I don't think much compares to getting lost within yourself. This wave of tranquility and self awareness seems to wash over your mind and down your body. The only thing I can think of that gives me this feeling is books. Books do the most incredible job of transporting you out of this world and into another. As an avid reader, I believe books also have a great power to change people and most of the time for the better. There are certain books that I've read that I relate to on a very personal level or have moved me to think a different way about the world around me. Here some book that I have read as a young adult that particularly moved me in some way or that I have fallen in love with.
1. "A Lovers Dictionary" by David Levithan
This book is about a modern love told through dictionary like entries. The book reaches out to everyone whether they are in love, out of love, or in between.
Favorite Quote: "Gravity, n. : I imagine you saved my life. And then I wonder if I'm just imagining it."
2. "Chasers of The Light: Poems from the Typerwriter Series" by Tyler Knott Gregson
"Chasers of the Light" is a collection of poems done by Gregson that were all done with a typewriter on random pieces of paper, reciepts, napkins, etc. and also some poems he's created via black out method about the small things in life that matter more than we think.
Favorite Quote: "Sometimes the only way to catch your breath is to lose it completely."
3. "A Boy in France" by J.D. Salinger
"A Boy in France" isn't actually a book, but it's the second part of a trio of short stories done by Salinger. Salinger didn't write a lot of war stories, but this is about a young boy on the front lines of war in France during WWII reading a letter from his sister to comfort him. The short story is simply just captures your imagination so easily and takes you back in time.
Favorite Quote: "I'll read my books and I'll drink my coffee and I'll listen to music, and I'll bolt the door."
4. "Reasons to Stay Alive" by Matt Haig
"Reasons to Stay Alive" is a personal account about Haig's experience with anxiety and depression. His world caves in and he finds reasons to stay living through these small moments.
Favorite Quote: "I was better. I was better. But it only takes a doubt. A drop of ink into a clear glass of water and clouds the whole thing."
5. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde
This novel is actually a philosophical piece done by Wilde that is really critizing hedonism and that beauty and pleasure are all you need in life. Definitely is a book that the minute you put it down, you're left a mind boggled.
Favorite Quote: "You are a wonderful creation. You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know."
6. "Paper Towns" by John Green
"Paper Towns" is about a boy who is on a mission with his three best friends to find the love of his life after she mysteriously disappears, leaving behind an array of clues. The book leaves the reader to believe it's a typical teen love story, until you find out it's really not. This is a great book to read when you're moving on from high school to college or college to beyond.
Favorite Quotes: "What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person."
7. Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous
This book is a very raw, real and painful novel not just about love but about what we allow ourselves to do others and what we let people do to us. The characters in the story are very honest and easy to relate to. This book moves me to the core and is something that I think everyone should read.
Favorite Quote: "Romance has killed more people than cancer. Ok...maybe not killed but dulled more lives. Removed more hope, sold more medication, caused more tears."
8. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseni
Khlaled Hosseni is the same author who wrote the book "The Kite Runner" and if you liked "The Kite Runner," you will absolutely love this book. The book is essentially about two women in Afghanistan whose lives intersect. The story really gives you a great look into Middle Eastern culture and an incredibly moving "mother-daughter story". The book is tragically moving and beautiful.
Favorite Quote: "A society has no chance success if its women are uneducated."
9. "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
This story is one of many that truly made me look at the world very differently. The plot is about a boy who listening to a set of tapes left behind by a local girl who committed suicide. The story is full of mystery and sadness and is one of those that strikes you in the heart very hard and very fast.
Favorite Quote: "In the end... everything matters."
10. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusaks
This book is set in the midst of Nazi Germany during WWII. The narrator isn't actually the main character but the narrator is Death. The story is about young girl going through the obstacles of a war torn society and how she realizes the power of books and language. I definitely reccommend reading the book before watching the movie. The book and the movie are both incredibly moving and tug at your heart strings but, the book does a more powerful job I think.
