Hypable staff challenge: The books that define Colleen Weiler

Trying to pick the five most important books in my life proved to be as difficult as Joey Tribbiani choosing between sex and food, but I did my best.

There’s a book challenge going around various social media sites right now that requires you to list the 10 books that have affected you the most. Here at Hypable, we’re kicking off our own version of the challenge. While we may be doing only five books, we’re also going to tell you why they affected us — and maybe we can convince you to read them, too.

Choosing five books that define you is quite a bit more difficult than it seems. The way I look at it, these aren’t just my favorite books, but books that define who I am, what I read, how I read, how I write, etc. I have been such a voracious reader since I was little (proud former member of The Baby-Sitters Club Collectors Club), how could I possibly narrow my influences down to only five? Well, after much thought, this is what I came up with:

The ‘Harry Potter’ series by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter changed everything for me. The series is obviously a popular favorite here at good ol’ Hypable, so I feel I don’t really need to go into detail about why it is just the best. You all know. I was late to the party, however, and was pretty judge-y of those who were already die-hard fans of the series. I had never been into anything even remotely fantasy-related, so I had no interest in reading a story about witches and wizards and dragons and magic. But after going to see the first movie with my dad and brother, I started reading the books, and before I knew it, I was a goner.

Goblet of Fire will always be my favorite, but the series as a whole belongs on this list, because it was the first book series to TAKE OVER MY LIFE. I’ve never known how to just “like” things; I am either completely indifferent or they just consume my entire existence. Prior to HP, my only real obsession had been NSYNC (still waiting on that reunion tour…). But in less than one year, I went from being “too cool” for this dumb series about wizards, to having a Harry Potter toothbrush. The Internet only fanned the flames (Thanks, MuggleNet!), and before I knew it I had read countless fan theories and LITERALLY ALL OF THE FAN FICTION. Other obsessions have popped up since, but the HP lover in me is always lying in wait, ready to pounce.

‘The Lovely Bones’ by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones has stuck with me possibly more than any other book I have ever read. The very basis of the story is terribly unsettling: rape, murder, and a family in shambles. But the way the story is told, from the dead girl’s point of view, is unlike any other, and it really makes you think about your own beliefs about life, death, and family.

As you watch Susie Salmon’s family reeling after her death, you find yourself grieving and struggling right along with them. And as they grow and change, you feel yourself growing and changing as well. I’ve never been a particularly religious person, but Sebold’s concept of heaven, Susie’s heaven, provided a more comforting alternative for what happens after the big bad dirt nap. It’s been a great comfort to me as I’ve lost loved ones of my own.

The most important note here is to please, please not judge this book based on the movie. The movie was terrible, and I will never forgive Peter Jackson for ruining it, but the book is so wonderful. I encourage everyone to read the book, and never, ever, ever see the movie. Ever.

‘On Writing’ by Stephen King

There is no way I could make this list without somehow including Stephen King. I have been reading Stephen King for years, ever since I stole my older brother’s copy of Firestarter. I have always loved Stephen King’s writing, because it’s just sick and twisted enough to tickle my fancy. I’ve always had a taste for the morbid and horrifying, and few authors successfully terrify me or disgust me the way Stephen King does.

But of all his works, I really struggled to pick one book that was my absolute favorite. It or Misery are probably my favorite stand-alone stories (I might be Annie Wilkes), but there’s no one story that “defines” me more than any other. For that reason, I realized On Writing was the perfect choice. It’s part memoir, part how-to, and has a real “If I can do it — so can you!” feel to it. King has had his struggles, including drug and alcohol addiction, and a serious car accident, and still has written approximately 3,820,486,730 books (rough estimate).

Not only does he somehow make that sort of crazy productivity seem possible, worked in around everyday life and its obstacles, but he provides you with everything from writing prompts to recommended reading. There’s nothing Stephen King loves more than promising new writers, and he wants you to be the next one!

‘The Westing Game’ by Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game is one of my all-time favorites. I’ve always loved mysteries, and this is a great starter mystery. There is a very eclectic cast of characters, featuring Turtle Wexler: hero to young girls everywhere. Do not touch her braid, or she WILL kick you in the shins. Each time I’ve read the book over the years, I find myself relating more to different characters, and their actions and reactions throughout the course of the book.

I think this may very well have been my first “twist ending” in any book I’d read, and I loved it. It nurtured a love for any story that requires me to try to figure something out along the way. I love trying to figure out a puzzle, but I also love being fooled. Even better, this book wraps up nicely with an epilogue involving marriages, death, kids, and chain restaurants. I would like every book and movie to contain an epilogue that ties everything up with a neat little bow, so this was pretty much perfect for me.

I like to forcefully recommend this book for every kid I ever run into, and to harass adult friends who have never read it. I have loaned out my original copy so many times, it is now just gone.

‘Eleanor & Park’ by Rainbow Rowell

The hardest spot for me to fill on this list has been the YA slot. Young adult fiction is one of my very favorite genres to read, and I like to consider myself a YA author in-the-making. But I have read so much YA, I didn’t know where to begin picking a favorite. Sarah Dessen was my gateway drug into YA, and at this point I devour everything she writes like I’m reading a letter from an old friend. I loved John Green even before he appealed directly to the former Lurlene McDaniel-reader in me (anyone?) with The Fault in Our Stars. But it was discovering Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park that really left an impression.

What worries me most about my own writing is that I really feel like I need to do something totally different in order to make my work interesting. But Eleanor and Park’s love story is so simple, while at the same time unlike anything else out there. They are not one of the picture-perfect, privileged couples we’ve come to know through so many other YA stories. Eleanor and Park are more real and imperfect in ways that people can relate to, rather than the stereotypical “Boy from the wrong side of the tracks” and “Pretty girl who no one pays attention to because she wears a ponytail and glasses,” and that is what makes their love story matter that much more. I still find myself wondering about where Eleanor and Park are now (I like to imagine Park grew up to be John Cho), and about those THREE FREAKING WORDS.

How do you feel about my choices? What would you choose for your own 5 books?