Love at First Word
If you’re a reader, you may remember the book that took you down. The one that hooked you, that made you realize: I love to read. When we asked our Facebook fans to name that book, the outpouring of answers was both great and passionate. These classics were among the favorites. The readers themselves tell you why.
For more suggestions, see 50 Books Real Simple Readers Love.
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
I could read before kindergarten, but the day I started reading The Grapes of Wrath, reading brought on a whole new meaning. —Helen Zanone
To buy: $17, amazon.com.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
It was so exciting, it made me feel like I was there with the characters. Still my all-time favorite. —Kristal Bellamy
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
My mom read a chapter every night before bed. Now I read every night before bed. —Sandra Roberts
To buy: $3, amazon.com.
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
His writing style just pulled me in! I was reading it during my first East Coast snowstorm, but I could feel the salt of the sea spray and fatigue in my arms like I was holding the marlin with my own hands! I could not put the book down until I finished, and it ignited my passion for reading that had been completely depleted with the intense amount of required reading during college. So thank you, Ernest! —Kristin Gebhardt
To buy: $12, amazon.com.
The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller
I sobbed. I can still go back to that moment. . . —Joanne Cropper
To buy: $5, amazon.com.
Roots, by Alex Haley
I got lost in the entire thing. When it was over, I read it again and again until I couldn’t get that feeling any longer. After that I have always loved getting lost in a good book!! —Laura Bridges
To buy: $19, amazon.com.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
I got an A+++ on a report [on it] in seventh grade in 1988, which gave me the confidence to work hard in school despite a life filled with obstacles. —Rosa Frazier
To buy: $17, amazon.com.
The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran
I was so amazed by how closely my personal views and opinions matched the author’s. —Heather Christina
To buy: $11, amazon.com.
All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot
My grandmother gave me my first “‘big” book: All Creatures Great and Small. I can remember it was the first time I felt immersed in a story, like I was truly an assistant to this young British country vet. I devoured the rest of his books, and the path was set for a lifetime love of reading. —Kelly Nunn Holdcraft
To buy: $16, amazon.com.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
My dad was a voracious reader who read to us faithfully at night and, thankfully, I inherited his love of reading. I panic if I go somewhere and realize I have forgotten to bring a book. —Shelley McGeady
To buy: $3, amazon.com.
Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel García Márquez
Still my favorite. —Mandy Nelson
To buy: $16, amazon.com.
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter was a real page-turner for me. It made me want to read more historical-fiction books. Since that time long ago, I became a teacher, then a librarian. I am retired now but continue to share my love of books with my grandchildren and those where I volunteer three days a week. There is nothing like a good book! —Mary Ann Koonce
To buy: $11, amazon.com.
The Iliad/The Odyssey, by Homer
My mom would read a chapter from a children’s version to my sisters and me before going to school every morning. It made me love reading and the ancient world (I’m a historian now). —Eugenia Villanueva Viso
To buy: $36, amazon.com.
Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne
I got it as a gift when I was 10 and it set me off on a book habit that’s lasted 23 years. —Tracy Bower
To buy: $3, amazon.com.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
It is to this day my favorite book. —Rachel Montoya
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, by Howard Pyle
Gifted to me by my grandmother for my eighth birthday. Every birthday and Christmas thereafter she gifted me with books, mostly classics. To this day, I still have them. —Geraldine Asis
To buy: $8, amazon.com.
Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo
[The book that made me love reading was] Les Misérables, when I was in high school 50 years ago! I love reading, read about a book a week, and can visualize the “movie” as I read, kind of like I was the director! —Jacqueline Ledoux McGann
To buy: $10, amazon.com.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
It was a gift for my fifth birthday. I wanted to learn how to read so I could read my book! —Kelly Morris
To buy: $4.50, amazon.com.
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
The first full-on chapter book I read as a kid. Every time I finished it, I would pick up another book, read a few pages, and think “No, I have to spend time with Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver, and the gang again.” I have been a fan of reading (and pirates) ever since. —James Holstein
To buy: $7.50, amazon.com.
Tales From Shakespeare, by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb
My mom gave me her childhood copy of Tales From Shakespeare. I was reading a kid-friendly “Twelfth Night” at age 6 and haven’t stopped reading since! —Ceci Suhre
To buy: $6, amazon.com.
Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift
It captivated my mind as a child, and truly showed me the power of a book. —Randall Fowler
To buy: $3.50, amazon.com.
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
For me it was Moby Dick and after that, I used to go to the library as often as I could as a child to check out all the books about the sea and pirates, etc. . . . I love reading just as much now at 55 years old as I did when I was a young girl. —Rhonda Kimball
To buy: $13, amazon.com.
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice reinvigorated my desire to read more and more as an adult! —Leslie Bradshaw
To buy: $10, amazon.com.
My Land and My People, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is living inspiration for all. —Tanu Mann
To buy: $14, amazon.com.
Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe
My fourth-grade teacher read us Robinson Crusoe and I was mesmerized. Have been reading ever since. —Tammy Gigot
To buy: $3.50, amazon.com.
How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn
Got me hooked in ninth grade! —Patty Hinton
To buy: $18, barnesandnoble.com.
Aesop’s Fables, by Aesop
I don’t remember a time without a book in my hand, but a collection of Aesop’s Fables set me on the path to a lifelong love of fiction. —Sujatha Nair
I read them over and over. —Lynn Emenheiser
To buy: $3, amazon.com.
On the Road, by Jack Kerouac
It inspired me to read all the Beat Generation authors’ books. But I always go back to On the Road. —Chris Schmitt
To buy: $17, amazon.com.
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
I’ve always been a book nerd since learning to read. But when I was 16 I read Anna Karenina and completely fell in love with Russian literature. Books went from being a hobby to something I am really passionate about. —Tina Brandon
To buy: $7, amazon.com.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
My sister gave me Frankenstein in fourth grade. It was way over my head but I was hooked! —Jessica Taul
Just amazed that a young British woman from that era could write a story like that. —Lynn Chisholm
To buy: $4, amazon.com.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
My parents always encouraged me to read, and my dad gave me this to read when I was around 15. My life was never the same after. —Kyrie Kuehn
To buy: $8, amazon.com.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
I was 10. The librarian said I was too young to understand it. I took it home and worked to comprehend the book. It never left me. —Kristi Jonasson-James
To buy: $8.50, amazon.com.
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