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When I think of favorite novels, I do not think of novels that are classics, or great stories, or even well-written works. Still, most of my favorites lay claim to one or more of those qualities. What makes a novel a favorite for me is the impact it has on my life. The very best novels do not simply entertain us or carry us off to new worlds. They change us. They leave us different than they found us.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

I can still visualize the large light blue covered (and slightly worn) hardback edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that I read as a boy. I can also remember the thrill of first seeing this book on the big screen. As a boy, I first felt my lifelong attraction to wizards. I also experienced the dread of seeing the mean lady on her bike transform into the wicked witch. It was the most frightening thing I ever experienced in a movie. All of my childhood nightmares were of witches.

I loved the magic and the wonders of this other land, so far from where I lived and so magically different. But I didn't experience the full impact of the book until I was an adult trying to come up with my own philosophy of life. It was only then that I appreciated the wisdom of the humbug wizard.

The wizard understood that it is our own beliefs and attitudes, especially our beliefs in limitation, that prevent us from fulfilling our potential. He knew that the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion already had the qualities they came so far to get from him. He simply gave them symbols to represent those qualities.

I now understand that all of us have the qualities and abilities we seek. We need only accept them, believe in them, and begin practicing them. If we like, we can procure our own symbols to represent these qualities and characteristics. Then we can begin to pretend to be who we really are.

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger is better known for his classic Catcher in the Rye, a book on most high school English teachers' reading list. The book came from two short stories, one about Franny and one about Zooey, a brother and sister in a family of smart kids.

Franny was struggling with religion. She decided that she would find enlightenment by saying the Jesus prayer constantly. By praying without ceasing, she expected to find transformation.

Her brother Zooey and other family members worried about her. Her obsession with the prayer was affecting her health and she had a bit of a nervous breakdown. Zooey tried to tell Franny that seeking

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