Books!

Because who doesn't love books?

I once read somewhere that some people read, but don't "see" what they are reading in their heads. This blew my mind when I first heard of it, because for me, it is totally and completely normal for epic scenes and faces and landscapes to play across my mind's eye as I'm reading a good bit of literature. That's just the way it has always been with me, and probably at least part of the reason why I have loved to read for as long as I can remember.

Something I discovered this week about loving to read is that no matter how long it's been since you've had time to pick up a new book (or an old favorite), when you run into someone else who loves it as much as you do, you suddenly have SO much to talk about. It's like that C.S. Lewis quote: "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.'" I had a wonderful, engaging conversation with a woman and her teenage daughter this week all because of our mutual love of books (and mutual distaste for a certain popular vampire book series, but that's another story).

The beauty of books doesn't just lie in their story-telling or in the way they can bring people together, but in their ability to change people's minds, to give a new perspective, to help you understand exactly what it means to empathize with and think about the Other, and sometimes, to turn book haters into avid readers.

So here's where I'd like to hear back from you. What are some books that have stuck with you long after you turned the final page? How about books that you can read over and over again? Books you just really enjoyed reading? Or books you want to read? Some of mine overlap these categories, as I'm sure yours do. To kick things off, here are a few of mine, and this list is definitely NOT exhaustive:

Books that have stayed with me:
The Road, Cormac McCarthy (and by "stayed with me" I mean "haunted me")
Harry Potter series, JK Rowling
The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
The Dead, James Joyce (technically a short story, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed it, despite my hatred of Ulysses)

Books I can read over and over:
Harry Potter series, JK Rowling
The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
The Princess Bride, William Goldman (Yes, there was a book before there was a movie; you should go read it!)

Books I want to read (or re-read!):
Dracula, Bram Stoker (re-read)
Good Omens, Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (re-read)
The entire Sherlock Holmes series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I've only read a few of the novels and stories)
 The Wise Man's Fear, Patrick Rothfuss (in progress!)
Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman (graphic novels and comics count!)

Even though this post focused on fiction, I'd love to hear if you have some non-fiction titles on your lists! Also, let me know if you have any book recommendations. I'm always looking for new books.