Thanksgiving is a great time to remember what we’re thankful for—and I’m thankful for books! I’ve enjoyed countless books during my life, and my dream is to write more of them to share with the world. Books shape us by giving us new ideas, raising our spirits, or inspiring our dreams. Here are a few books I’m grateful for that have shaped my life.
My Childhood: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
My dad read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to my sister and me when we were very young. (We also watched the old cartoon movies of them.) I credit these books with instilling in me a love for fantasy, with its medieval aesthetic and noble causes and magical possibilities. This has shaped not only my reading interests, but a lot of my hobbies like costuming for the Renaissance Festival or touring castles in Europe. Ultimately, my dream of writing fantasy novels as a career stems from these books—so they affected the course of my life!
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High School: Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Still in the fantasy vein, Eragon inspired me not just because of the story, but because the author published so young. When I was in high school (starting in my freshman year at age 14), I began pursuing publication because Christopher Paolini showed me a young author could get their work out into the world. While my path didn’t go the same way, I’ve learned a lot about writing and publishing throughout my journey.
College: The Law by Frederic Bastiat
I had a hard time thinking of which book to choose for my college years since I spent that time reading for school instead of for pleasure and all those books (indeed, most of my books, alas) are buried in a box in the basement. A lot of books in college helped refine my ideas about life, politics, and religion, but I chose this one because its explanation of the mindset behind supposedly well-meaning world leaders inspired the idea for the villain of the novel I was writing at the time. Eventually that novel became Bronze and Blood.
Post College: Dialogue with God by Mark and Patti Virkler
This book dramatically changed my life by teaching me how to hear God’s voice. Coming from a background where I didn’t believe God still spoke to people even as I desperately wished He would, this book took me into a whole new realm of intimacy with God. This deeper relationship with Jesus has facilitated major healing in the broken areas of my heart so I could become a healthier and happier person. It’s one thing to know intellectually that God loves you; it’s even more meaningful to hear Him tell you directly, and this book made that possible for me.
Lifelong: The Bible
The constant book through all my life, from my earliest childhood to present, is the Bible. While other books had a big impact for a season, God’s Word is the constant foundation for everything else, and its meaning grows richer the more I grow and learn about it. The Bible has shaped my view of everything—what is true, what is right, what is worthwhile, and who I am. This one will be with me my whole life through.
Thanksgiving
So there you have just a few books from throughout my life that I’m thankful for because of how they enriched and directed my life.
What books are you grateful for? How have they improved your life?
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