The Giver- The Giver is about a society where everyone meets the norm, while one person is chosen per lifetime to hold the thoughts of all who came before them. It seems insane at first, but is done to prevent people from acting out and breaking the law. When this young child becomes chosen to be the next Giver of thought he doesn't understand why it is done and ends up running away with a small child he was chosen to care for. The Giver taught me to never assume things as the norm. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures, yet once we all become the same life becomes meaningless. After reading the Giver I had a better understanding of where I came.

Dracula- Dracula is obviously about a vampire, and is credited to being the first book about them, other than the early Nosferatu. I thought the book was very interesting because it was written many years ago but still could be related to our time. This book was influential because it was one of the first depictions of monsters that used to be human in modern literature. Dracula set the standard for vampires; how they can't be seen in a mirror, attraction to blood, fear of the cross and so on. Also when the main characters wife gets bitten and becomes bloodthirsty herself right in the front of his eyes he has to kill her with a stake to the heart. Its a very weird scene, but definitely influenced horror stories since. 

Grendel- Grendel is a story about the monster in the common myth Beowulf. The entire story is told from the monsters perspective while he kills animals and is attacked by man. It was influential to me because I read it in school during a study of the antihero in stories. Grendel was the first antihero I came to know, and the antihero to me seems to be the most realistic form of character. It showed me question ones upbringing before judging them.