Okay, I admit it. I am guilty of saying “things have changed my life” WAY too much. I mean, I will say it about a good piece of chocolate. But I know it is not an exaggeration for me to say that books have changed my life. Here are 13 ways books have changed my life:

1. They made me realize I want to be a writer.

2. They helped me survive boring math classes.

3. They were companions when I was lonely.

4. They were my passports to other times and places.

5. They have increased my vocabulary and made me a better writer.

6. They have made me laugh.

7. They have caused me to cry. 

8. They have made me see the world from other people’s perspectives.

9. They have taught me random facts.

10. They have connected me to other people (nothing bonds you faster to another person than the same favorite book).  

11. They made me understand that I am not the only one feeling a certain way.

12. They have served as material for witty cocktail party conversation.

13. There was no way I would have understood Gilmore Girls without them.

Tell me in the comments below how books have changed your life!