Books That Have Changed The Way I Think!

The other day I was reading a lovely blog post by the Blosson Twins and I loved it so much that I had to do something similar (I hope you girls don't mind!) Books have had such a huge impact of my life since I was a little girl. My Mum always made sure I had new stuff to read, even if they were just cheap kids books from the supermarket. They've always helped me grow my imagination and some have even helped me through bad situations.

Since I love talking about books so much, I wanted to share which ones have had the biggest impact on me and how they changed the way I think: 

The Diary Of Anne Frank

I finally read this book when I was about fifteen years old and at the time I was battling a bit of depression. I ended up relating to Anne a lot, and she would explain things that would make me go, "Yes! That's exactly how I feel!" She was struggling with things that I was, liked the same things, we even had similar habits. To be able to find comfort in a book when I was young and overwhelmed made all the difference to my own mental health.

I know for sure that Anne and I would have been such great friends. For such a young girl, she thought so deeply and was an amazing writer. Her diary will definitely stay with me my whole life. 

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

This is definitely a book series that got me thinking about all new topics relating to both the character's world and our own. What got me thinking differently was mainly Katniss and how she acted as a leader. I've mentioned it before on my blog that her and I are pretty similar in our personalities. She's a lot braver than me, but we both don't immediately come across as natural leaders. We're stubborn, struggle to make friends, and aren't really that great with people in general. But in saying that, what really made Katniss lead a revolution was actually her fighting spirit and the fire she had inside of her to push back. She made me discover that you don't have to be great with words to be an awesome leader, although it does help. You can simply inspire people with your own spirit and not giving up. 

Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

I feel like I've raved about this book so many times already, but it's just such an awesome read! Obviously I found it relatable and funny, just like so many others did. For me what struck a cord most was how every single character had their quirks and flaws and nobody was perfect, and that's OK! There are so many times where you don't get to see what insecurities particular characters have and you just want to get in their head. It's a book that really highlights how no one is perfect and that we all have our own ways of doing things. The characters in this novel are so diverse that it makes their interactions really interesting. Love it!

Illuminae, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

This is another book I didn't shut up about both during and after reading it. It blew my mind in so many ways and I think it may be the best book I have ever read. This one really opened my eyes to how a story can be told and that creativity knows no bounds. It's made up like a case file with IM's, emails, surveillance footage summaries as chapters, rather than paragraphs. Yet everything just flows naturally and you care so much for these young character's who are banding together. It's pure genius and the creativity levels are through the roof. Just shows you that you don't have to write like everyone else and pushing boundaries can give you amazing results.


The Perks of Being A WallFlower, Stephen Chbosky

"You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand."

This was definitely the first book that I read that truly explored what it's like to be the quiet person in the room. It finally goes through things like not fitting in and the anxiety behind it as well. I'm a lot like Charlie in his social behavior and I just loved that his friends let him be the wallflower. Before I read this book, I hadn't really touched on what that term meant. But it's essentially me in one word! At every single party I've been to, I have just loved sitting there and listening to people converse and watch how they interact. It's my own way of understanding things. Some people love to debate, but others like me just want to observe and learn that way. This book definitely taught me that it's okay to be either one of those groups and that there's always one wallflower in every group.





Thanks again to Lucy and Kelly for coming up with this idea on the power that books can have on our lives. Don't forget to go read their post too!


What books have changed the way you think?
Steph x.