I had a good friend of mine, Molly, ask me this week, “How have books changed you life?” I didn’t hesitate and answered her with a simple reply, “Books have changed my life.”

Books have had a profound influence on my life. Let me explain. When I was little, I was the only child of a divorced mom. We were poor and didn’t have any extra money for extravagant things. Every Saturday, though, we went to the local library. My mom would go off to one section and I raced to the children’s section. The librarian usually knew me and would help me discover new books.

Books were an escape for me from my life. With the turn of a page, I could be anywhere in the world at any time period. I could be thrust down a rabbit hole in search of the keeper of time. I could be transported in time and be a lady in Queen Elizabeth I’s court. I could travel into the future via a time machine and help save the world. I could be anything I wanted to. I didn’t need money, only my overactive imagination.

As the years passes, I learned to write and soon I was creating my own stories. With the simple act of telling stories through words, I could make someone laugh, cry, think and go on their own adventure. I was addicted and knew this is what I was meant to do.

Books are powerful and have the opportunity to transform a soul. Think to yourself all the books you have read that have changed your life in one or another. Take a pen and list the first ten that come to mind.

When you are finished look over the list and ask yourself, “How have these books changed me?” Write your answer down for each book.

Here are my top ten books that have changed my life:

1- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
2- The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
3- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
4- The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
5- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
6- Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado
7- Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
8- Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
9- On Writing by Stephen King
10- A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Have fun with this writing exercise and let me know what you came up with!

MRS N, the Writer