People ask me all the time what my favorite books are and for recommendations, so I decided to compile a list of my favorites for all you bookophiles (I think just made up a word...don't hold it against me (or my book list)). Be forewarned, this is a long list (and I pared it down quite a bit, so you're welcome).
Now, I don't claim to be an expert or anything, this is just my opinion and doesn't reflect the views of anyone else (man, I should go into politics). If you're not a reader, you should start! You don't know what you're missing! If you're used to watching TV, then it is definitely an adjustment, but well worth it because not only will you feel smart and accomplished (books make you work for it), but I just think you get so much more out of the story itself. Believe it or not, I think books are more visual than TV because you use only your imagination to set the scene and imaginations tend to really run with it. Books are also more informative and emotional because you get a lot of background and insight into the characters' thought process. If I were you, I'd be running to my nearest library RIGHT NOW! However, I get that it can be daunting to start reading if you're not a seasoned reader and it's something everyone needs to do when they're ready (sort of like losing weight or getting divorced), so take your time. I personally, go through phases. Some months I'll read non-stop and others I won't feel like picking up a book at all. I think a lot of it has to do with the book I'm reading, though. If it sucks, I avoid it and watch Maury reruns and if it's great, then I can't stop.
Okay, let's start (these are in no particular order).
Hosseini is one of my all-time favorite authors. I've read every book he's written (basically 3) and will continue to do so forever. His writing is like poetry, the words flow like syrup, sticky with emotion and sweet with imagery (I'm aware that was majorly corny). The characters are so easy to connect with (even though they've experienced things I couldn't even imagine) and their individual stories intertwine seamlessly.
Recommendation: If you're looking for something poetic and deep (this is not a summer beach read) then here's the one for you! Choose any of his novels (The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are the other two), but this is my favorite.
The Forgotten Garden is a British mystery that takes place in the early 1900s, late 1900s and 2005. It's about a woman who finds out she was adopted (early 1900s) and goes on a quest to find out where she came from (late 1900s). Then her granddaughter comes to stay and she gives up on the search. After her death (2005), the granddaughter comes into a strange inheritance and henceforth decides to continue the search and there are many twists and turns (which I'm a sucker for) and the ending is great.
Kate Morton is another novelist whom I love. I'll read anything she writes because I really like the settings of her novels. They pretty much all take place in England in the early 1900s at some manor or estate and there's always a great mystery with a twist at the end. Other Morton novels I've read include: House At Riverton, The Secret Keeper and The Distant Hours. Her novels can be dark and mysterious, but with more of a whimsical, almost fairy tale quality. I absolutely love it.
Recommendation: If you're into gothic novels with a sort of airiness to them, then this is for you!
This book was amazing. Moloka'i takes place in Moloka'i (what a coinky-dink!) around 1890 and is about a young girl whose life is turned completely upside down when she finds out she has leprosy. She is then taken from her family and sent to live on a quarantined settlement for YEARS. It's terribly sad, but the people she meets on the island (all with leprosy) become her family and it's a heartwarming story. I really, truly loved this story and there were at least 5 ugly cries buried within its pages. My favorite moment (and one that's still in my mind 6 years later) is when her father visits her at the settlement (I don't want to give too much away). Uggg! I can't even take it!
Recommendation: This is for people who want a heartwarming tearjerker.
I can't even describe how much I LOVE the Harry Potter book series! It's my favorite thing ever!!! The movies are awesome, don't get me wrong, but the books are so much better! If you like the movies, you owe it to yourself to read the books. There is just so much more information! I also love how the first four movies are relatively light and fun and it slowly starts to darken as the children get older. Perfectly done! The imagination of J.K. Rowling astounds me.
Recommendation: If you like the movies, or if you just like magic and an awesome story with great characters, go for it! Great to read with kids too!
This book was so smartly written. I admit, I was confused for some of it, but it really all came together in a brilliant way. It's about a bunch of self-destructing individuals, for whom time has escaped "Time's a goon, right?" Their lives don't really start to intersect until the end and the way Egan does it is just genius. The chapters almost stand alone, like short stories, each one better than the last. Lots of the characters have connections to music, so there's a lot of that in the book, as well.
Recommendation: If you love music, and a depressing novel with a cool ending, then this is it!
I really enjoyed The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series. Some of the descriptions are long-winded, but the plot is excellent. Lots of action and adventure, but done in a smart way, not just for the sake of having something blow up. The movies (both Swedish and American) were really good, but graphic with both violence and sex, so definitely not for the squeamish. The plot of the first book is basically about a magazine editor who is convicted of libel (defamation) of a billionaire industrialist (he was set-up by the billionaire). He gets a call to meet with the retired CEO of a huge corporation (hmm...intrigue) and the CEO offers him a place to get away from the media backlash, while solving the mysterious disappearance of his niece (or great-niece, I can't remember). He takes the job and he hires the "dragon tattoo" chick (long story) to help him with the mystery because she's great with computer hacking and researching.
Recommendation: If you're into lots of twists and turns and super fun, nail-biting suspense (as well as thorough descriptions), you're in for a treat!
I had to reread The Great Gatsby to enjoy it (I read it the first time for my AP Language class when I was 16 and hated it). Rereading it as an adult was really cool because I remember some of the really obvious visual stuff (the green light, the billboard of the man with the glasses), but everything took on a whole new meaning as an adult because all the symbolism and metaphors finally made sense. It's the beautifully tragic story of Gatsby, a reclusive millionaire who throws lavish parties, but whom none of the guests seem to know, and of Nick, his poor neighbor who ends up becoming his friend (as much to his surprise as everyone else's). Gatsby's motives are soon clear and we discover a not so subtle proportion of wealth to disillusionment. Everyone surrounding Nick seems to be in complete denial of their unhappiness and are unwilling (unable?) to change, even though they have more than the means to do so. It's a seemingly simple predicament (from the outside, anyway), made infinitely complex by the idiocy of love, fear and stubbornness. "Great" story (get it??) and I thought the new movie was pretty "great" too. I love Leo DiCaprio (he was my first crush ever in 6th grade (I know every line to Romeo and Juliet and I'm not ashamed)).
Recommendation: In the mood for a classic, unrequited love story with lots of symbolism? Wow, nail on the head!
This was the book that started our book club. We all decided to read it, and we thought it would be totally gross and make us want to shower (which it totally did), but it was still incredible. The writing was some of the best I've ever seen. The protagonist is a middle-aged man obsessed with a 12-year old girl (Lolita) and deluded into thinking their relationship is love, but the story itself was so much more than that. It encompassed so many heightened emotions because he consistently suffered from total desperation and longing. Who would think they could relate to a person worthy of a firing squad? Not me, but the feeling of utter, hopeless desperation is one I have felt and it was strange, but intriguing to be able to relate. That's how amazing Vladimir Nabokov's writing is. I literally couldn't put it down! I definitely don't condone any of his actions (don't be fooled, he's a pig), but that's not what reading is about. It's about sharing the space and just observing, which I was able to do with Lolita thanks to Nabokov (not an easy task with the subject matter). He was able to turn something horrifying and ugly into something beautiful, simply with his writing. He was able to write so transformatively about someone so despicable, while almost making you question who's playing who's game. Overall, total masterpiece.
Recommendation: It's not an easy read, nor is it necessarily politically correct. It's about a pedophile justifying his feelings/actions and it's probably going to disgust and infuriate you at times. However, maybe that's a good thing. You must be willing to have an open mind, you won't be sorry!
My favorite book of all time is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. It's quite difficult to explain, since it's an extremely confusing book to grasp, but I've pretty much screwed up every other summary on this list, so what's one more? Okay, so it's about a family and the different chapters are told by different family members. Sounds simple right? WRONG! Faulkner thought it would be more fun to make you guess who's "speaking" in each chapter, so he doesn't tell you. He also doesn't tell you what time period you're in (the story jumps back and forth). AND sometimes two different characters tell the same story, just with different points of view, making it even more confusing to keep track of what's going on. On top of all that jazz, one of the character's has developmental disabilities and his chapters are even harder to understand. So, why do I love this book so much? It's so completely, ridiculously confusing, but after all that work it really comes together in the end. I felt like my mind opened and I was enlightened, or whatever the literary equivalent is to enlightenment. Give it a try, if you dare (you won't be sorry..or your head will explode and in that case, you probably will be sorry).
Recommendation: Must be patient (might help to write a few things down or make a diagram?), but this is the ultimate classic and it's pure genius!
So those are a few of my all-time favorite books. There are so many books I love, the list could go on and on forever (believe it or not, it could have been longer)! Feel free to let me know if you need more suggestions, I've got a million of them! Now, make yourself a cup of tea and grab a blanket because it's reading time! Have fun (yes, reading is supposed to be fun)!
Now, I don't claim to be an expert or anything, this is just my opinion and doesn't reflect the views of anyone else (man, I should go into politics). If you're not a reader, you should start! You don't know what you're missing! If you're used to watching TV, then it is definitely an adjustment, but well worth it because not only will you feel smart and accomplished (books make you work for it), but I just think you get so much more out of the story itself. Believe it or not, I think books are more visual than TV because you use only your imagination to set the scene and imaginations tend to really run with it. Books are also more informative and emotional because you get a lot of background and insight into the characters' thought process. If I were you, I'd be running to my nearest library RIGHT NOW! However, I get that it can be daunting to start reading if you're not a seasoned reader and it's something everyone needs to do when they're ready (sort of like losing weight or getting divorced), so take your time. I personally, go through phases. Some months I'll read non-stop and others I won't feel like picking up a book at all. I think a lot of it has to do with the book I'm reading, though. If it sucks, I avoid it and watch Maury reruns and if it's great, then I can't stop.
Okay, let's start (these are in no particular order).
First up:
This book was fantastic! The story jumps back and forth in time, and also takes place in multiple cities, including Kabul, Paris and San Francisco. It begins in Kabul in 1950 with a 3-year old girl from an impoverished family being sold to a wealthy, childless couple (in hopes of giving her a better life). Her older brother is completely devastated by this and is forever changed. The novel follows all of these characters, as well as connecting stories, through the past and present (and later, future). I'm explaining this atrociously (sorry, I'm a horrible explainer), but I swear it's so great and the ending is so well done (simultaneously sweet and heartbreaking), I want to cry just thinking about it.
Recommendation: If you're looking for something poetic and deep (this is not a summer beach read) then here's the one for you! Choose any of his novels (The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are the other two), but this is my favorite.
Next up:
Kate Morton is another novelist whom I love. I'll read anything she writes because I really like the settings of her novels. They pretty much all take place in England in the early 1900s at some manor or estate and there's always a great mystery with a twist at the end. Other Morton novels I've read include: House At Riverton, The Secret Keeper and The Distant Hours. Her novels can be dark and mysterious, but with more of a whimsical, almost fairy tale quality. I absolutely love it.
Recommendation: If you're into gothic novels with a sort of airiness to them, then this is for you!
Next:
Recommendation: This is for people who want a heartwarming tearjerker.
Moving on:
Recommendation: If you like the movies, or if you just like magic and an awesome story with great characters, go for it! Great to read with kids too!
Next:
Recommendation: If you love music, and a depressing novel with a cool ending, then this is it!
Yay! What's next?
Recommendation: If you're into lots of twists and turns and super fun, nail-biting suspense (as well as thorough descriptions), you're in for a treat!
Let's keep going:
Recommendation: In the mood for a classic, unrequited love story with lots of symbolism? Wow, nail on the head!
Okay, almost done:
Recommendation: It's not an easy read, nor is it necessarily politically correct. It's about a pedophile justifying his feelings/actions and it's probably going to disgust and infuriate you at times. However, maybe that's a good thing. You must be willing to have an open mind, you won't be sorry!
Lastly:
Recommendation: Must be patient (might help to write a few things down or make a diagram?), but this is the ultimate classic and it's pure genius!
So those are a few of my all-time favorite books. There are so many books I love, the list could go on and on forever (believe it or not, it could have been longer)! Feel free to let me know if you need more suggestions, I've got a million of them! Now, make yourself a cup of tea and grab a blanket because it's reading time! Have fun (yes, reading is supposed to be fun)!
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