I have always loved to read. Beyond just a pastime, books have been my friends, an escape, solace. But there are 2 that have left lasting impressions above and beyond the others. As a child, it was King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. As an adult, it is The Good Soldiers by David Finkel.
I’ve enjoyed so many books over the years and most have stuck with me. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why these 2 surpassed the others because many books tell great stories, have great characters, and are beautifully written.
They’re obviously very different books but emotionally they are the same. They affected me so deeply and the memories are so rich, I feel I’ve actually lived them both.
The follow up to Good Soldiers, Thank You for Your Service, is more well known because it was made into a movie with Miles Teller. I have read it and it’s wonderful, but The Good Soldiers transported me to Iraq, put a rifle in my hand, and killed my friends.
I am looking for books like this. Any genre, any age group. Any book that is so ingrained you feel like it’s a part of your life story.
Here I go recommending Garth Nix again, but I first read the Old Kingdom trilogy when I was about thirteen and it affected me so strongly I still re-read them regularly more than twenty years later. The way the books presented death as a natural progression of life - something to be saddened by but ultimately to be accepted - I think influenced me beyond what I really realised at the time. Also the concept that some things are bigger than you, but you can still make a difference - that’s a message worth hearing.
This is an amazing series. It took me over a year to get my partner to read it (but that’s a kids book…). I was pretty gloating when they loved it.