I’ve loved books since a very young age and I have always been pretty good at reading them. I now study the art of book reading and as a result of peaking academically at GCSE, I actually struggle to find the time to simply read for pleasure, instead I’m weighed down by the mix of wonderful and exciting texts that are part of an English degree. I have good memories of many children’s/teen novels and book series, so they populate a lot of this list and have, over time, cultivated my own ambition to be a writer.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe // C. S. Lewis
Not only did books like the Chronicles of Narnia series inspire an interest in fantasy and the epic but also the fact that the protagonists were often children, holding great weights of responsibility, added to the experience. In the innocence of childhood you got a sense of that responsibility also, which probably lead to some kind of educational growth or something. Basically, these books made me want to be king of a magical realm or fight off magical creatures at the bottom of my garden. The Chronicles of Narnia was probably the first fantasy series I was made aware of, introduced to it by my Dad, the owner of what must be the entire works of C.S. Lewis. Its Christian undertones not only have personal significance but in general offer a positive message of sacrifice and insight into faith.