Books that have shaped my life

I wouldn't say that these books have changed my life, but they have most certainly shaped it, together they have made me the person I am today and they are books that I will never forget.

The Secret History: Donna Tartt x

I finally read this last summer after years of being told that it was right up my street! The story focuses on a group of Classics students who immerse themselves in the subject a bit too much. It is a bit of a murder mystery, but not in the conventional sense. The way it is written is amazing and Tartt somehow manages to lull you into believing that what this group of Classics students is doing is actually perfectly okay. 

One Day: David Nicholls x

So this was a very hyped book due to its incredible success and then the film that followed. It is a love story but not in a really soppy way, I read it before the film came out so I fell in love with it before the film (and Anne Hathaway's sketchy accent) could influence me. In regard to the film, I actually really liked it, although I would say that the book is definitely better! This book had me laughing and crying in equal measures and to me that is a sign of a good book. 

Wild Swans: Jung Chang x

Wow well this book is really thought provoking and inspiring. I read it when I was 10, probably long before I should have read it, but I was going through an Oriental phase, I had just read the Chinese Cinderella books and I found this lying around my Grandmas house. It is biographical and follows the lives of women from three generations of a family, it covers concubines and communism and it will most certainly get you thinking! 

Elsewhere: Gabrielle Zevin x 

If you follow my blog you will have seen this pop up in a previous post which you can find here, I won't go into too much detail, but it gives a really interesting spin on afterlife. Also, although it is aimed at teens, it is a book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to adults.

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini x

I was torn between putting this one or Hosseini's latest offering, And the Mountains Echoed which I would actually go as far as saying I preferred. Both are amazing books that cover really topical issues such as the treatment of women in Afghanistan. His books are upsetting and thought provoking, they will make you cry but they will also make you think. The reason I chose A Thousand Splendid Suns is because I read it when I was 14/15 and it had stuck in my mind ever since, it is the sort of book that never leaves you. 

Noughts & Crosses: Malorie Blackman x

Again, this is a book that I read quite a while ago, maybe when I was 12 or 13 and it is the sort of book that never leaves you. It deals with racism, violence and romance among many other issues, but it does it in a book that can be read by teenagers. 

I would love to know if you have read any of these books or if there is a book that you believe has shaped your life! 

Love

Eilidh 

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