It is a strange question with a million varied answers but I will be brief.
If books help shape our lives does this mean that our choice dictates the type of person we are… light weight romance – dreamer and not grounded?
Horror stories – hard skinned and insensitive?
I don’t think fiction shapes our lives but that is my opinion. However, non-fiction is a different story and I think it plays a bigger part.
What do you think?
And what is the one book from your childhood you remember most?
I read avidly and I loved re reading Roald Dahl to my kids – The Twits remaining a favorite of mine.
decidinglybob 
I really think books help shaping our life but in so many different ways…reading about murder and mayhem can be a pleasant escape and channeling darker feelings, books can give you new insights or indeed dream away and help you cope with every day life becuase it is relaxing and refreshing. I always feel that books stimulate mind, body and spirit whilst the visual input of movies, especially violent ones, numbs/hardens emotions. I grew up next to a library and was there pratically every day and there soooo many books that were/are important to me from my youth: Mary Poppins, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Astrid Lindgren, and many, many more! Cheers, have a great weekend, Johanna
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Thank you Johanna for your input. Yes, reading fiction for me is pure escapism, my brief post should have been explained better, it was in response to a letter in a paper claiming that what we read influences how we behave, which I think is rubbish. Because as we agree, fiction is a way of escaping the often too grim reality of our busy lives. Thanks for replying, I always feel happy to know that someone actually reads the posts. Take care. Maria
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We are all such different creatures some people are happy for a book to change their lives others will delight in an escape from reality, yet there are so many tangents this would spiral off too and I’m not even scratching the surface. I think that a book is never a bad thing ever and they are instrumental to our lives. In retrospect though is this an ‘older’ generation speaking as we hurtle towards digital books with no signs of stopping?
I firmly believe there’s nothing better than holding a book in your hands wondering where each page will take you.. it can and does, evoke many emotions.
Hope you are all well, nice to see Bob having a little read 🙂
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Thank you for your comment. Yes reading choice is a highly personal affair. I do agree that sometimes holding a book is a far more relaxing event.
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