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Love You Forever
This is the first book I can ever recall being read to me. My mom used to read this book to me every night when I was really young to put me to sleep and it is one of the most happy, memorable experiences of my early childhood. The quote "As long as you love me, my baby you'll be", is one of my favorite quotes of all time in a book because it reminds me of my mom and how happy my childhood was. -
The Giving Tree
This is another early childhood favorite of mine. This book was read to me almost every night before I went to sleep and taught me valuable lessons that I now understand so much better than before. The lesson to always give back to someone who has helped you was introduced to me through this story and it evokes sadness and also confusion. -
Goodnight Moon
This was another bedtime favorite for me as my mother would read me this book almost every night. I can recall curling up in a ball on my bed and falling asleep to this story, and I have always loved the colorful cover as well. -
The Rainbow Fish
I don't recall much of the story behind his book, but I will always remember the pictures and drawings inside. This book was on my top shelf in my room so I saw it very often and makes me think of my room in San Francisco. -
Stella Luna
I used to always hate and be afraid of bats as a child, and this book made me appreciate and enjoy the sight of a bat. I loved the main character of this book and distinctly remember the book cover. -
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
This book always made me hungry. I used to love eating fruit as a kid so whenever I heard this story I wanted to eat as much fruit as I could. I loved the weird, unusual shapes of the drawings in this book and this is one I will always be fond of and remember as a happy book. -
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
This book always made me laugh. I loved stories about animals and this book was another one that triggered my hunger as a young boy. I used to love reading this story and it evoked ideas of creativity and imagination in my head when the book made a sequence of events of one thing leading to another. -
Black Lagoon Adventures Series
These book brought out the weird and creepy side of me. I liked these books because they were crazy and unusual and I never knew what was going to happen next. As I started to get older these books interested me due to their unpredictability and strange plot. -
Hank the Cowdog
These books were another great read for me as I developed into the more advanced section in our school library. I loved the adventures this dog encountered and was another series that always kept me guessing, but taught me valuable lessons too. Values like leadership, loyalty, and honesty were installed into my personality through these stories. -
Football Genius, Football Hero, and Football Champ
These three books were by far the most personally relevant books I read as a kid. As I still want to pursue a career relating to football, these books paved the way for my obsession and love for the game. I read these books faster than any others because I felt like I was the main character of each story and loved the adrenaline rush it gave me about playing the sport and my own personal experiences too. Football was my favorite hobby as a child and these books intensified and sparked my dreams. -
The Magic Treehouse
This was my favorite book series of all time, and probably always will be. These books made me feel like I was in another world, and made me forget about my life and only focus on the travels and journeys in the story. There were so many of these books that I was never bored or tired of reading them, and after finishing one book I immediately checked out the next one in the series from our school library. These novels brought out the adventurous and curious side of me as a kid. -
Atherton Series
These novels were some of my hardest and most challenging reads I can remember. I was always ahead in reading and always moved up in reading levels throughout elementary school, and this series was one of very few that was difficult for me to understand. The societal hierarchies and difficult character identities stumped me as I tried to comprehend a mysterious, challenging story. They were very interesting and problem-filled, and I enjoyed struggling through these as it made me learn and grow. -
Artemis Fowl
I absolutely loved these books and remember them the strongest. As a 5th and 6th grader, I thought of myself as an advanced, bright kid who was always a step ahead and very clever. I remember myself taking extreme liking to the main character in this series because he resembled me and I loved the methods, gadgets, and crazy plot twists these books threw at me. They were a tough, strenuous read but I loved grinding through these books and idolizing Artemis as the boy genius I desired to be like. -
The Outsiders
In 7th grade, this book motivated me to stick up for myself and try to find a group of friends I could rely on. I loved the social tensions between groups and thought it was the coolest thing watching the movie after reading through the book. This was a bit of a game-changer as far as my development into adulthood as I loved the aggressive, strong, passionate tone of this book. -
Of Mice and Men
Freshman year was a roller coaster for me, and this book was a significant part of my school work as I took strong interest in the material. I loved Lenny's character and remember feeling so bad for him the whole story and was very emotional watching the movie in class too. This book stuck with me as I remember always being confused and concerned for Lenny and other people in the world that were different like him. -
Robinson Crusoe
This book motivated me to be an independent, self-reliant young man. I remember feeling like if Robinson could do all this, why couldn't I? I enjoyed reading about his ability to overcome difficult circumstances and it pushed me to keep persevering through hard times when I wanted to give up. This was another book that I compared myself to the main character. -
Lord of the Flies
This was a book that really angered and confused me. I always felt myself confused for some reason during this novel, and I felt disconnected and apart from the characters. I loved Piggy's character as he reminded me of a childhood friend and the scene where they blow the sea shell is one I always hold in the back of my mind when I'm at the beach. -
Pride and Prejudice
This book summed up my feelings for sophomore year of English. I liked the teacher and had friends in the class, but the materials we read were a combination of my least favorite books of all time. I absolutely dreaded reading this novel and hated Jane Austen more than any other author. I despised the societal pressures talked about in these old English times and they made me feel corny and insecure the whole year. -
A Child Called It
This was the most disturbing and sad book I have ever read. It made me feel so lucky and privileged to have what I did in life and opened my eyes to see just how terrible some kids have it. The horrendous torture that this characters mother inflicted on him, and the fact that it was a true story disgusted me and still makes me cringe to this day. I will never forget some of the things I read in that book and it made me appreciate life and was a real turning point in my life as I valued my family -
The Great Gatsby
I really enjoyed reading this novel, and there were so many themes and events in this book that I loved reading about and wanted to further investigate. I idolized Gatsby and loved the lavish possessions he had as well as the mysterious work he performed and the book as a whole intrigued me from the start. This was a book that brought me back to realize the importance and value of reading a truly good, impactful novel. -
Into the Wild
This was one of my favorite reads in high school as I loved the importance of transcendentalism, self-reliance, isolation from society, individualism, and ability to be a free spirit. As a senior reading this book, it made me want to run away from my parents and start life on my own. I wanted to travel, explore, and follow my heart after reading this book and it made me feel more connected to nature and want to be in the wild.