The Rules:
Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books (or series) which have influenced you and will always stick with you.
List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. In no particular order:
1. My Brother Sam is Dead, Collier and Collier
2. Little House on the Prairie Series, Ingalls Wilder
3. Harry Potter Series, Rowling
4. The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
5. The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne
6. The Time Traveler’s Wife, Niffenegger
7. The Deep End of the Ocean, Mitchard
8. The Notebook, Sparks
9. The Lightning Thief Series, Riordan
10. The Hunger Games Trilogy, Collins
11. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Frank
12. The Story Of America, from the US bicentennial era, I don’t have much information about it but I loved it
13. The Secret Life of Bees, Kidd
14. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Boyne
15. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini
I’ve stolen this prompt from Lynne McAennyl who used it in her blog. I’d love to hear what your favorites are, if not all 15 maybe just a top 5 or even 3. I’m sure Lynne would like to read about them as well.
BulgingButtons 
October 9, 2013 at 8:09 am
This was fun, and kind of hard. Plus, sometimes thinking of one book lead to another. Between that, and the fact that I’ve been avidly reading for more than 40 years and have certainly forgotten more than I remember, it probably isn’t….accurate. So here they are:
To Sail Beyond the Sunset – Robert Heinlien
Snowcrash- Neal Stephenson
The Omnnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan
The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
A Hatful of Sky – Terry Pratchett
The Tipping Point – Malcomb Gladwell
The Cider House Rules – John Iving
A Prayer for Owen Meanie – John Irving
The Enchantress of Florence – Salman Rushdie
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver
Dandelion Wine – Ray Bradbury
Neuromancer – William Gibson
The Sparrow – Mary Doria Russell
The Crystal Cave series – Mary Stewart
October 9, 2013 at 1:08 pm
I love that you took the time to post a complete list! Thank you. There are a few on there that impacted me as well, plus some on my to read list and others that weren’t on my radar at all. I love peeking into another person’s list. Thanks, Cheryl.
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October 9, 2013 at 11:33 am
I have read so many books this will be a hard one.
1. Fahrenheit 451 – R. Bradbury
2. Something Wicked This Way Comes – R. Bradbury
3. The Illustrated Man – R. Bradbury
4. The Mists of Avalon – Marion Zimmer Bradley
5. The Art of French Cooking – Julia Child
6. Cooking Gluten Free! – Karen Robinson – this book literally saved my life!
7. The Art of cooking – Sara Paston-Williams
8. Book of Shadows – Phyllis Curott
9. Database Systems – C.J. Date
10. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the galaxy (all 5 books) – Douglas Adams
11. Good Omens – Terry Pratchett
12. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
13. No Exit – John Paul Sartre
14. All the books in the 2001 series – Isaac Asimov
15. All the books in the dragon Rider’s of Pern series – Anne McCaffrey
October 9, 2013 at 1:14 pm
I’m sensing some themes, Heather! Thanks for playing along. I love reading all the lists being generated. I think you and my son have some similar tastes. Question, though, weren’t the 2001 series book by Clarke? Or does Asimov have a similarly named series as well?
October 9, 2013 at 6:47 pm
Your right it is Arthur C. Clarke. I am for ever muddling Clarke and Asimov as I have read the majority of both their bibliographies. Thanks for keeping me straight! And cool blog!
October 9, 2013 at 6:49 pm
I wouldn’t have known the difference but my son is reading 2010 right now. Thanks for the compliment on the blog, I’m having a lot fun with it.
October 9, 2013 at 7:54 pm
I couldn’t resist… =)
1. The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom
2. Nineteen Minutes, Jody Piccoult
3. The Hunger Games Series
4. The Twilight Series (I know, I know….)
5. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
6. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
7. Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
8. Little House on the Prairie Series (thanks for the idea!)
9. Carry On, Warrior, Glennon Doyle Melton
10. Thank You, Mr. Falker (Yep, that would be a kids book), Patricia Polacco
11. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
12. Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
13. Grayson, Lynne Cox
14. Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beals
15. Fearless, Max Lucado
October 9, 2013 at 8:01 pm
I finally read Thank You Mr. Faulkner last year. And I love Mitch Album’s books. Thanks for the reminder. I’m so glad you shared your list, thanks Lara!
October 10, 2013 at 12:22 pm
Where to begin….sigh, I’ll start with children’s books of course.
Children’s-
Wallace’s Lists by Barbara Bottner
Any book by Partricia Polocco or Gary Paulsen
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Mailing May by Mickael O.Tunnell
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Adult-
Tisha by Robert Specht
These is My Words by Nancy Turner
Hard subjects like Southern injustices found in The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Good Theif by Hannah Tinti
Cold Sassy Tree and Leaving Cold Sassy both by Olive Ann Burns
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
There are so many more. My favorite Fiction Genre is Historical Fiction.
October 10, 2013 at 6:54 pm
Oh, thanks for reminding me how much I love Chains and Forge as well as Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Thanks for your list, Rachel!
October 13, 2013 at 6:13 am
Oh my, this is going to be a hard one!! Let’s see:
The Deep End of the Ocean
Songs in Ordinary Times by Mary McGarry Morris
The Secret Life of Bees
Defending Jacob
Thank You, Mr. Faulkner (or all of Patricia Polacco’s books)
The Last Lecture
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Sara’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Tara Road by Maeve Binchey
The End of your Life Book Club
The Fault in our Stars
Stories from a Teacher by J. Flores
Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews
The Glass Castle
I love reading everyone’s lists!!
October 13, 2013 at 7:39 pm
I see we share some. Now I have quite a reading list for the future! Thanks for posting yours, Jean.
October 13, 2013 at 6:14 am
I forgot about Cold Sassy Tree. There are way to many to mention, I guess
January 30, 2014 at 12:52 am
I love seeing how many people have enjoyed tackling this!
Lots of different influences on any one of us.
Thanks for following it up, folks.
January 30, 2014 at 5:47 am
It was a really fun mental exercise. I’m glad you got it going. 🙂