This might sound a bit cliche, but The Lord of the Rings was that book for me. I read it when I was 20. I’d just started my first real job, I’d started to spread my wings a little and I’d finally gotten around to reading this absolute titan of a book.
Having been a massive fan of the movies I’m surprised it took me as long as it did to read the books, but I’m so glad I waited. It was the first time In my life I’d ever felt truly lost in a world.
I’ve not had an opportunity to revisit the books since I originally read them, but one day…
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss. I think I used to know it by heart when I was 6. Now as an adult I can appreciate how it must have been a riotous technical challenge to write a story using only 50 words, with the only multi-syllabic word being “anywhere”.