Image by Fenners1984 via Flickr
- I read this at about the age of 12, and was fascinated by the idea of parallel worlds and the possibility of daemons. It made me think a lot about what happens after death and magic and relationships. It was possibly the most grownup book i’d read by that age.
I thought today i would share a selection of my favourite books of all time with you.
1) the Harry Potter series
Image via Wikipedia
Brilliant book series, although not so brilliant film versions in my opinion. I had to mention this series obviously, not only because it is one of the bestsellers of all time, but also because it is one of the best series i’ve read. Can’t really say much more on this because so much has been written on it already!
My rating: 10/10 (books only!)
….
2) the Twilight saga
I came to this series around the time the first book was released as a film, and having been given the whole series for christmas by my friends, i read them all in succession. I loved the series on the first read, because i love fantasy novels. However, after reading this blog Longest Twilight Rant Ever, and getting my English student critical brain in gear while re-reading the series, i started to think that certain elements of the series are very wrong and a bit creepy! It is well written and a good read if you want something you don’t have to think about, but i think i ruined it for myself a little bit when i started getting all English-student-critical on it!
My Rating: 7.5/10
…
3) His Dark Materials trilogy – Philip Pulman
Another series which is brilliantly written and full of great ideas. I enjoyed this trilogy because it made you question your beliefs and so many other things we take for granted in life, and the way it introduces you to all these fresh ideas. I read it as a child of about 11 years old, and thought it was very grownup for a children’s book (that’s the market it seemed to be aimed at), but its a good read as an adult too.
My Rating: 9/10
…
4) Holy Fools – Joanne Harris
Joanne Harris is one of my favourite authors, and this is my second favourite of her novels. I enjoyed reading it because it was very different to anything i’ve read before and is quite refreshingly original. I highly recommend this book, although her other books are pretty good too.
My Rating: 8/10
…
5) The Lollipop Shoes – Joanne Harris
Known best for Chocolat, Harris also wrote this brilliant sequel which catches up with Vianne and her daughters (she has had a second daughter since Chocolat). I thought a sequel wouldnt be as good as the first book, but Harris has managed to write something that was ultimately a great story, despite being a little hard to follow at times. As a result of this achievement, this is now my favourite book by Harris. The new characters we meet are interesting and add a lot of depth to the novel, and there is the occasional person from Vianne’s past who pops up. The ending is quite unexpected, and there are several twists in the book, particularly as there are themes of revenge, questioning of identity, and secrecy, and the story is described from 3 different viewpoints. It makes for interesting reading, and i thoroughly recommend it whether you have read Chocolat or not.
My Rating: 9/10
…
6) Beneath The Skin - Nicci French
Nicci French produces some nail-biting novels with interesting twists, and this is one particular favourite of mine. The constant threat to the 3 women in the novel is quite chilling and we see how much they are affected by the creepy stalker who seems to know all about each of them and their lives. It keeps you guessing all the way through and as each story unfolds, it is fascinating to see how each woman reacts. I love the suspense of the novel, and my brain was going crazy through reading it trying to work out who the stalker was! Definitely recommend it!
My Rating: 8/10
…
9) Atonement - Ian McEwan
I first read this while studying for my English A level, and although it took a while to get into it and i disliked it for a while BECAUSE i was studying it, i later started to appreciate just how good it is. The different viewpoints throughout the book is good because we see the story from different angles and how the central incident of the novel affects each character at the time it happened, and then later on in their lives. I have to admit that the protagonist Briony gets on my nerves a bit through certain bits of the novel, and the little twists throughout make you question the reliability of the narrator, but overall the story is well written and keeps you hooked right to the end.
My Rating: 7.5/10
…
10) Wicca series – Cate Tiernan
Not a widely known series, but i discovered this Young Adult novel in my teens and read the whole series (15 books!). Its about a teenage girl who realises she is actually a witch and has amazing powers, and the series chronicles her path in life as she goes through some traumatic and life-changing events as she learns about her new power, and the effects on her family, friends, and lovers. Its well written and the descriptions are really good, and although its a fairly easy read (and i’m a bit too old for the series now!), i still love it! I recommend it for teenagers, and i guess if you liked Twilight you’ll probably like this too!
My Rating: 9/10
…
So there you go – I hope this has been an interesting read, and i hope you will feel the urge to read any of the ones you haven’t read already!
Image by moriza via Flickr
I have been pondering this question lately, and wondering what it is about a book that appeals to readers.
Is it the way we can escape into a good book and forget what’s happening in our actual lives?
Is the mark of a good book that you put a bit of yourself into it and learn something new about yourself when you finish?
Is it the way that a book can be so amazing and addictive that the story remains in your consciousness for days after finishing it?
I’ve always found comfort in reading a book, often reading late into the night! It’s just one of those things which remains a constant pleasure, because once a book is written then it can’t be changed (well, depending what sort of book it is), and it’s nice to be able to pick up a old favourite and read it again years later, knowing it hasnt changed. However, your viewpoint can change, especially if you read a book as a naive child and when you read it again in your adulthood you realise what that word that confused you as a child actually means, or you pick out the unexpected sexual innuendoes that occur in a book. I have found that, after studying English at university, i now come across things in books which totally surprise me the second time round! I say a book never changes, but the meaning can change as you grow up and learn more about the world.
What amused me upon finishing my English degree was that i realised that the whole degree was about finding sexual innuendoes in any book you read! ( It might be that i was just fortunate enough to study a selection of books over my three years which all had varying degrees of sexual references in them). Ok, so that’s probably not the point of the degree, but to me that’s what my overall summary of it was!
In my childhood, i obviously had a lot of time to read books, so i read all the time, whether it was during breaktime at school, on the way home from school, or late into the night. My parents didnt know just how late at night i used to read my books! Once i got engrossed in a book, it would take something very big to stop me reading it! I remember one day when visiting my grandad, one of the Harry Potter books (possibly book number 4 – it was a big one!) had just come out and my copy arrived the morning of our visit, so i read it on the journey in the car, and then when we got to my grandad’s at any spare moment i was reading it! This is how addictive books were for me!
Although these days i havent got as much time as i would like to read, i do find myself reading before i go to sleep at night sometimes, but most often i now read on the train to and from university as its a fair 45 minute commute.
I love the smell of books, especially the freshly printed scent of a new book plucked off the shelf in a bookshop or sent in the post. There is something comforting in that papery smell which is hard to describe. There is also that joy of the brand new book sitting in perfect condition, just waiting for you to open it and explore its contents and put your mark on it.
I also love the smell of old books. I know they sometimes smell kind of musty and strange, but its nice to think how many people have read it and how much that book has given pleasure to many other readers over its lifetime. I know some people prefer new books which havnt been defiled or tainted by random people, but its still nice to feel a sense of history in an old book.
Some books stay with you forever, while others are forgotten, whether deliberately or not (“deliberately” would apply to those you may have read at school and hated with a vengence!). Its always nice when you come across a book you once read and feel that comforting feeling that it is familiar and brings back a bit of your past.
Books which have affected me in a profound way include:
These are just a few of the books which i have read which left an impression on me, particularly because they are the ones sitting on the shelf by my desk! (I can’t think of any more just now, but if i do i’ll add them to this blog at a later date.)
I’m curious as to what everyone else likes about books (talking mainly about traditional print books, but feel free to add your thoughts on Ebooks.)
What attracts you to a book? Do you agree that some books stay with you for a long time?
Feel free to post your examples of books which have affected you in some way!
