Books that have made me a Better Writer

Writers Read. Here are a few fiction books that I've read for pleasure that've made me try new things with my writing.
1) The book Thief. I love this book. Markus Zusak uses the rare Omniscient POV with his narriator, death. On thing that really caught me is that nearly to the end there's a chapter called "The End of the World (Part 1)" Markus Zusak tells what happens in the end and I still cried when I finally got there. I love the point of view, the simple plot, the characters, and the childhood love between Liesle and Rudy.
2) Dracula by Bram Stoker. Ok I've only just recently read this one. Again though, I like the diary format. I get that a lot of people wrote like that a long time ago but when I read something like this It challenges me to try it out. I've started a small series on Quizilla just for the fun of it. I'm treating it as if my main character is real and is simply keeping an online journal. I'm sure it would ruin the whole story I've got planned for my readers but It's part of the fun of being a writer, Getting to step out of your own shoes for a moment or two and pretend to be someone else.
3) ok This one may sound dumb but it's The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. It's big around on websites like ThinkGeek as a joke gift but it really has some valuable information to it. It's presented like a real guide book giving how to's, tips and other advice. I'm looking at character actions in this one. So zombies don't have to be attacking your characters for you to benefit from this book. Let's say your character is running away from the government for being a spy. This book gives a list of all the supplise and weapons someone would need to survive in the wilderness or something. It also gives good hiding and fighting advice that your character could use in an action packed situation. Plus it's just a fun read.
4) Eli the good by Silas House. This book has such rich characters. Mabey I only liked it because Eli is so close to myself but the book is incredable all the same. My dad, who only likes war books about acts of glory, loved the story of this small town boy. I remember when my dad got to one of the best parts he stoped reading for a minut and sighed like i've never seen him do before and say "This is a Powerful Book"
There you have it. Any more you think should be added to this list shoot me an e-mail at follow.the.journey.now@gmail.com