Ten Most Influential/Inspiring/Important Books That I Have Read

My wonderful friend Camilla tagged me in a post where she listed her top ten books and asking me to do the same. I told her I wanted to do it, but that I needed to think about it. After thinking about it for a month, I still am feeling like I'm forgetting some things, and that bothers me, but here is my list as I can think of it now:

1. Harry Potter series- I'm pretty sure about 90% of people who know me know that I love Harry Potter. My friend Camille asked me one time why I love them so much, and I had a really hard time explaining it. But I think I had a hard time explaining it because it has a lot to do with emotions, which are never easy to put into words. I feel like lovely miss Rowling has a lovely way of writing. I feel like when I read the Harry Potter books, I was able to feel so immersed in the world, and I was able to connect so much with the characters. Sure, the books are directed toward children, but they are books that I can go back to again and again. I feel like they have so many relatable situations. I love how there is humor and sadness and anger and difficulty and happiness and hope, just like life. 
2. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls- I don't remember how old I was when I read this book. I think it was somewhere around the 4th grade though. And I remember sobbing like a baby. I think it was the first time I'd ever cried like that because of a book. I loved realizing the power of books.
3. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson- Yes, a self-help book. Ok, here's the thing. I feel like every year for Christmas, I'd ask for books, and every year for Christmas, my parents would get me self-help or church-related books, even though my parents knew I loved fiction. I don't know if they even realized that they did this. However, my mom is a huge proponent of the library, so maybe that is one reason for their gift-giving decisions. But anyway, one year my parents gave me this book, and honestly, this book has had a huge influence on my framework for thinking. A lot of the information is fairly common sense, but I really like the way the author puts it. 
4. Way to Be! and Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley- I think my friends maybe said church books were against the rules because obviously they are inspirational and influential, so that's why I combined these, to maybe be less cheaterish. But anyway, these books both really taught me the values of kindness and hope and education. I love them. 
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss- My siblings and I read this together every Christmas Eve. I really love Christmas, and this is just such a classic Christmas-type story. 
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- How un-unique of me to love this book. I don't even feel like I love this as much as others, so I feel unfair claiming this on my list, but I do feel like this book opened my eyes to things I hadn't thought about before. 
7. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson- My love of this is much like my love of Harry Potter and Where the Red Fern Grows, but I think this was one of the first books that taught me how fragile life is and that taught me how important friendships can be. 
8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitgerald- So, I read this in high school, and I enjoyed it, but I reread this book last year, and I realized that I didn't understand half of that book back then. But when I read it this last year, I realized that it is beautifully written. I wish I could write beautifully like Fitzgerald. 
9. Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare- I always have heard people in life saying they don't understand Shakespeare, and I'll be honest, I don't really understand them. I mean, sure, early modern English is different than modern English, but learn a little vocabulary and etymology and spend a little time reading to get to know it, and the works of Shakespeare are so interesting and clever and not all that hard to understand. Study a little extra too and you'll get even more meaning out of it. That's one thing I love about Shakespeare, the layers of meaning. And Much Ado About Nothing holds a special place in my heart. We did the play in 6th grade. I played Hero, the female character with the second most lines and who the story basically revolves around. I'm not going to lie, but I was pretty proud of myself. It was proobably hilarious. I was probably a cocky little 6th grader pretending to be this fantastic actress. But the play introduced me to Shakespeare plays and sonnets, so, it's pretty great that we did the play. 
10. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli- So, this is a children's book, but I only read it a year or two ago. A really close friend of mine told me that I reminded her of Stargirl. My confused stare surprised her, and she told me that I must read Stargirl. She let me borrow it, and I loved the sweet story. Also, I discovered what a compliment it was for my friend to say I'm like Stargirl. I hope I'm at least half as caring and kind as Stargirl. So, now sometimes I look to Stargirl for inspiration! 

Runners-up- These are other books that I have LOVED in my life and/or have really impacted how I view things

• The Egypt Game
• Oedipus Rex (I know everyone hates this story because it's kind of messed up, but it's sort of a beautiful tragedy when you think about it.)
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
• Daphne's Book or another book by Mary Downing Hahn
• The Alliance
• The Farthest Away Mountain
• The Importance of Being Earnest 
• The Work and the Glory series
• The Jewel Book series (not necessarily classy books, but they helped solidify a friendship that made middle school so much better than it would have otherwise been)

I feel like there are 20 others that I have simply forgotten. I feel like all books, even the silly ones influence my life. Yes there are some that are more influential, but I feel like they all help me see other ways of life, and I love that. I love reading. I should make more time for it. 

Writers

So, I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but there are so many times when I read a book or an article or someone's blog, and the writer seems so deep and profound and cool, and I feel inadequate next to them. How did so many people get to be so amazing? Some of these people are younger than me too. How can I be amazing like that?

I don't necessarily feel like I'm profound or cool or the most fantastic writer on the planet. However, I do enjoy writing. I like trying to put my thoughts and feelings into cohesive statements. I do wish I were cooler and seemed deeper, but I also am just trying to be happy with where I'm at and who I am. Maybe one day I'll be able to write something that helps someone feel something powerful. But maybe not. And maybe that's ok.

So, I do not have a smart phone, and for the most part, I actually like it that way. However, there is one thing I do not like. I've noticed lately that there are things where if you show on your phone that you have "liked" something on facebook, you can do or receive certain things, but if you don't have a smart phone, you're just out of luck.

Similarly, I want to start going to some classes at the rec center near me. I went and looked up their class schedule, and it said to register for classes on the app. And then it gave a website where you could also register. However, the website didn't work. I even called the rec center asking what to do, and the person I spoke to was not very helpful. She gave me the web address and a similar web address, but I was on my computer and tried it all and nothing worked. I asked if I can just show up to classes, and she said yes but that I might not be able to get in if it's full. It just makes me sad. I don't think everyone should be expected to have a smart phone. I know I'm in the minority of all my friends, but I still don't think it should be expected.

Mini-rant ending now.

Quick Thought about a Favorite Story

So, as was mentioned in a previous post, I love Les Miserables. I think it's such a beautiful story. But for the last little while, I've been wondering why Victor Hugo includes all of these deep and beautiful and tragic human relationships, but then the love story between Cosette and Marius feels shallow and cliche. I'm not done with the book yet (I know, I know . . . . I am taking my time), so maybe it gets deeper in the book, but even still, that relationship confused me. However, as I was thinking about some of the themes of the story this afternoon, I had this thought: maybe the story needed to include examples of all kinds of love. Fantine had romantic love, but then that guy turned out to be a major jerk. And the story has beautiful friendships and parent-child and leader-follower relationships. But the story needed an example of the sweet romantic relationships that can exist. And, of course they take work, but they can be beautiful. And the inclusion of this relationship makes the story feel more complete to me now. It makes me love it even more.

I Believe in Jesus Christ

I never want to be preachy or do things that push people away. I do not want people to feel that I am pushing them to believe what I believe, but I do want to share my beliefs. I want people to know that I believe in hope and that I believe that hope and love and joy and peace come through Christ.

This week I have felt such an overwhelming love of Jesus Christ. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So, I would also be called Mormon. I have been trying so hard over the past little while to be a better person, to be closer to my Heavenly Father. I have been trying to be diligent at scripture study and at prayer and at being kind and giving and at really doing what I feel like God wants me to do. It's amazing how such a little effort on my part can bring such an overflow of beauty to me. It reminds me of a quote that's on my mom's fridge. I can't find the wording that her quote says, but it's essentially the same as this from Melvin J. Ballard, "A person cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return." I feel like my small efforts have brought me closer to God and helped me feel of his love for me and see his hand in my life. It's incredible. But I don't really want to really talk about that right now. I mainly want to talk about my testimony of Jesus Christ.

I often get the song "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" stuck in my head, more the lyrics than the tune. The words so reflect how I feel about Christ. I especially love the first part: "I know that my Redeemer lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives!" I do know that my Redeemer lives, and here is why it gives me comfort and joy: I believe that the atonement of Jesus Christ is real, and because of the atonement, I can become better and I can put my failures behind me. I am often a major perfectionist. I sometimes become stressed out if I can't do things perfectly, or I worry that I am not making the most perfect decision possible. When I feel so stressed and worried about doing things perfectly, it immobilizes me. But the atonement of Jesus Christ gives me strength. I know that God is helping me in my life, and I know that if I do have a terrible failure, I can come back to God and to Christ, and I can be redirected. And because of the atonement, I can repent. And when I repent, it's as though my failure is gone. It's like starting fresh. When I remember Christ, I become remobilized. I feel like I can move forward.

I do not have a perfect understanding of things, of Christ, of the gospel, of so, so much. But I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me. I know that when I am closest to the gospel, I feel extra support and strength. I feel this ability to move forward that I struggle with when I am not as close to the gospel. There are certainly days or weeks when I doubt, but there are other times when I feel Christ is so close. As I learn more of Christ and of the gospel, I am filled with peace--my stresses feel manageable, my future feels more hopeful, and I feel more happy. Sometimes those feelings don't even come right away, but if I keep trying to be close to Christ, they eventually come.

"I know that my Redeemer lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives!"