Books That Change Your Behavior

As I was walking my devil dog through the neighborhood today, I saw several leftover pumpkins, weeping their carcasses over the edge of a porch. Looked like a slow suicide. What a way to go. I semi-wished I had a notebook to scratch down a few thoughts about such a death -- only semi because I would've frostbit my fingertips, and then who would do all the Christmas baking?

Disclaimer: this is one dilly of a meandering segue so don't strain too hard because I won't be held responsible for pulled muscles.

Back to the notebook thingee . . . the idea yanked something out of my trashcan (Griep talk for a forgotten memory). Way back when I was a young reader, I devoured the book Harriet the Spy, so much so that I toodled around the neighborhood taking notes while eating a tomato sandwich just to be like the main character . . . which didn't work out so well because I almost threw up and the only thing even mildly interesting in the neighborhood was the corner house because it smelled like an open can of tuna.

All that to say (and BTW, I'm very proud of you for hanging with me around those tight curves) some books are much more than entertainment. They can be life changing in tangible ways. More examples:

Little House on the Prairie
The phrase "and Laura thought this great fun" got me through the first few lessons of downhill skiing. I repeated them over and over as I somersaulted down the slopes.

Streiker's Bride
The heroine made a pan of brownies. Need I say more?

Fifteen
The teenage hero takes the heroine to a Chinese restaurant and encourages her to try new foods even though they were foreign to her. You wouldn't believe the weird things I've put into my mouth at a Chinese restaurant since.

And those are just a few. What books have you read that have altered your behavior in some way?