If you have ever helped me move, you know how many of my boxes are very heavy because they are just completely full of books. Since moving to New York I have moved a little bit toward the ebook era (but don't ask me how much it kills me, because that could be a blog post all on its own), but I am still addicted to reading. I'm venturing into new books this summer, starting with Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, which I'm almost done with and have really found beneficial and thought provoking. I'm also looking for other suggestions on good books you've read that have challenged you, or helped you in your journey through life, so let me know!
However, there are some books that I always return to. Books that I have multiple copies of, and reread almost annually. And I thought I would share those with you. Although they are all fiction, I'm not ashamed. I think fiction is a great way to make people think about different worlds and different perspectives on life! (Disclaimer: I didn't include the Bible. Though that is the most read book of my life, and I am in it most days, I'm just not including it. Sorry)
1. The Giver, by Lois Lowry. This is my absolute favorite book. The first time I heard this book was in 3rd grade. It's not too long, and easy reading, but SUCH a great story! It was assigned reading 4 times during my school years, and I LOVED seeing it on a syllabus. I literally own at least 5 copies of it. 2 Hard Copies, 2 soft backs and one Ebook. I love Jonas, and Gabe, and The Giver, and their relationships. I love the entire Dynamic of Dystopian novels (which you'll see as you read through this list). In a world where everything is supposed to be "perfect" you learn that life can never be perfect, and without choice you miss out on the best parts of the craziness that is life. And as a bonus... she wrote 3 sequels! Good sequels too, and while I also love all of them, the original is the one I always go back to.2. Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling. Yep, couldn't really pick one. The whole series is amazing. I wanted to say that the newer ones are better, but when I recently started re-reading The Sorcerer's Stone again, I realized that the writing is god throughout them all. I'm just older, and relate better now to the older story lines. I think most people around my age will put this on their list. We grew up with Harry Potter, and his world became our world. And regardless of what you want to say about her, Rowling is a great writer. She makes things seem like they could be real. She makes you get deeply invested in the characters. When Order of the Phoenix came out, I literally kept getting in trouble at school for reading instead of paying attention. I'm glad the majority of Christians got over the initial "burn the witchcraft books" reaction, and as my 5th grade sister begins to read through these books, I'm excited for her journey! (My least favorite is Chamber of Secrets, I don't even know why, I just know that it is.)
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| Even Dr. Horrible reads Harry Potter. For some reason he has 2 copies of books 6 and 7. Probably because the first copies are too blurry from all his tears... |
3. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. Another Dystopian novel, and my favorite of the old classic dystopians (close behind being 1984 and Fahrenheit 451). The details Huxley gives on the conditioning and creation of people in his world are so vivid and disturbing. John, The Savage, trying to interact in a world completely alien than his own. Linina, trying to fit into what society tells her, while fighting passions that go against them. And poor Marx. The Shakespeare that is twined into the story is genius, and though sometimes the writing style is a little unusual, it's still amazing. Read it at least once in your life!
4. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austin. I want to name my first child Elizabeth. That's how much I love this book. And yes, I love the Mr. Darcy Love Story, because who wouldn't? But that's not the reason I reread this book, because it is much easier to just rewatch the movie (which I admit I do watch quite often). The reason I love the book is how universal it is. Austin wrote this book in 1813! 200 years ago!! Yet I can still read it and relate. Her characters are real people. They have actual and full personalities. Faulty personalities. The annoying, frustrating, stupid things that are the essence of humanity. And so I can be Elizabeth, with her stubbornness and getting lost in a boy she doesn't even know yet. And I can be Jane with her naivety, and her shyness. I can be Lydia, and make awful mistakes, and act like I am completely in the right. (Yes, it pains me to see Lydia in myself, but truth is truth.) And obviously mostly it's Elizabeth's journey and I just love how she handles things (positives and negatives). I realize that boys may not enjoy this book, and probably rightly so. But luckily I'm a girl, and I will love this book forever.5. Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins. I know what you're thinking. Well, too bad, it's my list not yours. It's the dystopian novel thing again. I love them. And as much as Katniss annoys me, I like the extreme that Collins takes this world. They have had a realty show of kids killing each other for 75 years... And even as annoyed as I get with Katniss, she is a girl with a LOT of problems. Shouldn't we be more worried about the people from District 1 and 2 that aren't phased by the fact that they are about to kill and/or be killed by a bunch of other kids? I think the government system is very interesting, similarly to why I like Brave New World, and President Snow is much more of a conniving character than he is in the movie. There are many books that are close to this that I also love (Divergent Series, The Selection Series, Matched Series, Uglies Series) but for sure Hunger Games is my favorite. Granted, 3 of those series haven't put out the third book yet, so it might change by next year!
6. Lucky Me, by Lisa Fiedler. You haven't heard of this book. This is my book with my best friend, Chariane. We found it in our school library in 6th grade and took turns checking it out. We used to call each other and read it to the other at night. Take turns reading it alone. Talk about it all the time. And then, at the end of 8th grade, I stole it from my school's library. (And I say stole, but I had to pay for it, so it wasn't really stealing). Even though we are adults now, we still love the book. It's about a girl "coming to age", dealing with liking boys for the first time... first co-ed parties... dealing with crazy friends... pretty much all the stuff we were going through in middle school. (We also found out in High School that Lucky Me is a sequel, and we hunted down the original book and devoured it as well, though it was not as good). I even quoted the book in my Maid-of-Honor speech at her wedding. So obviously this is a sentimental book, and I wouldn't recommend it for probably anyone. haha.So there you go. My favs. Any fiction books (especially dysptopian) that you think I'll like based on these 6 books, shoot 'em my way.
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| Um... someone made this bracelet specifically thinking about me, I think. If you want to buy it for me, you can find it on etsy! hahaha |
(Special shout out to Shannan Volters, one of my very best friends, who I totally stole this blog post idea from. Go check out her 5 books, and the rest of her blog at: http://shannanwithanalife.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/5ish-books-ive-re-read-not-including-the-bible/)
