What were your favorite books as a teenager?

Maureen at Confessions of a Bibliovore tagged me to write about favorite books that I read as a teenager. This is to get back at me for my question about favorite childhood picture books.

Below are the books that I read between ages 12 and 18 that were really life changing and which remain some of my all time favorite books.

• Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk. My aunt handed this book to me when I was 16 and said "You need to read this." And she was right. It's a fantastic coming of age novel about a girl who wanted to be an actress living in New York City during the 1930's. I would say that this was my favorite book ever... until I discovered Harry Potter.
• Exodus by Leon Uris. An epic novel that really moved me... I was inspired to go to Israel because of this book.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. What is there to say about this book that hasn't already been said? I love it, and re-read it probably about once a year. It's perfect every time. I don't remember when I read it the first time, but I'm pretty sure it was in high school.
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Like Pride and Prejudice, there's very little new and original to say about this book. But I loved it. And I loved Jo. And I never understood why Jo didn't marry Laurie. I went on to read every Louisa May Alcott book I could find, but this one is still my favorite of hers.
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I love this book. And I love the movie. But they are very different animals. The book is really a brilliant and immensely creative satire and it never fails to make me laugh. Even if you have the movie memorized, give the book a try.
• The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. A long and intense biography of Michelangelo that inspired me to take classes in Italian Renaissance Art and to go to Italy to see the sculptures for myself.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This one I discovered by accident. I was in Israel, and desperate for a book to read. I went to a local bookstore and this was the only book I could find in English. I devoured it immediately and after I came home, I read all of Douglas Adams' other books... but I like this one the best.
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. When I was in eighth grade, I had an English teacher that loved Tolkien and assigned the trilogy for class. I really got into these books, and also read The Hobbit and attempted to read The Silmarillion. (Has anyone finished The Silmarillion?)

Oops... I re-read Maureen's original post and see that I was only supposed to mention three favorite books, not eight. Also, it was for Teen Read Week, which has, alas, ended. I hope she'll forgive me.

I'm tagging Cheryl Rainfeld for this meme because she loves YA books and she loves talking about her favorite books.