1 post tagged “life changing”
What are five books that changed your life?
Inspired by Ms. Genevieve.
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I read it for the first time when I was 12, and I reread it at least once a year. It's passionate and rich, and is amazing in its ability to offer me something new each time I read it. It continues to teach me a great deal about love, relationships, friendships, desire, and truth.
2. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon - One of the tighest pieces of fiction I've ever read, it helped shape my writing by teaching me the importance of point-of-view in fiction.
3. Our Bodies, Ourselves and The Joy of Sex - My parents and I never had "the conversation" until right before I went to college, so as a nerdy teen obsessed with reading, I went to the library and checked out books. In retrospect, a little strange, perhaps. But I think both works offered me a healthy perspective on sexuality and human relations.
4. Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey by Hayden Carruth - HC is the most underrated American poet. He's clear, witty, dark, vague, inspiring, difficult, emotional, passive, intense, light, funny and sardonic at the same time. I found that book at a time when I was stuggling to find my own poetic voice and understand what my writing meant to me. It was a massive comfort.
5. Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney and The Man with Night Sweats by Thom Gunn - Two of the most amazing collections of poetry that I read while studying in the UK. They both focus on life's phases, and remind me of the time that I spent abroad - again, helped me find a voice.
(OK, so that's really seven, but I was an English major.)
