Books That Have Had An Impact On Me

“A book is as dangerous as any journey you might take. The person who closes the back cover may not be the same one who opened the front one. Treat books with respect.” – Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

I’ve had this quote saved in my phone’s notes since 29th June 2019, when I was reading Red Sister. I was stuck thinking about blog post ideas and scrolling through my notes when I came across it and it made me think about books that have had an impact on me, thus sparking the idea for this post.

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This will come as no surprise to anyone who’s read any of my ‘favourites’ posts but the first book on my list of books that have made an impact is the Harry Potter series. I’ve loved these books for as long as I can remember and I always will. I have so many great memories of reading  (an rereading) these books, both alone and with my parents. I wish I’d written down my thoughts when I first read them but I was only about 4 or 5! These books are my go-to read whenever I feel ill, down, in a reading slump, anytime really. These books sparked my love of fantasy and I’m comforted knowing that they are always on my shelves.

Again, a Victoria Schwab book on my list of great/favourite/books that made an impact list? Surprise surprise! A Darker Shade of Magic was the first Schwab book I read and it had me hooked! I loved it from the first line, and I need to reread it soon. This book started my love for Victoria Schwab’s amazing writing and she very quickly became one of my favourite authors, and an auto-buy author. I got the chance to meet her last year and she was so inspiring to listen to and such a lovely person. I’ve read all of her amazing books so far and I’m so excited for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue later this year!

The next book is a book which I must have first read with my parents when I was very young and I’ve read it so many times since. That book is The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I loved the magical lands of the Faraway Tree and discovering what was at the top of the tree along with the characters. I think this book has such an impact as it was a book both of my parents had read when they were young too, and I have their copies on my shelves now. I love that they shared books from their childhoods with me, and I’m glad to have the memories of reading them together.

The next book that had an impact is This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay. I read this book last year and I really enjoyed it. It was a mixture of heartbreaking and funny and I really liked reading Adam Kay’s diary entries, his voice really came through for me. This was the first non-fiction book that I’ve read in a long time (that hasn’t been for studying purposes) and the first non-fiction book that I’ve enjoyed. It really changed my mind about the genre! It has encouraged me to seek out and read more non-fiction, a genre that I very rarely read.

The next book that has had an impact is My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher. Now this book had an impact on me for a different reason. I read this book on the train to and from a town a couple of hours away from my University town and this was the first book that made me cry in public. Normally I’m pretty good with keeping my emotions contained when I read in public but something happened in this book that really upset me. It took me a good few minutes to pick it back up and I’m pretty sure people sat opposite me were looking at me strangely!

Finally the last book (or series even) that has had an impact on me is the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton. This was a series that I think my mum must’ve introduced me to, and I still have the box set she bought me. It’s another comforting read for me, and I love rereading the series. It’s one I’ve not read in a long time but I know I will reread it again and again.

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So these are the books/series that have had an impact on me so far in my life.

What books or series have impacted your lives? Which books always stick out in your mind? Let me know!

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