Today's Blog-tember prompt is: the 5 books that have impacted your life the most.

I have to confess, I don't read books that I would consider to be deep and profound reading. They don't interest me too much. When I read, I read to escape reality. I like the almost unreal worlds that exist in books.

As such, the books in this list are simply books that are important to me, for one reason or another.

In no particular order:

The Lost World Michael Crichton
I was an avid reader in primary school, but kind of lost interest at the start of high school. However, one day I stumbled upon a copy of this book in the school library, and being a fan of the films, I picked it up. I absolutely love this book. Dinosaurs and action and maths and all sorts of good adventure telling in here.

Ice Station Matthew Reilly
I read this book in Year 9 and ever since then I've been hooked on Matthew Reilly's books to the point where I buy them on release and read them the first day I have them. If you've never read one of his books, the best description I have for them are that they are action movies in book form. They are incredibly fast paced, very engaging. They do tend to be on the more violent side (so if you don't like action movies/books, you'll probably want to skip them) but they are also highly entertaining. I love every single book he's written, but as Ice Station was the first, it belongs on this list. (I also highly recommend Contest, Seven Ancient Wonders and The Great Zoo of China if you're looking for books of his to start with!)

Magician Raymond E. Feist
I can't even remember how I found this book, but oh my goodness. If you love your fantasy books, this is totally one for you. I'm not a huge fan of fantasy series (mostly because they're long and full of characters I don't necessarily care about), but this first book is just amazing.

Wishful Drinking Carrie Fisher
Best known as "Princess Leia" Carrie Fisher has led an interesting life. This autobiography is hilarious and well worth a read if only to know that it's okay to find the humour in a very bad situation. I love Carrie's storytelling style and was so stoked to actually see her Wishful Drinking show when it came out to Melbourne. I think this book helped put me on the path to knowing that feeling sorry for yourself doesn't help the situation.

Teaching the Teacher Joan van Loon
This is a picture book and one I stumbled on by accident while I was working at Borders Bookstore  and ever since then it's been my go-to book to show new teachers. It's all about a day in the life of a student who wonders what it might be like to teach his teacher to do things he knows how to do. It's a gorgeous insight into what it's like to be a teacher and work with children day-in-day-out. If you are a teacher, or you know any teachers, I highly recommend it.