As a lifelong bookworm and current English major, every year of my life has always involved books. 2016 though, was different. At the beginning of the year, my only resolution was to read more. The year stood out to me because I read more books that touched me and changed my life than ever before. Here are just five I read that I really think you should read too if you want your world to be rocked by literature.

1. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

A moving work about loss, grief, and family, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" follows Oskar Schell and his journey to find his father after his death in 9/11. Oskar finds a key inside a vase in his father's closet after he dies, and he is convinced finding the owner to this key and the lock it fits will give him closure following his father's death. This book changed the way I look at the world and the people in it. It reminded me that every person has a story, many of which are connected in unimaginable ways. Oskar's journey taught me patience and understanding, that you can find a friend in anyone, and that the loss of a loved one isn't always the end, often it's a beginning.

2. "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

I actually read this book at the end of 2015, but not a day goes by that I don't think about it. Into the Wild is a journalistic piece that tells the story of Chris McCandless' adventurous journey through life and the events leading up to his death. He left a life of affluence and academic success to pursue adventure and self-discovery. After trekking across the country, he ventured into the Alaskan wilderness and eventually met his death. There is a debate over whether McCandless was more attune to life than the average person, pursuing the life he knew he had to live, or if he was arrogant and idiotic for not putting more effort and consideration into his ventures. I'd have to say both. His unpreparedness most likely led to his demise, but oh how I admire McCandless for living life to the fullest degree. I think often about his courage and tenacity, and that he did what was right to him, even when nobody else understood. In everything I do, I strive for the amount of courage Chris possessed and the nobility in his pursuit.

3. "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

I was assigned this memoir as the common book for my college that everyone at the school had to read. Jeannette Walls lived quite a life, in which her unstable parents moved her and her siblings all over the country and subjected them to a life of extreme poverty. They never had any aspect of stability in their life, but still Walls triumphed. She escaped her mess of a family, went to college, and became a successful writer, but she never forgot her upbringing. After her success, she kept ties with her family and was never ashamed of them. The Glass Castle taught me that you are not bound to what you grew up in. You can accomplish and do anything you set your mind to if you exert effort and have passion. It also taught me to have pride in your roots, no matter what they are.

4. "The Water is Wide" by Pat Conroy

This book touched me for several reasons. It is another memoir, following the author's early years in which he taught in a two-room school house on a tiny island off the coast of South Carolina. Conroy had gotten himself in deep, having to commute to the island from his home in Beaufort every day, but he never gave up. The kids he taught had never had as good an education as when Conroy was their teacher. He changed those kids lives, he fought for them. Conroy taught me what it truly means to be a teacher. It's being solely devoted to educating your students and improving their lives, inside the classroom and out of it too. Beyond proving the significance of education, Conroy teaches us that hard work and devotion to a cause get you places. Success is as close as passion and some elbow grease.

5. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

One of the most well-known and beloved series, it seems everyone and their mother has read Harry Potter. I somehow missed the opportunity of reading it as a kid, but reading it for the first time at 18, I'm struck by the ageless classic this series is. The books are written in a way children can understand, but have levels and depth that make them just as enthralling for teens and adults too. It's a wonderful series to read as a writer and is one of the best examples of character development I've ever read. The stories themselves are thrilling and interesting the whole way, and the writing talent of Rowling is enviable. Harry and his friends have taught me courage in the face of adversity as well as unwavering loyalty and devotion to the ones you love.