by Lucille de Mesa
Every single book I own has a unique memory to me: They are like friends who will never leave me—or can never leave me. But when I was asked to do Shelfwalking, I admit I had no idea what to share at first. But I remembered the photo I took for #ThrowbackThursday:
Here are some of the books from my shelf that have stayed with me through my darkest days, lifting me up when I felt worthless.
1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Everybody I know has a Harry Potter inspirational story, and I am proudly part of that population as well. I started as a movie fanatic which led me to the books. From being a casual fan, I became a Potterhead.
As a teen, I found myself writing on Harry Potter-related RPG sites that started my passion for writing stories. I spent endless amount of time on character development, personal character plots, and backstories with other people from different parts of the world.
I made real friends and even had a chance to fall in love (that lasted for a couple of years) with someone online because of this.
This book series opened me to a new world. Harry Potter made me feel relevant.
2. All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
One of my closest friend in high school was obsessed with everything Meg Cabot, so when she found out I was growing out to be a bookworm, she lent me one of her books.
Not to exaggerate but this changed my life.
I was so invested on Harry Potter that I forgot other worlds and stories, that there were adventures I was missing out on because I was too focused on a single book series. When I read this, something inside me broke free. The next thing I knew, I was writing my own stories on Quizzilla, which, in my opinion, was the Wattpad of yesterday.
3. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
Like many, I had a time in my life when I looked forward to leaving the security of my parents’ house and living alone in a place where no one knew anything about me. That finally happened when I became a freshman in college, living alone in a dorm and away from my parents. The book couldn’t have come at a better time.
This book is about the ups and downs of being away, being alone, and being with someone. But what I love most about it is that it kept me company through the lonely moments when I missed being home.
4. Eleanor & Park, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
When I was reading Eleanor and Park a few years ago, I didn’t think it would be this popular now. I was a closet reader that time and my friends weren’t as interested in reading YA novels as I did. (Weird, right?) Despite my busy schedule juggling studies and clinical cases, I still found time to read this book.
And it was worth it. It sparked this flame inside of me. Fangirl reminded me of how much I enjoyed writing stories and interacting with people who shared the same passion.
5. The Manifesto on How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne
When I stumbled upon this book, I was in that phase of my life where I wasn’t seeing and feeling anything positive about my self and my own life path. It was one of those “dark days” where you just want to lie down and disappear.
So I took a chance on it… and the first paragraph had me reading all day and night. It was like the author knew how I exactly felt. It led me to something positive, to seek help and talk to the people who cared and wanted me to be alright.
And it even led me here, right here on Bookbed, participating in Booktungan. That’s how big of an impact this book had on me.
These books got me through some of the toughest times of my life. If you have read one of them, come share your thoughts. If you haven’t, then pick go, pick one. What’s the harm in trying?
☁️
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Anything to share? :)