The Books That Changed My Life Pt 4

Well, here we go again. Chronologically I have come to about 2005. I had been living in Madison for 2 years and I was working as a Relay operator and had a lot of time to read, though surprisingly only a few books have made the list in the time from then to now.





Number Ten: The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

I actually started reading this series when I was still in high school, but since the last 3 books didn't come out until much later I decided to stick this one here, instead of earlier.

I don't know what to say about Dark Tower really. It's an epic. It has so much story and life, and at times is nothing the way Stephen King is known for writing. Roland is so lonely throughout, even though he has people around him and at times feels happiness. His relationships with Eddie, Jake and Susannah, and even Oy are put to the test countless times and the nearly always come out of it victorious.


The world moved on and I often wondered what the world had been like before it happened.

I'm sort of obsessed with this book. I have made a few pieces of art that are inspired in one way or another by the dark tower. I believe in Ka. If you were to hand me one of King's newer books that have the bolded titles for ones connected to the dark tower I would be able to tell you about the connection. I have all of the comic books and go out on the day they are released to buy them.






And the best part is that my dad and I have bonded hugely over this book and we talk about it all the time, still even though we have both long since finished reading it. I just bought him this print from a seller on etsy named magicandmayhem. The store has several other dark tower related pieces, but this was my favorite.

Number Eleven: Watership Down by Richard Adams

This is the story that made me realize that I was not meant to be human... not necessarily a rabbit... just not human.

Number Twelve: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Normally, when I hear about a movie being made from a book I go out and read the book and generally never get around to seeing the movie. I had actually never seen the Disney version of the movie, but when the live action version came out starring Jeremy Sumpter as Peter and Rachel Hurd-Wood as Wendy, my boyfriend at the time wanted to see it. I sort of scoffed at the idea thinking "I don't want to see a kids movie" but I went anyway.

I loved it so much that the very next day I went to the library and got a copy. I think I read it in one day, I refused to put it down. I was amazed then to find out how close the movie had been to the book, in ways that I would later find out the Disney version failed to do.

I think the movie in this case actually made more of an impact on me than the book itself. It doesn't really bother me, because in the end I read the book and I love it just as much. I read it again just recently, as well as Peter Pan in Kennsington Gardens. It's just an amazing story, and though Peter never grew up its almost like he has all the knowledge any one of us every needs.

Number Thirteen: Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins

I could really say that every book of Tom Robbins changed my life, because they all have impacted me in some way or another. But this one was unique because it was written in 2nd person, giving me the chance to live a life in the mind of Tom Robbins. With all the crazy sex with strangers who talk non-stop about philosophy and their crazy ideas. Got to live through the rain in seattle, and all the other themes that pop up quite frequently in his stories.

I continued to think in second person for several weeks after reading the book and it got to be a little hard to concentrate after a while. I thought that was pretty cool.