15 Books I've Read That Have Stuck With Me

I saw something on Facebook about coming up with a list of the 15 books that have stuck with you/me/whoever. I thought it intriguing, so here's my list. I didn't read all the rules, because I don't care enough about them, but I did see that I was supposed to not spend a ton of time thinking about it. It's possible, then, that this list is flawed. Also, I know it will change over time. Also, it's out of order. I don't want to bother figuring out an order, because it would make me choose favorites.

15 Books I've Read That Have Stuck With Me

1. The Little Prince This is a book I carry in my purse, partially because it's small enough to fit, partially because it is comprised largely of episodes and so is good for reading from randomly, partially because it helps me practice my French, and partially because I love it so much. There are a lot of lessons in there, and I am always seeing something new.
2. The Giver I don't know that this would be on my list if it weren't for that recent post of mine that mentioned it. So maybe it doesn't belong on this list. Either way, it is a well-done book and is one of the ones I've read in school through the years that I would actually say is in my personal canon.
3. The Book Thief I read this for the first time just this past year, so maybe it won't be on this list in years to come, but I thought it was one of the best books I have ever read. I blogged about this book, too. It is the only war/Holocaust-themed book I have ever read that I did not need to take a break from while reading. It doesn't ignore the Holocaust, but somehow, it feels both real and holy. I'm not sure about holy, but that's the closest word I can think of right now. Death does not seem like the end, and it feels like death is more of a passage into something better. I think it's that perspective that makes this such a good book.
4. Ariana This is a trilogy, I think, but my copy of these books is all in one book, so I'm cheating a little. The first book of the trilogy is the one that has stayed with me, though, if I have to pick. It's by Rachel Ann Nunes and follows a girl's struggle to raise a baby while trying to put her life in order (she was into the drug and party scene before pregnancy, a pregnancy that led to marriage to a terrible husband). It's a beautiful story, and I love it every time I read it. It's one book I can read over and over again; I think all the books on this list are, actually. This book taught me about forgiveness, mourning, and continuing with life even when you have barely any strength to do so.
5. Pride and Prejudice This was a hard book to add to this list, mostly because it's representing Jane Austen in general. This story is an incredible read. The story and characters (which are the real brilliant part of all of it) are just spot-on. I don't know if it has taught me anything, specifically, but it has stuck with me anyway, as an icon in the world of books.
6. Work and the Glory This is a series, so I'm cheating again. It's by Gerald N. Lund, and tells the story of a Mormon pioneer family beginning with Joseph Smith working for their father soon after his marriage to Emma. The characters are well-done and the history helped me learn a lot about the early history of the LDS church. There are little lessons in it, though, that have stuck with me even more than that. Lessons like doing something before gaining a testimony of it, to name just one off the top of my head.
7. Emily This is a book by Jack Weyland, who, admittedly, is not an absolutely brilliant writer. What is great about Jack Weyland's books are the stories. Emily is about a girl (named Emily! No way.) who dreams of being a news anchor, but then she is severely burned in a fire and has to undergo skin graft treatments to her face and upper body . . . maybe her legs, too. I can't remember. This is another LDS book (so was the Ariana thing, but neither Emily nor Ariana are preachy books. Work and the Glory is intense on the church front), but what I love about it and what has stuck with me is the story of a girl becoming a woman.
8. The Secret Journal of Brett Colton Another LDS book. My religion is a big part of who I am, what can I say? I'm not sure if this book will be on this list in years to come, but it is one that I can read and reread with pleasure. It's about a girl whose older brother died while she was still so young she has no memories of him, and now she is trying to navigate high school. Her brother left a journal behind for her, and she reads it and, of course, her life is changed. I guess I like life-changing stories. Never realized that until now.
9. The scriptures I really don't think this needs much explanation.
10. Waiting for Godot This is a play, actually, by Samuel Beckett, and I've only ever read it in French. Setting that aside, it's an absurdist play wherein Beckett pretty much did his best to erase plot altogether. So the second act mirrors the first act, except for a few changes here and there. I once wrote an essay for a class that examined plot, and I used this play as well as something else I can't remember. But whenever I think about plot, I think about Waiting for Godot.
11. Harry Potter This is a series that changed our culture. It's also a set of books that could probably still make me cry, even though I know what happens in them now. I love the ideas about family and support and love for others. This series deserves all the hype it got, hands-down.
12. Circle of Magic This is a quartet of books by Tamora Pierce. I think I've thrown the one-book-only rule out the window. Whoops. I don't know why, but whenever I think about fantasy, this is one of the series or books that comes to mind. It was a favorite, possibly my favorite, set of books while I was younger. I still love Tamora Pierce and would recommend her to any teenager who loves fantasy like that.
13. Elements of Style It feels so weird to include this book in this list, but it's true. I've read Elements of Style by Strunk and White from front to back one and a half times, as far as I recall. I thought it was entertaining, and pieces of it come to mind while I'm writing, telling me how to do so better.
14. Mere Christianity I adore this book, probably because it approaches Christianity from an angle I enjoy, that is, a logical and analytic angle. I learned so much about Christianity by reading this.
15. The Picture of Dorian Gray There are concepts from this book that pop up in my life, that I think about a lot. One of those concepts actually factors into a story I'm worldbuilding for right now. This is a book I think I've only read once (though I own it), but it has stayed inside my mind and comes to life now and again.

Other books I considered include: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Mistborn, and a whole troupe of others.