Books That Have Shaped My Life by Ann Boggs Books have been an integral part of my life, shaping my thinking, directing my success, creating adventure, contributing to my happiness, and influencing my connection to society around me. In the late 1930s my first book was Raggedy Ann & Andy. I still remember the warm feeling of love I felt when told the words on Raggedy Ann’s candy heart read, “I Love You.’ In the late 1940s while spending afternoons in a small, one room city library, I experienced growing pains with Little Women’s Jo, and got acquainted with St. Luke in Taylor Caldwell’s Dear and Glorious Physician. During the 1950s my thinking was shaped by the works of Norman Vincent Peel in the Power of Positive Thinking; Napoleon Hill’s, Think and Grow Rich; The Magic of Believing, by Claude Bristol; Maxwell Malt’s Psychocybernuetics, and tempered with Dale Carnegie’s, How To Win Friends and Influence People. Dr. Spock guided me as I raised my children. The late 1960s were my inquisition years, ‘what if’s’ from the works of Edgar Cayce, Ruth Montgomery, and Adela Rogers St John. The Honey Badger and Valley of the Dolls were my first introduction to exploit sex in novels. Elizabeth Forsyth Hailey’s, A Women of Independent Means and Oliver Ann Burn’s, Cold Sassy Tree, exemplified the strong southern woman I would choose to become and reminded me to appreciate my southern heritage. In the latter years of the ’70’s, Dag Hammarskjold directed my spiral path in Markings and I sensed the privilege of being in contact with a great, good, and lovable man, as W. H. Walden pointed out in the forward of his book. During the 1980s Erich Fromm’s, The Art of Living, and Leo Buscaglia’s Love, taught me the definition of love. In the late 80s, I was Getting Better All The Time with Liz Carpenter, starting to wear purple with Jenny Joseph, and spent time, Going Within with Shirley MacLaine. Then learned, What To Say When Yo Talk To Yourself from Shad Helmstettler. The 1990s were the ‘two hankie’ books’ where I shed two hankies worth of tears of joy, laughter, empathy or sorrow. Notable were Bailey White’s, Mama Makes Up Her Mind and The Bridges of Madison County and The Notebook. I am a world traveler via the magic of books, had a wonderful time crossing the United States with Charles Kuralt, ‘Charley,’ and John Steinbeck. I have grown a wonderful life through books and plan to continue throughout this lifetime.
We aren't really the "intellectual" (book reading) type of couple. However, wife does read the Bible at times, especially if she wakes up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Out of bed and to the living room she will go. Shut the bedroom so I can continue sleeping, of course. As for me, I did read Catch Me If You Can. Could hardly lay the book down. Simply fascinated me how the guy done so many things against the law, for so many years, before being caught. One FBI Agent called him "a genius, not a criminal". To me, that was "some book"!
I read that book, too, Cody. I thought it a good read. Not everybody takes to reading as some do and all of us tend to read what we like or to find out something. Thanks for your comment.
To be totally honest, I really wish that I did read more (books). Seems like most info I get comes from the internet. Sometimes that is definitely NOT the right place to get info. Books are a very, very needed part of life. WOW, I changed my feelings about your Thread! That's a good thing in that I really see what books have done for you. Thanks for opening my eyes to something I should probably be doing once in a while......read a good/interesting book,
I credit my mother getting me to read as a child. She filled my summers going to the library and even ordered me a few books. She and I would read Ellery Queen, Nero Wolfe to name a few. Even today I like mysteries the best. At one time I had read every book James Patterson had written, even those that were not mysteries. Sidney Sheldon ...awe....I still get lost in time when in a book store. I still rather read a paperback book than to read on the net. Cant say enough good things about sitting down to read a good book
First book that had an effect on me was 'David Starr, Space Ranger' by Isaac Asimov. It was the beginning of the Mercury Program and I ate up anything to do with space. High School it was Moby-Dick; or, The Whale - Herman Melville. Wow, so that's what it's like to write one of the best books ever. Early 20's, discovered 'Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah - Richard Bach 'The Art Of War' - Sun Tzu and 'The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge' by Carlos Castaneda. These gave me a different way of thinking. Later in life, more science directed books such as 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins and 'A Brief History of Time' - Stephen Hawking Still many more books are in my future.
I loved Sidney Sheldon books way back when...remember "The Other Side of Midnight". Also read James Patterson and Kellerman and a few others ....but all of these well known authors seem to fizzle out for me after a few great books...they tend to write very similar books after they've had a few successes. Very few in my opinion keep going strong.
@Chrissy Cross ..I got so mad at James Patterson book...because of his twists snd turns til the very end...I tore it inhalf thru it in firplace! Told hubby I would not read another ..and hv not so far. I was upset because everytime I had it figured out..it changed on me. My bad tho..have you read the the Max series? Were for young teens like Harry Potter...could not put them down
No, I didn't read those @Gloria Mitchell. My main problem now with reading is that unless I finish the book in one day, I have trouble getting back to it. I also think that I'm distracted more on kindle because I'll read ...then check my email or forums etc whereas when I had a real book in my hand I didn't have those distractions.
I didn't start school until I was seven, and that first week was my first real exposure to books. I had been looking at my older half. brother's, (he's 11 months older), books, and somehow I had taught myself to read before I got to school. About a week into first grade, all of my class was taken to the school library, and it was love at first sight for me. I've averaged about three books a week since then. But I have to say, the author that help mold my way of looking at the world the most was James A. Michener. At 18 I read The Source, followed by Hawaii, and a few others of his works, one after the other. Although his stories were fiction, they were laced with history, and gave me a real sense of continuance through time.
It took me awhile to get use to reading first on a kindle, and now on my iPad. What has won me over is being able to enlarge the type, choose an embolden font, set the brightness, plus how else can I carry dozens of books everywhere I go.
Getting back to the title of this thread: I think any book you read, that you relate to, enjoy , can impact ones life even if in small in-noticed ways.