The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books… (2006)

Every book has an influence on the reader, some profound, some not so meaningful, and some even repugnant, but every book ever read leaves the reader changed. In this collection of the books which most affected 71 authors, you find books of fiction, of history, of poetry of non-fiction and books that influenced these authors even when they were young. From The Little Engine that Could to Charlotte's Web to the Collected Works of Shakespeare to The Catcher in the Rye to To Kill a Mocking Bird, all of these books left indelible imprints of authors who themselves offered their souls in the books they have created.
One of the best ways to answer yourself when asking, "What should I read next?" is to have the recommendations of others and nowhere will better recommendations be found than in the recommendations of the people who craft books themselves.
This was a wonderful read and gave me a roadmap to many volumes I must now add to my own experience. ( )

This book was an interesting one. I had supposed that a lot of the writers would have chosen the same book but that actually happened very infrequently. Off the top of my head, the ones that were recommended the most for being Life-changing were Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Some people flocked to Shakespeare and his writings, while others chose books that I had never heard of before. Either way, the collection was interesting and the end of the book has a suggested reading list. These are both definitely positive points to add. As for the negatives, I suppose the small number of people that responded was a bit disappointing. You may say that 65 is a pretty large number, but with how fast the book goes by, the editor probably could have gone up to 80 or 100. I also don't really know how this is organized. However, that seems to be the case for most of these books that I have read. ( )

“You could read the same text repeatedly over time, and that something fresh and new would declare itself with each reading - was a revelation to me.”

“I finally got it: a book could do more than help you pass an exam, it could lift you up and sweep you away.”

“I don’t want to reread any of them now, for fear of finding they have aged as gracelessly as I have.”

Harold Bloom says he's read ' Little , Big ' dozens of times. ( )

Marvelous idea and I want the sequel! Finally, I found a book primarily about *reading* instead of about collecting/ hoarding books.

Each essay is entirely different, so I'd be willing to bet that at least a few of them will resonant with every end reader. All are short, most are even under two pages. Now, to be perfectly honest, there were a few too many Literary ones for me, but then many of the writers that contributed are writers of thrillers, journalists, sports writers, etc.

Few books got mentioned by more than one essayist, too, which is interesting. Some essays talked about favorite childhood books, some about manuals for living, some about the latest work that they've been recommending to everyone. Some couldn't limit themselves to touting just one book. Some admit that what work matters to them might not to anybody else.

It's a good source for recommendations, not just for the books that mattered to the essayists, but also for the books written by the essayists. I've got some to add from both sources.

It's also a good prompt for us, reminding us to think about books we've read that have had a major impact on our life or at least on our reading.

I'm going to be opening a discussion about books that matter to us in the marvelous GR Group http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1225-you-ll-love-this-one-a-book-club-more - come join us!

Btw, every copy of this book we buy will buy a book for a family in the Read to Grow program. ( )