A friend recently posted the 10 most influential books that she's read and it got me thinking. Normally, of course, I post about books I've just read, but most of the books I've read in my life were all long before I began blogging about my reading. So, I thought I'd take a few minutes on a cold and snowy evening to think about those books that made the greatest impression on me and, in all probability, made me the avid, voracious reader I am today. So, in no particular order:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This is the first book that I remember reading over and over and over again (sorry, Mom, Go, Dog, Go doesn't count in this tally). I was fully transported to the world Burnett created and can still imagine the high-walled garden that captivated little Mary so.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The books following the life and times of Anne - and then of her growing family - was likely the first series that I read. Embarrassing confession here, but I still remember crying when I finished Rilla of Ingleside, so sad was I to have concluded my adventures with Anne.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
I went through a phase where I would only read Newbery Medal winners and this was one. This is a children's book in a way that the previous two books on this list are not, though the topic is far from breezy: ten-year-olds Annemarie Johansen and Ellen Rosen are about to be parted as Ellen's family seeks to escape Copenhagen - and the Gestapo - at the height of World War II. This is the book that first opened my eyes to World War II. Also as a result of reading it, I spent decades nursing a desire to visit Copenhagen and especially Tivoli Gardens.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
We read this book in high school; as best I recall, it is the first non-fiction "novel" that I ever read and instilled in me an immense liking for that genre. You likely already know, but the subject is the Clutter family murders in rural Kansas, circa 1959.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I love this book. Some 400,000 words, written longhand, by a woman who had never written anything before...and then tried to have the manuscript returned to her from the publisher because she feared it was not good enough. From a purely author/writing-focused standpoint, Peggy Mitchell is my hero.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My high school English teacher recommended the story of Francie Nolan to me and I fell in love with it the way I had with Secret Garden before it: Francie's immigrant world in Williamsburg at the turn of the last century captivated me entirely. That Francie ends by enrolling at the University of Michigan was the icing on the cake.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I'm sure it's cliche to include Harper Lee's classic on my list, but this was another school read that helped me love reading and made me think, for a fleeting moment, that I'd like to be an English teacher one day. I'll keep my current job, but am still thankful to the teacher who assigned it.
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent
I did very little "fun" reading while I was working on my PhD. Last Call was one of the first books I picked up purely for enjoyment once my time was my own again. Okrent confirmed for me how fantastic truly well-researched, well-written non-fiction could be (see In Cold Blood above for my first suspicions!). The book also made long-ago events highly personal: a Prohibition-era drugstore in Chicago (Markins) that may or may not have been a hotbed for bootlegged liquor was most definitely owned and operated by my husband's great-great-uncle. His grandmother confirmed the store was his; she could not believe her dear uncle Harry had ever been a bootlegger. The truth, I imagine, has ultimately been lost to history.
Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen
Faithful readers of this blog will know that I want to be David Quammen when I grow up (or in my next life - I'd settle for reincarnation). Song of the Dodo is the first Quammen book I ever read; in fact, it's the first scienc-y book I ever read and for that reason it makes my list. Prior to this book, I would have dismissed anything with a subtitle including the word "biogeography" as far too dense (read: dull) for my taste. Nothing could have been farther from the truth.
Agatha Christie
I've included this one last of all because it's (obviously) not a book, but an author. My French penpal first told me about Agatha Christie when I was in seventh grade and I spent the better part of the subsequent years reading everything the great dame wrote. I never would have delved into mysteries if it hadn't been for Tifenn, but by doing so, I believe I broadened my palate and also found a go-to author for quick, light reads, particularly on cold, snowy weekends.
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