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On Facebook this challenge is going around & I thought this would be a great forum to see what others peoples picks would be

Pick 10 books that have inspired you or have stuck with you...you can list them in no particular order

I've listed below in no particular order (but I'm kind of anal, so they really are in an order; how I read them over the years)

1) The BoxCar Children series (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
2) Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
3) Go Ask Alice (Beatrice Sparks as "Anonymous")
4) Christine (Stephen King)
5) Interview with a Vampire (Anne Rice)
6) The Witching Hour (also Anne Rice)
7) The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (A.N. Roquelaure, a pseudonym of Anne Rice)
8) Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
9) Mommies Who Drink Sex Drugs and Other Distant Memories of an Ordinary Mom (Brett Paesel)
10) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)

1. Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson
2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
5. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
6. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
7. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
9. The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Excellent discussion topic, Melissa!

1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
5. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
7. Night by Elie Wiesel
8. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
9. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
10. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I found all 10 of those enjoyable reads Bailey, with the partial exception of Night since it would be more accurate to call that one moving as opposed to enjoyable.

I see what you mean. I guess for me that it being so moving and emotional is what made it enjoyable and inspirational to me

Bailey, I think I miscommunicated. :) I like Night too - I just meant that I liked it in a different way than I liked the other books.

Not in order (link at the English edition, but I read them in Italian):

1. The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati
2. A Late Divorce by Abraham B. Yehoshua
3. Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
4. Medea by Christa Wolf
5. Reunion: A Novella by Fred Uhlman
6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
7. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
8. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
10. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

In no particular order The Power of One
Jessica (both by Bryce Courtenay) I read these as a young teenager and loved them! They really contributed to my love of reading.
Adventure books by Willard Price Read these at about 10yrs of age. I loved learning all about animal behaviour while on an adventure with the two main characters.
My Name was JudasI only read this book this year but it really struck a cord with me. If you agree with the saying "There are two sides to every story" then you might find it fascinating too.
Trinity by Leon Uris One of the first family sagas that I read.
Russka Found this utterly interesting and opened me up to more fiction about different parts of the world.
The Pillars of the Earth Just such a well-written historical fiction novel... cemented Ken Follet as one of my fav novelists.
Watership Down I'd never read a book from the point of view of an animal (since I was a child....) was such a great book and opened up myself to reading more novels of this nature in the future.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn Just really made you think! Loved the sequel My Ishmael too.
Pride and Prejudice Just love! The only book I have, and probably ever will, read twice.

Really interesting thread, love seeing all the different novels. Some I have never heard of.

Oh ok Greg I understand. Lol sorry :) And Alannah I agree. A lot of the books in Eleonora and Erica's posts I have never heard of.

I'm glad there are some comments. Some I have read & some I have never heard of. Time to add some books to my "to read" list :)

Hope more people join in

Here's my list:


1. What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies
2. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
5. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
6. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
7. Middlemarch by George Eliot
8. S. by J.J. Abrams
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
10. Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

I'm finding a lot of new tbr books from these lists!

So interesting to see everybody's lists. I'd love to know people's reasons - what exactly it was that stuck with them. Here are my top 10:

1. The Handmaid's Tale - My all-time fave. I was completely taken in by Atwood's subtle and quiet yet still profound writing style.

2. Fight Club - I'm not a Palahniuk fan in general, but the use of unique metaphor, language, and creative structuring blew my mind when I first read this book. I read it fairly young so it was the first novel I'd seen written in this way, and I've read few since that compare. I also thought the psychology of the character was fascinating.

3. The Whalesong Trilogy - A childhood favorite. I was about 10 or 11 when I read this trilogy, and it sparked a fierce love of marine animals and animal welfare that has lasted me my entire life.

4. The Last Unicorn - Another childhood favorite, but this one I adore even as an adult. (Re-read it a few months ago.) It is a beautiful, magical book that brought me back to my childhood self, the one who believed unicorns could be real. When I finished, I had to hold the book to my chest and just close my eyes awhile.

5. Harry Potter Boxset - Haha, this one I actually did NOT read as a child! I read this for the very first time in 2010, at age 23. :D And I fell HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE. These books truly transported me. Rowling's cleverness and the sheer magnitude of her imagination is just incredible.

6. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men - This was a recent read, but it chomped its teeth onto my brain and never let go. David Foster Wallace's writing style is amazing, and his psychological insight blows me away. I related very strongly to his story, "The Depressed Person." ... Unnervingly so.

7. Me Talk Pretty One Day - I don't know if I'd call this a top favorite book by itself, but it introduced me to David Sedaris, whose witty and weird stories have delighted me for many years since.

8. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image - This is a nonfiction book that argues that the move from polytheism to monotheism and egalitarianism to patriarchy came with the onset of linear writing. It's not a perfect theory, but dang it was fascinating to go on this intellectual ride. I have read this book twice and talked about it a million times to a million different people.

9. The Green Mile - Oh, this book... This book made my heart ache so hard... John Coffey... I can't even...

10. The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy - These books are like nothing else I've ever experienced. The story is delivered in the form of actual, physical letters - yes, ACTUAL letters, papers folded up and put into envelopes that you can open yourself - complete with beautiful artwork and a spellbinding love story that is best read under the glow of a candle with rain pouring lightly outside.

1. Where the Red Fern Grows-This is one of my favourites. It's a beautiful story, and makes me cry every time!
2. Life of Pi- I loved the twist in this story!
3. Remembrance-SO lovely. A wonderful time-travel romance.
4. Someone Knows My Name-Beautifully written.
5. Gone with the Wind-Another favourite, this book is a great historical novel. I adore how you can love Scarlett but hate her at the same time! She is such a complex character.
6. The Thirteenth Tale-A recent read, this novel is quite surprising.
7.The Shining-My most memorable horror novel.
8.The Whale Rider-I read this one years ago, and thought it was wonderful.
9. The Last Unicorn- I loved this movie when I was young, and didn't know it was a book until my mother got it for me as a birthday gift one year.
10. Old Yeller-How can you not love Old Yeller?

1. The Eyes of the Dragon-This was my first ever book I read by Stephen King and it got me into his books. After I read that one, I read Cycle of the Werewolf which inspired him for the film Silver Bullet.
2. Little Women-This one stuck with me because it was a great story about family and had some good morals and lessons in it. and they prayed before bed too which is what I do as well.
3. The Princess Bride-It was a great movie and I enjoyed the book as well.
4. Little Men-This one stuck with me because it was about these boys who learned how to be good little men and how to treat others the way they wanted to be treated.
5. Little House in the Big Woods-I read this when I was younger and it was such a great read. I still consider it one of my favorite children's books.
6. The Thief of Always-this book got me into Clive Barker's books and its a great read about a young boy who goes into a house of seasons to escape from his humdrum life.
7.The Wind in the Willows-This year was my first time reading it and I enjoyed reading it. I would def recommend it to others because its a great story about friendship.
8.The Child Thief-This book inspired me to read the original Peter Pan this year and this is a darker take on the Peter Pan story and the art in it is amazing.
9.Tiger Eyes-This was my first ever Judy Blume book I read and it was a great read. The movie is pretty good too.
10.The Last Unicorn-I saw the animated film of it which was pretty good and read the graphic novel which was great too. It's a great story.

1. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
2. The Giver - Lois Lowry
3. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
4. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
5. Beloved - Toni Morrison
6. East of Eden - John Steinbeck
7. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
8. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Blindness - Jose Saramago
10. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis

You have excellent taste Sally! I loved your numbers 1, 2, 7, & 8 as well.

1. The Handmaid's Tale- first Atwood I read and loved it
2. To Kill a Mockingbird- studied and read for pleasure, wonderful book
3. A Christmas Carol- Encouraged me to read more of Dicken's works
4. Anna Karenina- inspired me to read more Russian literature
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox- I'm sure this book inspired me to read as a child
6. The Hobbit
7. Wyrd Sisters- I've read most of Terry Pratchett but this was one of my first and favourites
8. 1984
9. A Game of Thrones- got me really enjoying reading again and got me through final exams 2 years ago
10. Medic One- inspired me to do my job (I'm not anything as cool as a HEMS doctor though!)

Love the lists!

Here's mine:
1. The Famous Five Series - loved how George was so independent and sure of herself & wanted to be a bit more like her.
2. The Chrysalids - again, one of courage & independence and being true to oneself
3. The Power of One - first Courtenay book I read. Absolutely loved it.
4. The Sound and the Fury - first Faulkner book I read. Absolutely loved it.
5. The Sparrow - loved the characters, their feelings, thoughts & motives. I liked how the author brought in the concept of misunderstandings and misinterpretations and their effects.
6. Brother Fish - so many wonderful friendships
7. A Prayer for Owen Meany - wonderful. The first of John Irving's books that I read.
8. A Tale of Two Cities - the greatest love story ever
9. Doctor Zhivago - another great love story but on a different plane
10. Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls - a wonderful, warm look at living with a multiple personality disorder

1. The Horse Whisperer This was the first book I read that wasn't 'chick lit' or a childrens book. Opened my eyes to a whole bigger world of reading.
2. Memoirs of a Geisha loved this & read in 2 days, I found it shocking, and utterly fascinating.
3. My Sister's Keeper the first book that made me cry my eyes out
4. Child 44 my favourite book, I recommend to everyone. Very exciting story.
5. Bel Canto loved the characters and became completely engrossed
6. The Acclaimed Shopaholic Novels Boxed Set I just love these books, they are my release.
7. Lord of the Flies read at school and really didnt realise at the time how great this book is, but I often think about it now I'm older.
8. When God Was a Rabbit a real thinker, about child innocence & love
9. The Monster of Florence absolutely fascinating and couldn't get over the fact that it was a true story
10. Small Island completely fell in love with this story, peoples behaviour is fascinating.

Only 10? Hard!!!
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - my first "high literature" novel
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I grew up loving them
3. A Man by Oriana Fallaci - first contemporary work that "slapped" my face
4. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco - the first philosphy thriller when in school
5. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy loved just before starting University
6. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - to relax after studying linguistics
7. Middlemarch by George Eliot - a discovery for y third exam of English literature
8. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville - disovery for my first exam of angloamerican literature
9. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - suggested to me by a pupil of mine when teaching italian in London after University
10. The Warden by Anthony Trollope - suggested to me by a doctor when working in a medical meetig

These are written more or less in a cronological order of my "discovering" them. But I was 25 when I discovered Trollope. after that there are many more ...

Elenco i miei 10 libri preferiti in ordine sparso:
Cent'anni di solitudine Garcia Marquez
Come tempestose Emily Bronte
Un uomo Oriana Fallaci
Il maestro e Margherita Michail Bulgakov
La donna abitata Gioconda Belli
Il profumo Patrick Suskind
La ladra di libri Markus Zusak
Mille spenditi soli Khaled Hosseini
Il piccolo principe di de Saint-Exupery
La ragazza con l'orecchino di perla Tracy Chevalier

The Land of Green Ginger by Noel Langley
The Children of Green Knowe by LM Boston
The Owl Service trilogy by Alan Garner
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
Kes by Barry Hines
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
The Sea the Sea by Iris Murdoch
Troubles byJG Farrell
Lost Empires by JB Priestley

The above list is in order I think and the books are all imprinted on the memory with times and places preserved as a result.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Wonder by RJ Palacio
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secret of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrow of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

(Most of the books listed above are some of the books that makes me cry, smile and laugh out loud. These books definitely gonna be my life treasure.)

I didn't mention one from South Amrica!!!
At least One Hundred Years of Solitude or The House of the Spirits.

1. The Five Children series by E. Nesbitt - the forerunner of J. K . Rowling, where magic enters the everyday world
2. Little Women - my first romance, which made all the contemporary "Will he take me to the prom?" stories seem shallow
3. To Kill a Mockingbird - the first book I read where the heroine, like me, knew how to read before starting school (and wasn't appreciated for it) - I loved Scout from the beginning just for that
4. The Three Musketeers - my first swashbuckler, which eventually led to my writing a PhD thesis on Alexandre Dumas (though I never finished it!)
3. The Lord of the Rings - my first epic fantasy
4. Les Miserables - confirmed my already left-wing tendencies
5. War and Peace - actually inspired me to change my college classes and study Russian
6. Five Smooth Stones - saga covering the Civil Rights movement among other things
7. The Mists of Avalon -introduced me to the goddess traditions
8. Beloved - I can't say I enjoyed reading it, but I really got for the first time that every person who was a slave would suffer from PTSD or worse, unless they were already insane
9. Emma - my favorite Jane Austen which led me to love many other Regency romances
10. Possession by A S Byatt - a perfect book for a literature lover

In no particular order...

1 The Lord of the Rings (the trilogy)
2 Jane Eyre
3 Frankenstein
4 Rebecca
5 To Kill a Mockingbird
6 The Kite Runner
7 A Walk Across America
8 A Monster Calls
9 The Day of the Triffids
10 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

There will be loads that could have made it - as I did the list quite quickly!!

You're right Shirley. 10 are definitly too few!!!

1. To Kill a Mockingbird - Will always be my favorite book. Everytime I read it I learn something new and grow a little bit more.
2. Night Film - I just recently finished this book. It proves things aren't always what they seem to be.
3. Tuesdays with Morrie - This book has a 'daily devotional' quality to it. It will teach you a lot about life.
4. I Know This Much Is True - This one is just a really great story that stuck with me.
5. 1984
6. Out - A dark and gritty story about the will to survive.
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns- Really tugged at my heartstrings. Started a life long love for Khaled Hosseini.
8. Speak - I read this when I was a lot younger. One of the books that gave me my love of reading.
9. Gone Girl
10. Sentence of Marriage: Promises to Keep - This series is a great saga that takes place in New Zealand. An inspirational story of the strength of the human spirit.

I'm more of a non-fiction reader and buy non-fiction more than any fiction but the following is stuff I grew up on in terms of paperbacks (not film, magazine and Pakistani literature):
Everything Agatha Christie ever wrote.
Jane Austen' P & P
Stephen King's Misery
Enid Blyton's Malory Towers series (I know, I know a kids book - well, I read it when I was a kid!)
Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo
Middlemarch, North and South, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Human Bondage, Belle du Seigneur.

Nice titles for a non-fiction reader Noorilhuda!

Great idea for a list, these are my 10 books off the top of my head...

1. The Great Gatsby
2. Jane Eyre
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. The Crucible
5. The Diary of a Young Girl
6. Rebecca
7. Ariel
8. Frankenstein
9. Animal Farm
10. Lolita

Pink wrote: "Great idea for a list, these are my 10 books off the top of my head...

1. The Great Gatsby
2. Jane Eyre
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. The Crucible
5..."

A few on here I really want to read, interesting list Pink.

Pink wrote: "Great idea for a list, these are my 10 books off the top of my head...

1. The Great Gatsby
2. Jane Eyre
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. The Crucible
5..."

The six I've read so far were all fantastic :)

1. The Hunger Games
2. Catching Fire
3. The Mocking Jay
4. Divergent
5. The Great Gatsby
6. The Diary of Ann Frank
7. To Kill a Mockingbird
8. The Firm
9. Along Came A Spider
10. The Stand

Oh i loved all of the hunger games too

Me to Mariana, they are defiantly my favorite book series to read. However, I am trying to find out the name of some other books that was recommend to me. I was told if I loved the Hunger Games series that I would probably love these books as well. It is suppose to have a similar story line but there are 6 or 7 books to the series. Unfortunately, I lost the paper that I had the names written down on and do not remember who recommended them to me. It is driving me crazy lol, I am on a mission to find out the name of the books and read them. If anyone has an idea as to the books I am referring to I would appreciate the information.

Shellie:
Oh god! How bad! Well i hope you can get them somehow or remember! Do you think that on internet we cant find them?? Well ill try to help you if you dont mind ? And if i have information ill tell you! Yes they are the best books i couldn't stop reading them and cant wait for the movie lol !

Yes, I would love your help in finding them. Usually I am not so careless as to lose the information but things got a little crazy around here for a couple of months lol. I appreciate the help. I am going to email my Uncle to because I think he might have been the one who told me about them. If I happened to find out the information I will let you know as well.
I believe the Mocking Jay comes out in November. I know they took the last book and made it into 2 movies. I hope it is as good as the other two have been.

ll right ill start searching or asking friends or people or even we can ask in librarys...... Yeah i can imagine how things can change and become crazy so dont worry it wasn't your fault at all! Yes, thank you and if i know ill let you know too of course! Yes im so excited!! I think its on november 21.. Oh i found out lately about how they made it in 2... But they have tell me that they film the 2 at the same time. Like actually part 2 its already film! Yeah i read the book and hope its almost good as the book!

These are in no order.

1. Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster
2. Every Other Day
3. The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
4. TheLastConcubine
5. Insanity
6. Ella Enchanted<- The orginal book, not the movie.
7. Pride and Prejudice
8. The Giver
9. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
10. Kingdom of Cages

Thanks Mariana I am off this weekend so I am sure I will do some searching as well. I checked with my local library but they weren't sure either.

I will go to search to my lybrary tommorrow.... Im sure if we keep searching we will find it! Thanks to you Shellie

I found out what the name of the series is Mariana, it is called Mortal instruments. Thank you for all the help. I am going to go out tomorrow and get them.

Oh Shellie thanks you so much!! Your welcome, thanks for your information.. Im sure ill love the book!

1. Catch 22
2.Dreaming of Babylon
3. Confederacy of Dunces
4. Rabbit Hill
5. Rebecca
6. Washington Square
7. Left Hand of Darkness
8. A Wrinkle in Time
9. A Fine and Private Place
10. The Razors Edge

Mary

Mary Glass wrote: "1. Catch 22
2.Dreaming of Babylon
3. Confederacy of Dunces
4. Rabbit Hill
5. Rebecca
6. Washington Square
7. Left Hand of Darkness
8. A Wrinkle in Time
9. A Fine and Private Place
10. The Razors ..."

Mary, you might want to put authors next to the books as some may not be familiar to all. Or link to the book titles?

Not a bad idea Shirley, but I have read 7 on your list Mary. Some good ones on there!