Today Roof Beam Reader posted a list on his blog. It’s in response to another bloggers request to tell what the ten most influential books in his life have been. That wasn’t such a difficult request but the catch was, he had to list the books with no explanation at all. So he posted only the books and authors and then issued a request for other bloggers to do the same.
I am posting my list here and it is difficult to not offer reasons. There is a particular explanation for each one but I will follow the rules.
If it’s just killing you to know why, you can message me.
And I am not listing The Bible here, although it is the most influential book I’ve ever read and it continues to influence me regularly. I just thought the spirit of the question was in regards to mans works, fiction and non-fiction so I have listed these individual books.This is pretty much in chronological order to my experience with each book but not necessarily in order of importance.
Here goes:
1. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
2. Blubber by Judy Blume
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
5. No Ordinary Home by Carol Jo Brazo
6. Watership Down by Richard Adams
7. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
8. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
9. Born Again by Charles Colson
10. A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
I’m sure I left off something monumental in my life and will remember it two hours after I submit this, but this is a good, off-the-top-of-my-head list for now.
And now, I’d really like to see your list too!
Lost in Literature 
I was so excited to see your new blog post. Ive read all the books on your list except for No Ordinary Home. I will have to read it. Here is my list but found it very difficult to pick just ten. They are in no particular order.
1. Learning To Breathe Again – Tammy Trent
2. Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind – Ann B. Ross
3. Let Your Life Speak – Parker Palmer
4. The Street Lawyer – John Grisham
5. A Time To Kill – John Grisham
6. The Ragamuffin Gospel – Brennan Manning
7. When I Lay My Issac Down – Carol Kent
8. The Heartache No One Sees – Sheila Walsh
9. Charlotte’s Web – EB White
10. The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein
My very favorite on this list is when i lay my issac down. Very powerful.
Love you friend!
Thanks for your list! I love that you’ve read all of mine except No Ordinary Home. It may be out of print now. It was just a very encouraging book when I started staying home full time with Lindsay. I hardly EVER read a book more than once but I revisited parts of that one several times. (Whoops, I guess I just broke the rules of the list….)
I’ll have to do some thinking to come up with a list. I’d have a heck of a time not explaining my choices, I like talking about them too much!
I know. Me too. And I’ve done other lists like this that probably looked different. With as much as you’ve read, I don’t know how you would pick. Cause it’s not really asking for favorites, but I realize that some will crossover. From what I know of you, I bet I can come up with a small list…
Outlander
The Harry Potter Series
The Handmaid’s Tale
That book about Achilles…
Gone with the Wind
what else??
Ok, here are mine! In no particular order:
1. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
2. Crazy Love by Francis Chan
3. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. The Harry Potters by J.K. Rowling
5. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
6. All Is Grace by Brennan Manning
7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
8. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
9. Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis
10. How Good Is Good Enough? by Andy Stanley
Thanks Becki! That’s a great list! I still haven’t read any Harry Potters….and I have Unbroken on my TBR list. I’ve heard Kisses from Katie is very good.
Love you, friend!
I know that some people shun the Potters because of the magic that is in it (not saying that you are) but it is really an allegory for Christ – very similar to the Lord of the Rings – but much easier to read. 🙂 For me, the first half of the first book was a little slow and hard to get in to, but then I was hooked. Easily my favorite books ever. Unbroken is a MUST Read. It is hard to read because of the atrocities suffered in WWII, but the grace and forgiveness we learn to show because of God is the main point of this book. Kisses from Katie is also amazing – her willingness to go where God called her (at such a young age) is a great model for us.
YES for Charlotte’s Web! 🙂