10 Books That Have Stayed With Me!

I was recently tagged on Facebook to list my favorite books ... and since I share everything with y'all, I thought why not this too. It is also great for archival purposes (;. Now I can't say these are my "favorite" books, as overtime the concept of “favorite” beats me. However, below mentioned books are definitely the ones which have either left an impact on me or are the ones that I cherish having read (for one or the other reason).
1) The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand // It shaped my teenage years. It made me realize it is okay to think differently from people around me and it is okay to put yourself before everyone else. 2) 1984 - George Orwell // After reading that book, I made peace with the fact that privacy is an illusion. And about fifteen years later, it is truer than ever! 3) Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert // I read it right after I got married. And Thank God that I did. It instilled in me that I cannot lose myself in this marriage. We both need to have our own identities. And we do. 4) The Palace of Illusions - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni // I was blown away by this rendition of Mahabharata from a female perspective. It emphasized (to me) the prominence of how every story is multidimensional and every one’s point of view is equally valid (and interesting). 5) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden // This book tug on my heart strings and transported me to another era. I read it in my late teens and realized women all around the world (Japan in this case) have led hard, yet interesting lives. 6) The Rainmaker - John Grisham // It is definitely not a literary gem by any standard. But I am a sucker for a good legal thriller and court room drama. When I was thinking of this list, this book popped in my head and I knew I had to include it. 7) Pita Ke Patr Putri Ke Naam (Letter from A Father to His Daughter) - Jawahar Lal Nehru // I remember reading this book as a child and being mighty impressed by how much Mr. Nehru (first Prime Minister of India) cared about his 10 year old daughter that he wrote to her and tried to teach her the history of the world, all the way from the prison. Today I am impressed by this knowledge and ability to narrate without any references. 8) Tell Me Why (Series) - Arkady Leokum // Back when there was no Internet, this is how I got my answers. I was extremely curious about random stuff but always hesitant to ask someone for the answers (I blame the overwhelming Indian education system). Tell Me Why books were my go-to source of information. I still love them! 9) TINKLE - Amar Chitra Katha // These Indian Comic books till today make me nostalgic. I have fond memories of picking them up every weekend from a street stall and diving right into them as soon as I got home. I still treasure my collection! 10) The Immigrant - Manju Kapoor // I won't say it is my favorite book, but I recently read it and as an Indian immigrant myself, I could relate to it. A LOT. Even though the story is based in 1970's it is still so relevant, as apparently human emotions and personal struggles do not change.