Books That Changed My Life
In my M.A. English class, we were reading and discussing Walter Benjamin's The Storyteller. The essay goes on to illustrate what storytelling is, who a storyteller is, the fall of oral storytelling, and so on. Our professor asked us which book we read some time ago that we remember and how it impacted us. This idea has been going on in my mind for several months too. I thought to post a blog post on this then but backed off the idea. These can be used as book recommendations if you haven't read them already. But after this essay and the push, here we go.
Every good book we read adds to or contradicts our opinions. It adds layers to our existing opinions, makes us question our opinions or we try to come to a middle ground. There is an impact of literature on our personal growth. In this blog post, I will be focusing on fiction books with life lessons that hugely impacted my life and shaped my opinions. So without wasting our time, let’s dive in.
Books That Largely Influenced My Opinions
This is Not Your Story by Savi Sharma- Shaurya’s life felt so close to my own when I just passed my 10th std. Forced to take up CA at the cost of his photography dream, he lives an empty and unmotivated life, until the stories of his friends inspire him to go after his dreams. I could not imagine living that life as a CA too, which I did not want to be either. After I almost gave up convincing my family for a career in arts, the book gave me a push. I have even tried my hand at stand-up comedy on this topic. If you want to watch it, click here (I just posted it on YouTube without bothering to promote it).
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom- Morrie, a former Sociology professor with a terminal illness, provides his perspectives about life, money relationships, marriages, etc. to his former student (back in touch after 16 years). One of my favourite books of all time. I love inspirational books, mostly in the form of fiction stories, and this is one of them.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom- Every person comes into our life for a reason, even if they may be an abusive/absent parent, a stranger or a former lover with whom it ended on ugly terms. After Eddie dies trying to save a girl, he meets the 5 people he met on Earth who explain his earthly life to him.
Why We Love The Way We Do by Preeti Shenoy- It is a non-fiction book that explains the psychological reasons behind why we act in romantic relationships or as the title suggests, why we love the way we do. The book gives great insights into relationships (with some pieces of advice if I remember correctly), which I guess, in some parts, can be extended to friendships too.
A Kiss in the Air and Love Bites by Ravinder Singh- A short story that illustrates how people can give us a lifetime of memory in a very short period, without us knowing what they may be going through themselves. This is my favourite short story by this author. Also, Love Bites shows how sometimes we may fall in love with someone we never met personally.
P. S. I Love You and Postscript by Cecelia Ahern – The two-book series has a woman who lost her husband and is dealing with grief when she comes across the letters her late husband wrote to her before his death, which helps her to move on in some degree and live her life again. In contrast, Cecelia contradicts some parts of her previous book in the sequel and throws light on moving on from the death of a beloved in other ways, and on relationships.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig- Between life and death (by suicide), Nora finds herself in a library of infinite books where each book holds a different possibility of how her life would turn out. It has several philosophical quotes, which you can accept or discard. The redundancy just tests your patience, which made it a 4/5 read for me.
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak- A profound insight into what love is, not being limited to solely romantic love. Honestly, I forgot several too, but the essence of the book stays with you.
Dear Stranger, I Know How You Feel by Ashish Bagrecha- The poetry and open letter collection felt like a warm comforting blanket with its relatable poems. This is the book which also got me interested in psychology.
These are some other books than the famous ones that many Bookstagram and literature people know, so I did not mention those. I liked/loved some of those, but I doubt they may be fit here. Some books hugely impact one’s life and opinions, and these were mine.
Good collection of books