Although I do love all of these books, they aren’t necessarily my all-time favorites. That’s a list for another day! These are just books that I can point to as having great influence to me, one way or another.

Mariel of Redwall – Brian Jacques
An odd choice, I know. But before I found this book, I was a sixth grade voracious reader who would read anything – but had never really found any books to really love & obsess over. I picked this up last minute, intrigued by the image of a mouse in a dress on the cover, & was nearly instantly hooked. This book was my introduction to fantasy, & more importantly, to series fantasy. I love this story, about a girl who wakes up on a beach knowing nothing, & with the help of newly-found friends, finds her strength & becomes a heroine to all those around her. With the added bonus of pirates searats & ships & amazing feasts! The Redwall books became the first true obsession for me in junior high; I easily read this book ten times.

Notes from an Incomplete Revolution: Real Life Since Feminism – Meredith Maran
This book taught me so much about the real struggles of feminists, & how much further we have to go. It’s a collection of essays that wander throughout her life, but I learned so much & really got what the movement is all about. For me, several generations after the initial revolution, it was an intimate look at how things were, where they are now, & how much further we have to go. You hear about life prior to “the movement,” & I’ll never forget the passage about working on an auto factory line two weeks after she gave birth to her first son (because they wouldn’t allow her any extra time away from the job), breast milk staining her work shirt. It’s a wake up call, & I’m so, so glad I read it.

The Tao of Pooh- Benjamin Hoff
I’ve been into the many eastern philosophies for a long time, but I read this during a particularly tumultous time of life. I had just completed grad school, had my first real job, & had just moved in with my fiance. To say that things were going well is the overstatement of the decade. I was quite depressed, & all the sudden changes were taking its toll – &, for the first time in my life, most of what was “me” was now “we” – but perhaps I’ll talk more about that another time. My point is, I picked this book up, & I learned tons about just letting things go, & letting things happen as they happen. It’s such a fun little idea, teaching the principles of Taoism through one of our most beloved characters, & it really does work. This, to me, is an absolute must-have in anyone’s library – unless you’re the sort of person who prefers to be anxious & stressed out about everything. You know, if you’re actually a Rabbit.

The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
Okay, now, before the collective groan, let me explain: I’ve always been intrigued by Mary Magdalene, & since fleeing the Camden Baptist crazy (see below), I’ve been more & more interested in the truth behind all those bible stories that were shoved down my throat. All the information about the Divine Feminine is so awesome, & I can’t help but tear up at the image of Robert Langdon kneeling at the Louvre when he finally figures out her resting place.

I realize that much of this book is fiction, but so much of it is not. I remember babysitting at a professor’s house, & after realizing that she taught women’s studies, turning around to find written on a marker board in huge letters: “WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO WOMEN?” & personally, I think that anything that can create a dialouge about anything so important deserves attention. Some people only paid attention to the flack thrown at the Vatican due to this story, but personally, I was less interested in that & more into the woman behind the story. After reading this book in my undergrad, I took an even deeper interest in feminism & strong women throughout history.

The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
Oh, the early days of the Lord of the Rings movies! I was bit hard by the ‘Ringer fandom, & was all kinds of obsessed for a good long time afterwards (my email address, theforgottenfairy, actually refers to the fact the Tolkien mentions fairies in The Hobbit, but then never again. Yes, I am that sort of fangirl). I read most of The Two Towers in one night, lying on bed racing throughout Middle Earth. LotR was also my first online fandom, & was when I really got into fanfiction, icons, & communities. I was also a huge snob, believing LotR to be better than pretty much anything else – which led to a huge hatred of Harry Potter…

The Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
until I finally read the books. Harry Potter would eventually dwarf my obsession of Lord of the Rings, & I was hooked on the story even as I finished the very first chapter of Sorcerer’s Stone. I convinced many people to read them, & was even one of the first to have a huge essay all about how Snape couldn’t be evil after Half-Blood Prince. But lots of people have read this silly series; how could I possibly claim it shaped my life? Because these were the books that turned me into voracious reader once more. I, like so many teens, was so busy during high school that reading was something rarely done. Sure, I was still reading, & obviously I read Lord of the Rings, but I wasn’t reading everything in sight until I finished Harry Potter (up through book five when I discovered them). These are the books that turned me on to teen literature, & I can easily say that they’re at least partially responsible for becoming a librarian. So thanks, JKR! Just explain once more why you won’t write about the Marauders years…

Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z – Debra Weinstein
This is an odd little book that I picked up in the $1 clearance section of Half-Price Books. Its bright green cover & paint-like letters intrigued me, but I never imagined it would hit me the way it did. I read as I was finishing student teaching, during a weekend visit back home. I couldn’t put it down – which I thought strange, because I couldn’t quite place why. I thought that maybe I was a bit crazy, until I gave it to my best friend – who also devoured it, reading the whole thing in four or so hours. The story is of an undergraduate in a poetry program, assigned as a work-study assistant to her favorite poet & hero – The Flower Poet Z. Annabelle, when first entering the program, does so with the excited eyes of all freshmen, but learns throughout her time there that people rarely deserve the pedestals we place them on, & that poetry (much like the music program my best friend & I were in) is often less about how good you are, & more about who you know.

It sounds like a horribly pessimistic story, but it truly isn’t. Annabelle learns so much about herself & ends up a much stronger person than she ever was – which is exactly what college is supposed to do. I mean, I was absolutely CERTAIN that I wanted to be a high school band director when I first got to school, & although there are times I miss the comraderie of marching band, there’s no way I’d want to do that now. I never imagined that I’d get into graphic design & blogging & end up a teen librarian! My best friend had the same ideas I did, but now she’s working on a Ph D in linguistics. Life rarely turns out how you expect it.

Sadly, this book is no longer in print, but I’ve found it several times at book re-sale shops. Keep an eye out for the bright green cover!

Girlosophy – Anthea Paul
I pick up this amazing book every time I feel the least bit down. Each & every page is a scrapbook of inspiration – wonderful messages, quotes, inspiring images, & just an all-around GO BE AMAZING aura of fantastic about it. Here’s a sample:

“The path to self-determination is steep & deep. Don’t eat junk food. Don’t think junk thoughts. To name your fears is to destroy them. Transcend your life – live it to the max.”

I love this book & highly recommend it for every girl over the age of ten.

Song of the Lioness Quartet – Tamora Pierce
I absolutely would not be who I am today if I hadn’t discovered these books early on in my teen years. I found them waaaay back in seventh grade, back when I was practically drowning in the fundamentalist dogma of the church we were attending. I was afraid of sex, being groomed to become a perfect pastor’s wife, & eagerly swallowing every word I heard about being pure, submissive, & all-around perfect. These books were the first crack through that facade, & soon after, I was running from that life & into the one I lead now as a strong woman. Since then, I’ve been blessed with an abundance of amazing women in my life who are equally strong, but I truly do thank the universe for introducing me to Alanna of Trebond, a little red-headed girl who didn’t let having the wrong genitalia get in the way of achieving her dreams. These are truly wondrous books to place into the hands of any teen girl.

One of the best parts, I think, of this story is that Tammy doesn’t shy away from the issue of sex. Her characters have it – & it’s seen as a natural, positive thing in life. So many teen books that deal with sex are all about the negative – rape, abuse, date rape, pressure from the guys – in Tammy’s book, sex is the next step in relationships, & it’s shown as the beautiful thing it is. It’s not explicit in any way, but it’s shown as something to embrace & not fear, & something to enjoy when you’re ready. & I just adore that message.

So what about you? What books are among those who have shaped you, made you think, or turned you on to a subject you otherwise wouldn’t have cared about? I want to hear your stories!