There is a fun challenge going around Facebook where you are to list the 10 books that have profoundly affected your life.
The rules are: Don't take more than a few minutes and don't think too hard. They don't have to be the "right" books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way. Tag some friends and you're done!
I've been tagged by several people and have had a hard time with it. Because, you know, "don't think too hard" doesn't apply when you're asked to choose just 10 books.
But then I read that September 6 was Read a Book Day and decided to not only take the challenge, but to post it here (albeit a couple of days late).
Our 10 Books
- What Would Google Do. I read this when I was trying to decide how to transition Arment Dietrich and what the web might do for the business. The result began with "Arment Dietrich is No Longer a PR Firm" in 2010.
- The Night Circus. I read this in the middle of my quest to write fiction (a project that has been backburner'd, but will make a comeback) and thought the writing was spectacular. So good, in fact, it scared me a bit from my own project.
- The Light Between Oceans. For some reason, this book totally got into my soul. I sobbed and sobbed while I read. And I can't get it out of my brain.
- Harry Potter. Yes, the entire series. I got into them 15 years ago, when Mr. D and I first became acquainted. I convinced him to read them—and I'm still convinced he did it just to impress me—and then we had lots to talk about. Those books began a great relationship our marriage has with books.
- The Lost Son. My college advisor—Brent Spencer—wrote this book. I remember the first class I had with him. He taught us a new language. On the first day, he wrote on the board, "Xter" and said, "You must learn my language. This means character." I'll never forget that.
- Little House on the Prairie. I'm not sure how many times I read every book in that series (my mom can probably tell you), but I loved them as a kid. It'd be interesting to go back and read them again.
- Groundswell. The timing of this book was perfect because it was right when Robert Scoble was talking about this Twitter thing and many of us were trying to figure out what social media meant to us personally and professionally. I still refer back to it quite often, particularly when working with clients who are scared to jump into the fray.
- The Fountainhead. When I was a junior in high school, I chose this as my "freebie" book. I'll never forget my English teacher telling my parents that it was a pretty heady book for a 16-year-old and he was impressed I not only read it, but totally understood it. Of course, I feel differently about it as an adult, but it was pretty mind blowing at that age.
- Me Talk Pretty One Day. This was my introduction to David Sedaris and it was perfect. I remember I was in New York City, working on a celebrity chef program for The Catfish Institute and a colleague recommended it. I started reading it on the flight home and I laughed so hard—and out loud—that I had to stop reading and put it in the overhead so I could stop embarrassing myself.
- Trixie Belden. Until I thought about Little House on the Prairie, I'd totally forgotten about Trixie Belden! I'm fairly certain I read every book in that series 1,000 times. It also is interesting that I still love detective stories (hello, The Killing!). Some things never change.
I would like to state, for the record, My Name is Asher Lev, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and 11/22/63 also should have made the list.
This is why asking someone to limit their choices isn't fair.
Now it's your turn! What are the 10 books (or 13) that have profoundly affected your life?
A version of this first appeared on Spin Sucks.
