33 books that made me
books that stayed me with me long after I read them
Hi there!
I turned 33 a couple of days ago and so I thought what a way to celebrate this life by listing down 33 books that changed me all through out my 33 years of existence. I listed these books not because of their literary merit but because they had a huge impact on me and I still carry them with me long after I have read them. Some of these aren't even my favorite books, at the same time, some of my favorite books aren't even here. You could have a favorite book but can also have no bearing in your life other than it being a wonderful work of art. You can read a just-okay book but also a find a particular line that can change you.
I will not be writing descriptions of the mentioned books because this email will be so long. But I will write a sentence or two on the lessons I learned and how the book affected me. I will link them though to any page where I mentioned them.
The Books That Made Me
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - The story itself didn't have much impact on me but whenever I recall my first memory of reading, it's the moment in our old house where my brothers and I were reading this book. It was inside an encyclopedia. Letter A if you will.
Bata, Bata.. Pa'no Ka Ginawa by Lualhati Bautista - This literary translates to, "Child, how were you made?". The book answers that we are made of several different things and so you can be anything and everything all at once. I am my parents but I am also what I do and decide to be. I am also the books I read and the movies I watch. Everything I consume and decide makes me me.
Circe by Madeline Miller - Our girl Circe taught herself magic. She taught me the importance of being self-sufficient, empowering yourself, and that mastery can be achieved through time.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - Our moral choices affect others. Maybe not now, but it another time or place. Kindness begets kindness, truly.
Dekada '70 by Lualhati Bautista - The depth of a mother’s love. I remember my own mother while reading this book. Dekada means decade in English.
Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados - Document your life through print and for yourself and not just digitally and for social media.
Harry Potter Series - Millennial readers, need I say more? But really, what I most got out of this series is that you can get by with a little help from your friends.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - As an introvert, this taught me a thing or two on how to start and keep a conversation that I still use today.
How to YOLO Wisely by Nomad Finance Girl - When I started my personal finance journey, all the popular personal finance books were based on the American economy and values. Like most Asian households, eldest Filipino daughters are expected to take care of the family financially up until we die. I used to be the main breadwinner (I share the responsibility now with my other siblings) of our family and my money was not my money alone. I had to provide for my mother and help with my siblings' college expenses. And so I couldn't really find any book that was applicable to my situation until I read this book. And so my mindset was changed forever. Okay, this was longer than the others but I feel like I had to explain more.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - The March sisters taught me that there's more than one path to life.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura and translated by Philip Gabriel - All lives are connected. We just don't know it yet.
Made To Stick by Chip & Dan Heath - As a marketer, I learned how to communicate my messages effectively through this book. Also applies to different aspects of my life.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck - Introduced me to the term "growth mindset".
Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing by Jacob Goldstein - Money is just money but it is also money because we give value to it.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King - I had so many question about how to start a novel and this answered so many.
Piranesi by Susana Clarke - Made me start journaling. Made me understand that I am enough and I am loved. Every time I think of Piranesi, I think of joy.
Please Look After Mother by Kyung-sook Shin and translated by Chi-Young Kim - Made me realize that my mother and my siblings are their own persons, have their own lives, and not just an extensions of myself.
Quiet by Susan Cain - I thank Susan Cain for showing me that there is power in being an introvert.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harrari - There’s so much to takeaway from this book but mine is the importance of diversity in our diet. Made me look differently on what I'm eating everyday.
Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Bacatan - A reminder how beautiful Filipino culture is and how frustrating it is as well.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - Miranda's mantra "I repent nothing" help me calm myself when I'm overthinking and when I'm being a people pleaser.
Sweet Valley High Series - This series fueled my love for reading and I know I'm not the only one.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green - Your reviews is your own narrative about the things around you. This newsletter is my instant memoir now. Also reminded me what I great time to be alive right now.
The Death of Vivek Oji - I have been grieving my grandmother since 2017 and this book made everything a bit lighter.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - When my grandmother died, I refused to believe that there’s no life after death. I refused to accept that she’s gone just like that. This book cemented my idea that our dead never truly leaves us. They're just somewhere out there waiting until we can reunite with them again.
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel - Made me realize how I move through this world lightly. Reminded me of my privileges and to be grateful everyday.
The Kamagowa Food Detectives - Food is not just food but is also a centerpiece for human connection.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - Provided the building blocks of my idea of heaven.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro - Reminded me that my job is only a small chunk of my life.
The Rural Diaries by Hilarie Burton Morgan - Hilarie nudged me to work towards the life I want.
The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Evelyn Hugo has done many bad things but I believe she’s a good person. She taught me that no person is all good nor all bad. Good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. Humans are not all black and all white.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - One of the first books I read when I took control of my finances. Changed my mindset on money and building wealth.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi - I have never even thought of our mortality until I read this book. Now it’s a thing that I think of every now and then. Maybe I was approaching 30 when I read this or maybe because we were still in the early days of the pandemic.
Whenever I get asked why I read, I always say that I read because I want to explore lives other than my own. As I was writing this post I also realized that I read because I want to expand my understanding of the world.
If you want to know more about my why's leave a comment below and I'll expand more about it. Also, tell me some of the books that made you.
Jam, have you read anything else by David Mitchell? He's one of my favourite authors and having read all his books, Cloud Atlas is good, though I think his others are even better. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a treat, and I think you'd like it based on some of your other reads.
The Sweet Valley High series also got me into reading! I will forever love those books🤩