Amanda Rennie
Tahereh Mafi’s “Shatter Me” series
- I read these books somewhere around my senior year of high school and waited for each supplemental book to come out. These books, for some unexplainable reason, had a profound effect on me. I was so passionate about these characters. These books taught me how much I love character development. A book could have very little plot, but as long as I appreciate and love the characters, I will be okay with it. I literally cried when i finished the last book in the series because I knew they would no longer be in my life. I’ve read and reread them, and I will again and again in the future. These books made me realize how deeply I read for characterization.
Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series
- I will be the first to admit that, looking back, the Twilight series is trash. Hindsight is 20/20, they say. But they were books that, when in middle school, I read over and over. I had never read books before that I could FEEL so much. I don’t know how else to explain it, but it gave me the feels. These books were the first that allowed me to really immerse myself in the literature. I really connected to it. It was like I made a vivid, little movie in my mind. I created what the characters looked like, I imagined the houses and locations, and it was almost like I made it my own. I put myself in that world and left this one.
Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” Trilogy
- I mostly read this because I was obsessed with “The Hunger Games,” and I was hearing a lot of comparisons. Tris, the heroine (if you can even call her that), is possibly one of the most annoying characters ever. I hated her. I read the entire trilogy AND the novellas all while hating the main character. This book made me a dedicated, and forgiving, reader. Character development is basically my everything, and I still enjoyed these books when the main character had few redeeming qualities. Now let’s talk about the end. I don’t necessarily read to be surprised. I don’t read things because the authors are inventive or unique. This series ended horribly, and I will forever hold a grudge against Roth because she tried to be inventive and destroyed her series in just a few pages. However, these books had great plot and adventure. So if i’m not reading for characterization (like I usually do), then I read for excitement and adventure.
Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird”
- I’ve never read any sort of “self help” book before. I was never even inspired to be a writer. One day, I just jumped in and decided to add a second major in WA. Then, for a class one day, we had to read an excerpt of this book. Lamott’s voice was fantastic. She was hilarious, casual, and on point. And becaus of this, I was inspired. So I bought her book and I began taking her tips. I began writing. She told readers to write about every memory or event they could remember as a child. Suddenly, I was inspired to do just that. I have a google doc of some of the dumbest stories. They most likely have no potential, but I don’t even care. It was fun. It was fun to put it into words and it was fun to remember.
RL Stine’s “The Rich Girl”
- This book was the development of HOW i read, not so much why. RL Stine was my obsession in middle school. They taught me to read OBSESSIVELY. These are the first books that I would stay up until the middle of the night reading. They are fairly short books, but reading became a task I did obsessively.. Reading became a thing that consumed me; not I who consumed books. Since then, when I read something, I read it every spare moment until it’s over. I wish I was a reader who could stop and smell the roses, if you will. I wish I could enjoy the book slowly and make it last. But a book, to me, is something that must be conquered. However, this only applies if whatever I’m reading truly interests me.
Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations”
- As an English major, I’ve always been a little ashamed when it came to my lack of having read “classic” literature. This was one of the first times I ACTUALLY did so. Sure, I read the stuff I was supposed to back in highschool, but I was too stubborn to read into it deeply. This was one of the first novels I had to read when I transferred to Rowan from community college. It was an overwhelming transition. But I think this was the first book where I really was able to read like an actual scholarly reader.
Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms”
- Back in high school, I was part of that crowd who didn’t look deeply into literature – the crowd that said, “well what if the curtains are just blue, and that is that. No further meaning?” Until I read this book, reading was purely for entertainment and there were no nuances to anything. Books were just for fun, not meant to be overanalyzed and ruined. But reading this was one of the first times I really recognized how purposeful the choices of authors were. From reading this on, I was much more open to analysis, though, at times, I still struggle with it.
Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary”
- I used to separate books into two distinct categories: entertaining and enlightening. I’ve also seen the two categories referred to as low and high literature. I guess most books were written as a means to entertain, but there are books that are easily categorized. I would probably funnel all things considered “classic” or “high” literature into educational, because we automatically assume that there is more to them than just the surface. I took a horror literature class back in county college. I thought it was going to just be a fun time, and when I saw the syllabus was full of literature of what I deemed the “entertainment” type, I was pretty excited and relieved. But then I read and analyzed this book carefully. I was shocked that there are books that can actually be part of both categories. I had never read any King novels before, but I always just assumed he was in the entertainment category because he was a mainstream author. It’s actually a lot more than just scary stuff, though. I was pleasantly surprised that there are theories for and scholarly thinking behind horror literature.
Jay Asher’s “13 Reasons Why”
- I read this book so long ago that I, to be honest, can’t remember what happens. Of course I know the general theme, but I don’t remember any details. I don’t remember any of the “why’s”. However, I do have a distinct memory of this book. I was soooo close to finishing it, and school was getting in the way. So, naturally, I went to the nurse’s office, because I was just so ill, and went home. So I could finish reading it. It was unlike anything I’d ever read before. I think it was probably the first book I read that had a male narrator. Overall, I believe it made me a more empathetic person.
Gayle Forman’s “If I Stay”
- This entire book takes place in a comatose girl’s head. I think this book shaped me into becoming the very internal reader that I am. I was so immersed in this girl’s thoughts and in her head, just as she was as her physical body was unable to be, that I just automatically read this way, now. I often “become” the narrator of the stories I read and actually put myself in their shoes.
How Writers Read... 