Sometimes there are just books you need to read in order to understand life a little differently and to look at the world in a new perspective. I have been reading heavily since the age of seven. I have made this list because some books are meant to be read to help us in life. These are all booksI love but not necessarily are my top favorites, however I feel they've done me a great amount by having read them and I think they will do well for you too.

1. It's Kind of a Funny Story * by Ned Vizzini

This book is about a young male who is facing depression and on the night he debates suicide for ultimately the last time, he makes the call for help instead. He ends up in a hospital to make a friends who teach him that there is a better and more valuable meaning to life.This is a great read especially if you or someone you know struggles with depression, it's almost like insight on the situation.

2. Looking for Alaska by John Green

This book goes through the loss of a friend and a life changing experience for many people. Also part mystery, the story deals with a group of kids sent to a boarding school and talks about why each is there, how they group together and the amazing things they do as a whole. On top of the amazing exciting adventures follows heartbreak and how we all cope with it differently. It's okay to be numb but also okay to feel broken.

3. Perks of being a Wallflower * by Stephen Chbosky

This book takes you through the adventures of the wallflower kids, who don't always fit in but greatly stand out. The main character in this novel experiences the trauma of an abuse in his past and goes through the motions of its effect on him as a teenager. This focuses on a crucial time in the characters high school careers and what life is about to pass onto them as the advance forward.

4. Paper Towns * by John Green

This book focuses on what it's like to feel trapped in the place that you are, how sometimes it's better to flee than stand in the same shoes forever. This book, also kind of like a mystery, focus on a group of kids trying to do better for themselves, maybe for love or for the sake of getting out of the spinning cycle of a small town. This book is great for those who feel trapped where they are, who want to do something bigger and better and just want to know what it's like to take the leap of faith.

5. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

This book is a love story but one that doesn't seem to be what we expect. The two characters come from completely different lives and it seems almost forbidden or unrealistic for the two to be together. This book is special because it switches between the points of view of Eleanor and Park, like Tris and Four in Divergent if you have read that series. Eleanor comes from a more broken home dealing with those issues on tope of being overweight while Park is from a family but he faces the issues of his race being Asian. The two are such an unlikely couple but despite why they shouldn't be together they find every reason to be together.

6. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

When I first read this book I was in the eighth grade and chose to read it because the man who murdered John Lennon, claimed to get the idea through this book. Most high school students are required to read this, but if you're like me you won't. It is a must read for every person. The main character Holden, goes through a little adventure in life and you get to watch his issues unfold, see why he is the way he is and how he deals with situations much differently than the rest of us. it is an eye opener to what is going on in the heads of others and it is simply a great read.

7. The Great Gatsby * by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This book is an all-time classic of life in the 1920's. It deals with characters that go through the motions of abuse, freedom, riches, lack of self confidence and the ties of criminal lifestyles. All the characters represent a specific attribute to like in the roaring 20's and together the form one of the greatest stories by Fitzgerald. Similar to Catcher in the Rye, this book is read in high school so if you have not yet to touch this treasure, I would grab it soon. It is a book that you will not be able to put down once you start reading it.

8. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

What makes this book so special compare to the rest, is that the book is based on a true story. Everything you read here is something Jeannette Walls really went through. She takes us through the real downs of her life to the amazing soaring ups when you mix a girl always on the road with a little confidence and determination to do more than live on the streets. You'll be hooked right from the opening and you'll want to know how she got there. This is a great read for everyone but specifically to those who feel stuck in a rut and want to leave before it consumes them, anything is possible and you can change your life.

9. Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Just like the cover says, this book is full of life's greatest lessons from the experience of an older man who has gone through it all. Just like the Glass Castle, this book also is a true story and true accounts from Mitch during the last days of Morrie's life. The relationship between the two is that Morrie was a college professor of Mitch's. The two plan to tell the world what life is all about, how things happen, why and how we learn from them to better ourselves and the ones around us. If you are a crier, this book will put you in tears but for all the right reasons.

10. The Fault in Our Stars * by John Green

As the last novel on my list, cliche as it may be, I had to put down the Fault in Our Stars. Why? Because this novel is more than just a love story, This novel is the battle for love against all odds. This book proves to show that love can conquer all, even when the universe seems to be pointing to no, people who really love one another find a way to be together. Put aside the points of the characters having cancer and dealing with those issues, look at just them as people, as a couple. They plan to give each other the world in what ever time is left. This book is on my list because it opened my eyes to what is out there, how much more you put in when you have such little time left. What if we put that effort in now when we have all the time in the world left? Not just with falling in love but everything we do? The world would be a very different place.

* - there is a movie based on the novel

Let me know how you found the books to be, if there are ANY books I didn't include that you feel should be on here, comment and I'll post an updated list in the future. Books have so much more to offer than a story line, find a new meaning to everyone you read and they'll hold a special place in your heart.