Dear readers, do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you never read your favorite book? Would you be a different person, or in a different career? In my case, I know for a fact I wouldn’t be where I am today. Trying to count the ways in which reading books has changed my life over the years is like trying to count stars in the sky, or the number of tomes on my TBR pile—but I’ll give it my best shot.
How Reading Books Changed My Life Early On
If I’m going to tell the story of how reading books changed my life, I’d better begin at the beginning.
Reading books with my parents is one of the earliest shared memories I can still recall. The absolute first book I actually remember reading was Scuffy the Tugboat, a Little Golden Book written by Gertrude Crampton and illustrated by Tibor Gergely. That book lives in infamy in my family—I asked for it so many times in a row, my parents finally refused to keep reading it with me. Even so, reading with my parents planted seeds—of joy, of love, but also, of a passion for stories.
A Passion for Storytelling
Scuffy wasn’t the book, however—the one that changed me. No, I think the first—and to this day, probably still the most significant—book to do that was The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. If you’ve read my blog before, you’ve probably already read a Tolkien reference or two from me… this is why. It’s not just an epic classic or a historic entry in the fantasy genre. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings made me fall in love with fictional characters and a world that felt just as real to me as the one I lived in; the Shire will forever be my home away from home.
But more than that, Tolkien was the first author who made me want to tell stories, not just read them. I didn’t think of it as a career at that time; I was still trying to choose between painter, horse trainer, or marine biologist. I just loved being in Middle-Earth, and writing fanfiction was one way to spend more time there.
I could write a whole post (and probably a whole book) about the ways in which Tolkien’s works alone have impacted my life and my relationships. But for now, let’s move on…
A Healing Escape
I’ve talked before about my migraines. I’ve had them since before I can remember, with attacks occurring multiple times a month (sometimes multiple times a week). Since I didn’t have a TV in my room when I was a kid, the one thing I was able to do besides stare at the ceiling and wish myself asleep was to read. In those days, I read constantly; books saved me from my worst sick days and allowed me to be somewhere else, sometimes even someone else.
When I got a little older and my migraines began to bring their friends depression and anxiety over to play, books saved me again—from myself. I especially liked stories with strong female protagonists—Robin McKinley’s books, for instance, and Donna Jo Napoli favorites like Zel and Sirena. Characters like Cara, from The Unicorn Chronicles, and Sabriel and Lirael from The Old Kingdom books, were everything I wanted to be: strong, beautiful, brave, even when the rest of the world thought them broken.
One of the reasons I later chose to pursue a career as a writer was because I remembered those days all too well—how much they hurt, but also, how thankful I was to the authors who rescued me from them. If I could do that for just one other person, then I would know I’d finally paid their kindness forward.
Reading Books Makes My Life Better Every Day
I still read pretty much every day. I read for work, I read to expand my horizons, and yes, I still read for pleasure, too. As I write this, I’m looking forward to reading A Dragonfly in Amber (by Diana Gabaldon) tonight while sipping hot chocolate by an imaginary fireplace. (It’s too warm here for a real one!)
Books that truly and significantly change you as a person are rare and precious. Aside from those I’ve already mentioned, my list includes:
- Sunken Treasure by Edward Packard (introduced me to the magical world of Choose Your Own Adventure novels and interactive fiction)
- M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman (taught me how I wanted to write—honestly, prolifically, and without regard for any supposed “limits” as to what a story can do)
- The Magicians by Lev Grossman (helped me cope with an aspect of depression I’d been wrestling with for a very long time)
There are probably more. The tricky thing about compiling a list like “how reading books changed my life” is that it forces me to pick favorites.
In truth, I think every book I’ve read has changed me in some way; some changes were just more noticeable than others. That’s what stories do. With every new story, I learn a little more, grow a little more.
As a writer, yes, but also as a human.
Kim Berkley is a fantasy author and video game writer who is prone to fits of nostalgia from time to time and whose TBR pile is too damn high. Her works include The Harbinger’s Head, chiaroscuro, and The Dragon’s Last Flight.
