Top Ten Books That Have Inspired Me

The original prompt is "Top Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do or Learn About After Reading Them" but that's kind of a mouthful, so I've changed it a bit to books that have inspired me, which is essentially the same thing. I love this topic because books help open our minds to SO MANY THINGS and it's nice to recognize the way books have changed us.

Note: I haven't actually done any of these things, but I still really want to.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson - Out of all the things I could say about this book, you might be surprised to know the aspect that inspired me was the awesome scavenger hunt. When I was reading it, all I could think of was how fun it would be to have a big scavenger hunt with all my friends.

Paper Towns by John Green - This book made me want to cause minor trouble. I know that sounds stupid, but the adventure that Q and Margo go on in the beginning just made me want to throw all my caution away and do something stupid and adventurous (that doesn't hurt anyone else) like break into Sea World.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson - I absolutely adore the list of out-of-character tasks that Emily sets out to complete. It made me think about how incredible and exhilarating it would be to make a list with my best friend of silly tasks, go to the nearest bus stop, pick a random destination, and work to complete those tasks together. Tell me you don't want to try something like that.

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies - Get an internship in New York City. Okay, so this book didn't make me want to do that because that has been my dream for years, but it definitely reinforced the desire. All the NYC adventures just made my heart hurt because I wish I was the one having those adventures.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - What can I say? Matson writes some really great summer adventures. Unsurprisingly, this book definitely made me crave a cross-country road trip.

And I Darken by Kiersten White - This is a reimagining of Vlad the Impaler, so the entire time I was reading I was thinking about how I need to go study up on good ol' Vlad because I actually know very little about him.

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman - This is a fictional imagining of what Blackbeard's youth was like and how he became the notorious swashbuckler. I'll be honest, before cracking this baby open, I didn't even realize Blackbeard was a real person. The minute I finished, I was eager to learn more about him because THAT ENDING.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - I just adore writing about small towns, and I'm pretty sure this series is the main reason why. The southern gothic small town that these ladies have created is incredibly intricate and detailed and just extremely fascinating.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Lauren Oliver is #writinggoals! All her writing has influenced my own style tremendously, but I'd say the captivating lyrical prose of Delirium has been my #1 inspiration. I re-read it recently and that re-read was tremendously helpful. I was having a lot of trouble capturing my own voice in my writing, and after reading this, I found it again.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - Mead's characterization and worldbuilding are phenomenal in this series, and the protagonist Rose Hathaway is my all-time favorite heroine of all time, and while I never try to duplicate her in my own writing, I often keep her sassiness, boldness, and badassness in mind when writing my own characters.

What books have inspired you?