What are your five favorite books? The books that really changed you.

Kim Golden Whenever I think of favorite books,my list always ends up changing. But the books listed below are the ones that have changed me as a writer.

In no specific order:

1) Tar Baby by Toni Morrison: this was the first novel I ever read by Toni Morrison and it packed an emotional punch. I think I was in high school then. I remember I wanted to talk about it with everyone I knew but none of my friends had read it yet. Stunning, acerbic, still topical. Everyone should read it.

2) Leafstorm and Other Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: beautifully written, I remember reading it one rainy afternoon and wondering how I'd ever lived without having heard about his work earlier.

3) His Insignificant Other by Karen Siplin: intelligent chick lit with a multicultural cast of characters--and every single character feels so authentic, no one is completely good and no one is completely evil. It's a novel about relationships and when to let go. And I love it.

4) Taming It Down and Meeting of the Waters by Kim McLarin: both of these books really helped me figure out a good way to write about interracial relationships without having to make it purely HEA. I always wanted to write stories that felt real--even if they aren't always everyone else's cuppa tea.

5) Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson: an amazing short story collection. I end up going back to this one over and over again. He writes so well about race, about social issues, about the human condition.

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