The Books That Made Me (Part 2)
The books that completely changed my life
The other week, I shared “the books that made me,” which were the books that had the greatest impact on me from preschool through middle school.
Today, I’m continuing the trend and sharing the “books that made me” in high school, college, and beyond!
High school: reading all the classics
In HS, I became obsessed with classic novels. I was desperately seeking the answer to the question: “what is the meaning of life?” and I thought classics held the key. Spoiler alert: I never did find the meaning of life, but I fell in love with some great reads like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby, and Wuthering Heights, which would set the stage for Future Writing Me!
College: The bounds of literature opened up to me
Fast forward to college: I’m an English major at Tulane, and I’ve become a sponge, soaking up every single book, literature class, and creative writing course I can get my hands on. The boundaries of literature suddenly opened up when I took courses like “Environmental Literature,” “Magical Realism,” and an entire class on Edgar Allan Poe. I was like a woman possessed and asked my professors for extra reading outside of our syllabus. Yes, I was crazy… but it was at this time when I realized just how diverse books can be, and started reading widely across genres.
Now: An author!!! And still very much a bookworm
In my current era, I’ve accomplished my lifelong dream of being an author (hooray)! I feel driven to expand my reading tastes even more, to try new genres, and to continue writing books. The sci-fi bug bit me a few years ago, so nowadays you’re as likely to see me read a sci-fi book as a fantasy or a classic.
Currently I’m writing for children, which if you trace back to my younger years, you’ll notice I’ve come full-circle—I’m writing for a young Meredith, and those like me, who fell in love with reading at a young age.
What are your “books that made you”? Are any of these nostalgic reads on your list? Let me know by replying to this email!
I LOVE this. I also feel like I’m writing for my younger self who fell for the Shopaholic series and the impact those books have had on my life. Cannot wait to see what you do with your next books 🤎🤎🤎