I have read many books in my time. One that will always stand out is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Though this may seem like a book I just happened to pick up because it was popular at the time, I can honestly say it had an impact on my life.
I had received it as a gift from my grandmother. At the time I was 8 and really disliked reading, so it sat on my bookshelf for quite a while before I decided to give it a second look. I picked it up one day and was fascinated by the storyline, so it became the longest book I had ever finished voluntarily. At the time, this changed my life in the short term because i developed a love of reading. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series, and started reading for fun in between.
Even now, this book continues to make a difference in my life. Everyone knows the story of Harry Potter, the boy who was locked in a cupboard and discovers he is a wizard, and is destined for bigger and better things, bigger than his unloving family, a whole world outside the cupboard under the stairs. If I am ever feeling down, or feeling like my world is slowly ending, I always think about the fact that I am not actually locked in a cupboard under the stairs, and that there is always something better waiting for me, no matter how hopeless things may seem.
