The Books That Changed My Life with Winnie the Pooh

So, having been challenged to the recently viral "Ten Books. That Changed My Life", I figured it was about time I got the ol' blog up and running again. Choosing a mere ten books, however, proved delightfully thought-provoking. And so, in no particular order, save for chronology, here in the final list (as of September 2014)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865)

Despite its endless adaptations (including Tim Burton's hideous butchering), Carroll's original work remains to this day one of the finest pieces of fantasy writing of all time. The delightful innocence of Alice as she meets a cavalcade of bizarre characters in her journey through Wonderland is as enchanting today as it was one hundred and sixty years ago.

When We Were Very Young (A.A. Milne, 1924)

Although more famous for his tales of Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin, Milne also produced some beautiful poetry, much of which contained within this collection, and its sequel Now We Are Six, remain with me almost thirty years since first being read to me at bedtime.

The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger, 1951)

I'm glad I read Catcher at sixteen, the same age as its protagonist Holden Caulfield, as reading it ten years on, Caulfield turned from the relatable troubled teen into a petulant miscreant, rather diminishing the overall effect of the book that said, the fondness I had as a teen means that Catcher will always hold a special place on this list.

My Family and Other Animals (Gerald Durrell, 1956)

I have always had a passion for wildlife, so when I was introduced at an early age to the exploits of your Gerry as he set about collecting the weird and wonderful fauna of Corfu, I was entranced. Having since read the majority of Durrell's oeuvre, Durrell remains in my eyes one of Britain's most underrated wordsmiths.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee, 1960)

Usually the books that we are forced to read at school are the ones we end up hating for the rest of our lives (case in point, Mr. Mark Twain...). By joyful happenstance, however, I was as entranced at thirteen by Harper Lee's tale of injustice and misunderstanding as I am today. An history lesson through the eyes of a young child, Mockingbird is immediately accessible to all ages.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Sue Townsend, 1982)

Sadly, Sue Townsend passed away earlier this year, leaving us with the legacy of Britain's greatest diarist. Adrian's life has been a source of comfort throughout the years, from his awkward teens, through the turbulent twenties, right up to his final farewell at the end of The Prostrate Years. Mole is an unwitting comic genius, but also, perhaps even moreso unwittingly, a hero for gawky, hopeless writers across the nation.

IT (Stephen King, 1986)

Trying to choose only one King novel to feature on this list was tough, but when it comes to sheer terror, coupled with King's unrivalled ability to create memorable characters (that are more often than not killed in even more memorable fashions mere moments later), then IT trumps most. The tale of a demon, disguised as a circus clown, who terrorises the children of the small Maine town of Derry every thirty years is iconic for most due to Tim Curry's delectable performance as the book's namesake, but the novel itself is some chilling that even glancing at it upon the bookshelf if enough to send shivers up the spine.

High Fidelity (Nick Hornby, 1995)

High Fidelity is like the bible to the music-loving single man. A story of love, loss and love again set in a failing record store to an almost audible soundtrack of hits from the the four decades, it is a real modern classic. It does, however, leave you with an obsession for making Top Five lists which I have been unable to shake to this day.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Anthony Bourdain, 2000)

If High Fidelity was was bible for singledom, then Kitchen Confidential played the same role during my many years as a chef. Admittedly, I hated being a chef, but Bourdain somehow made it seem a little less painful. His relish in telling stories that are all-too-familiar to anyone who has worked back-of-house at a restaurant used to get me through many a late afternoon lunch-break.

Battle Royale (Koushun Takami, 2003)

Before the Hunger Games made teen survival all angsty and romantic, Battle Royale rocked the world with its distopian tale of government gone mad, pitting schoolmate against schoolmate in a last-man-standing battle. The book is amazing, the film is fantastic, and the manga is phenomenal. Put all three together and good lord! Prepare to be haunted for life! 

But, for better or worse, that is what every tome on this list has managed to do. Because nothing stays with you more than a great story.