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 I stole this post idea from Jordyn :-) I'm going to talk about ten books that have in some way influenced me. In no particular order and without any further ado:

1. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce.  This is the book that I think really made me into the reader I am today. I mean, I'd been a voracious reader since I discovered the Babysitters' Club when I was six, so I can't really explain why I think this book changed me as a reader, but it did. It made me want more!
   
2. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling. Cliche'? Yes. True? Yes. I discovered this book when my third-grade teacher began reading it aloud to the class. Harry Potter rapidly became a big part of my life, and of pop culture! The reason this book is important is because the Harry Potter characters are the ones I grew up with. I fell in love with these books at the age of eight, and at sixteen I waited in line last summer for hours to get the seventh and final book at midnight (and then I stayed up all night to finish it, and then I cried). I look back on other books with fondness, and don't stop liking them, but I don't think I've ever actively loved any other series for so long, rereading it and speculating and everything!
3. Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski. It's not the book itself that influenced me; that was fun but not particularly memorable, except for one reason: it was the first book I reviewed on my book blog back in July 2006. Since then, I've gotten the chance to read tons of books I wouldn't have otherwise (and share my opinions on them!), become a part of a great community of YA lit bloggers, and gotten to meet (for the most part, online, but in a few cases, actual real-life meeting) some of my favorite authors! So that's pretty awesome.
4. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer. This book made me want to be a waitress! Okay, so that's not the reason it influenced me so much (though that's true). Hope is a great character, and she's stuck with me for years. This book is one that ranks high on my all-time favorites list (obviously different from the 'books that influenced me' list), and has consistently since I first read it. It also lead me to discover one of my favorite authors. And it made me change my name to "October" in eighth grade, but that's another story.
   
5. Go Figure by Jo Edwards. If you know this book, you'll think this might be ridiculous and stupid, that it's just fluff. And, yeah, it's a pretty fluffy book in some respects, but it also changed my whole attitude about body image. I don't want to go into detail--that's kind of personal, and I'm not ready to share that, at least not right now--but it is important to me.
6. Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn. Every time I read this book, I am just so, so impressed with it's awesomeness. Like Hope, Cyd Charisse is a character I love, but they are completely different. Cyd Charisse is something of an inspiration; she's tough, she's herself, but she's also remarkably real for a fictional character! Also, this book makes me want to go to San Francisco. Or at least listen to the Vanessa Carlton song.
7. When I Was Older by Garret Freymann-Weyr. Aside from introducing me to one of my favorite authors, this book made me want to go to New York City, a lot. Since I am all about travelling, books that make me want to go somewhere get extra points.
   
8. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I love Stargirl. She's a character so totally not afraid to be herself. Though myself isn't quite as odd as hers, I don't think, she's still one of my role models. There's a sequel to this book out now, but I haven't been able to bring myself to read it yet, afraid it might ruin the original.
9. So Far From Malabar by Joy De Weese Wehen. It's been ages since I read this book, so I don't remember all the details too well. It really really made me want to go to India, though. But looking back on it, I don't think it was actually very good, but I loved it at the time. Also it may have been kind of racist (I am not a racist).
   
10. Greater Than Angels by Carol Matas. This book started my love of history! I adored this book, and it made me want to read more about history--starting with World War II Fiction, then branching out to WWII non-fiction, and then finally just loving history in general the way I do now!
11. Red. As Jordyn said, this doesn't really need explanation.