The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them (2006) - Roxanne J. Coady, Joy Johannessen (Editors) Various (Writers)

In general, I'm the kind of person that loves looking at lists. It is definitely a weird interest, but for me, it is a passionate one nonetheless. Now, when the list is actually accompanied with supplemental material, such as commentary, then I really love it. Thus, I can't help but really enjoy something like this little collection of personal favorite books. What I really liked, first of all, was the fact that I actually knew who a lot of these authors were; in other words, they had developed a reputation for themselves, which is always nice. I also really liked the interesting variety of favorites; I think its clear this book emphasizes that its more important to find books that you personally like, rather than read the classics that you are forced to read due to various forms of societal and institutional pressures. This is a concept I wholly agree with. Humans tend to generally enjoy things more when they were the ones that chose to do it in the first place. When someone is forced to do something, they tend to enjoy it less; it's all about human nature's need for free will and right to choose really.

Was the book inspirational? Does it make me want to go out and buy all of the books mentioned? Not completely because some of the commentary was clearly better than others. Frank McCourt's, for example, finishes in typically thrilling fashion. Laura Numeroff's commentary on her choice of "Eloise" by Kay Thompson was also great fun to read. Overall, though, this book definitely provides the reader with a lot of reasons as to why reading is important, necessary, and a lot of fun. Thus, I give it a high recommendation.

ever since i picked this book up, i've learned to appreciate reading more, how would ever thought that reading a book about books could be so interesting. The book is great and when I ordered it arrived really fast thanks Amazon.

Everyone who loves reading needs a copy of this smart little book at hand. I bought six copies for gifts and will pick up more to save for graduations and birthdays. My thanks to the editors and authors who put it together. Hopefully, it will be in print for years to come.

The first thing I did upon picking up this book was to see which of the notable writers I loved had also written essays in this book, because those are the people I most care about reading. I found Anne Lamott (check!),Jacqueline Mitchard (check!, Sark (Check!), Bernie Siegel (Check!), Frank McCourt (Check!) but it was when I saw that Alexandra Stoddard mentioned Rainer Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" (Check Squared!) I knew it was a title worth delving into further.

Book lovers are constantly engaged in romantic entanglements with words and language. If we weren't, we wouldn't be here. This love requires time and wooing and engagement.

These short essays certainly entice the spirit of that romance and encourage us all to both read the authors and books mentioned, they also make me want to know more about the books of those writing the essays. I find myself in a new and different admiration for many of the writers, wanting to know them through their words and see if they are someone I want to get to know further, just like in any other relationship that deepens over time.

There is also gold in the back of the book where there are separate lists of lusty times snuggled up with a book. The Editors, big-time-book aficianados - suggest their favorites and there is a compendium of the books listed in the essays.

Beyond all of this, though, I suppose, is the possibility of discussing this very topic with the people I cherish the most. What an invigorating way to get to know people better - and on both a higher and deeper level.

In this book, 71 notable people, most of whom are themselves authors, write brief essays telling what books have had the biggest influence on them. Since each essay ends with a thumbnail biography of its writer, you get a double list of leads for further reading here. You get the 71+ books cited as being life-changing, and you get the works of the 71 people who did the citing.

Actually, you get even further lists of recommended reading from this book. That's because its editors post their own favorites lists on the last pages.

Quite a few of the essays here have a breezy, quickly-jotted quality, perhaps showing their origins as forms filled out in response to the editors' mailed requests to, "Tell us what book changed your life." However several of the essays, such as Da Cheng's recollection of "The Count of Monte Cristo" releasing him from his childhood oppressions in China - are perfect, polished little pieces in and of themselves.

The books that people said mattered to them cover a startling range, and are often unexpected choices. You will find everything from Frank McCourt's appreciation of the "jewels-in-your-mouth" words of Shakespeare's "Henry VIII," to Claire Cook's gratitude for the Nancy Drew Mysteries and Jeff Benedict's mention of "The Little Engine That Could."

There are a few striking qualities that these influential books hold in common though. I notice that almost none of them were required reading in school. Rather, these were books that their readers came upon privately, by almost magical serendipity, and often even in contexts that made them illicit pleasures.

Then too, almost all the books mentioned were fiction. No tracts of deeply political/economic philosophy turned up, of the kind that so many people in the past might have claimed decided their paths. There was no mention of Karl Marx or Adam Smith, or "The Federalist Papers." What people seemed to gravitate towards were other lives, lived in different, freer circumstances.

This book, with its short chapters, makes for easy bedside reading. In fact, you might want to make a point of taking this book in small doses. When I was a little girl, I remember reading one of Bennett Cerf's joke books. Occasionally, a little policeman would appear at the bottom of a page. My mother and I would laugh at this fierce little fellow, scowling and holding up his hand, warning us to "Stop!" He was telling us not to gobble too many jokes in one sitting, because they might become sating rather than side-splitting. It's possible that just such a little policeman should have appeared occasionally in this book in order to get you to pause to digest each contributor's recommendation and wisdom.