difficult to choose a book from Ray Bradbury’s vast collections, but in the end, everything always returns to Dandelion Wine.  It’s not an edge-of-your-seat story, but rather, one in the same stream as My Neighbor Totoro, about a boy struggling to grow up, but who still sees magic in everything.

7.) The Discworld by Terry Pratchett.  I have only found this series within the past two years, but have fallen in love with Pratchett’s funny and thoughtful stories, with his incredibly real characters.  It’s impossible to describe them, really, but it’s the kind of series that pieces fall off and stick to you in unexpected ways.

8.) Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa.  Yes, this is a manga series, but it was by far the most impactful series I read in late high school.  To this day, I am inspired by Arakawa’s pacing, characters, and worldbuilding. And I won’t even lie; this series was part of my inspiration to go into Biomedical Engineering.

9.) Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer.  I never really got into the Percy Jackson series, but I fell in love with Artemis Fowl.  Maybe literally.  I don’t know, junior high is a really weird period, okay?

10.) +Anima by Natsumi Mukai.  Another manga series, but the only one that, to this day, I still cherish completely.  The story is simple and sweet, with characters that are more heart than anything else.  The art style and characters heavily influenced my stories as I proceeded through high school.

You guys don’t need to have links to the actual books. I just wanted to do that. Taggin’ you guys: