My top 5 favourite books

I love to read and I can proudly say I’m a book nerd. Reading is something that I truly enjoy doing in my free time. I love all sorts of authors and all genres of books. Come to think of it, there have only been a couple books that I’ve read that I didn’t like. Reading has become a significant part of my life.  I’ve fallen in love with countless fictional characters and I can dictate so many amazing quotes that I’ve read. I couldn’t possibly imagine living a life without books and without reading. I like to think that reading is also like travelling. You’re transported to a completely new environment and are surrounded by completely new people. It’s easy to just leave all your heavy baggage behind and live a new life for a while. Maybe you’ll be a detective solving a new murder case, a heroine trying to save the world or a renowned character in one of John Green’s novels. There are an endless amount of possibilities and there’s always something new and exciting to read. Reading helps me to relax and de-stress. Some days, there is nothing I want more than to snuggle up in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot tea and a really good book. I learned to find my passion through reading and I hope you will too if you haven’t already. Below are some of my favourite books, written by some of my favourite authors, in no particular order.

1.  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

I’ve only just recently stumbled upon Agatha Christie books although I’ve heard of her writing for quite some time now. A few months ago, I visited an antique bookstore near my neighbourhood where I bought my very first Agatha Christie novel, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”. From that point on, I absolutely fell in love with her writing. I couldn’t put the book down and I finished it in about a day or two. The twist at the end was what I loved most (for those who haven’t read it yet, I won’t spoil anything for you.)  The characters are all so dynamic and with each chapter, there is something new discovered. The novel never ceased to impress me and I never got bored while reading it. Mystery now seems to be my favourite genre; I just can’t get enough of it!

Some of my other favourite novels, written by her, include:

• The Murder on the Orient Express (The twist was also very shocking)
• Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case
• And Then There Were None

2. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

John Green is a very popular YA novel author, mostly due to the success of his novel, “The Fault in our Stars.” He’s written many other popular novels such as, “Looking for Alaska”, “Paper Towns”, “will grayson, will grayson,” etc. Everyone claims that “Looking for Alaska” is their favourite book by him but personally, I didn’t like that book nearly as much as “An Abundance of Katherines.” I found this book to be hilarious and very interesting. It tells the story of a child prodigy who has been dumped 19 times, all by girls named Katherine. Throughout the course of the novel, he is working on a big complicated math equation, entitled, ‘Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability.’ Without spoiling anything, the main message of the book is that no matter how much you THINK you know about love, it will always surprise you.  I think I liked this book even more than “The Fault in our Stars.”

3. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

This book constantly tugged at my heart strings and its movie did even more so. Jodi Picoult is a fantastic writer and this might be one of her best works. It’s a story all about the bond between sisters and the tragedy of leukemia. You’d have to be heartless to not cry at the end of the movie. As for the book, it was INCREDIBLY well written and not at all slow-paced. Books dealing with family relationships and love are often ones I gravitate towards to so obviously, this one made it on the list. The heart-wrenching story is also told from multiple points of view, which add to the drama and excitement. There is also a surprising twist ending in this story, which I personally didn’t really like and I don’t think it really tied in with the overall theme of the story. Overall, it’s a superb book and I would definitely read it again.

4. Classic novels

I LOVE reading classic novels. The style the authors write in is so different from modern times, which I actually love. It sounds very posh and sophisticated. It’s a refreshing break from the books of today. The themes classic novels touch upon, such as arranged marriage, forbidden love, discrimination, etc., are also very exciting to read about. To me, it is often difficult to read at times because of the language and the plethora of big words the author uses but don’t give up on it! With some determination and a pocket dictionary, you will make it through the book eventually and that will bring you huge amounts of satisfaction and accomplishment. I plan on reading many more in the future.

Some of my favourite classic novels include:

• Pride and Prejudice
• Wuthering Heights
• The Great Gatsby
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Lord of the Flies
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Short and one of my favourite classics by far!)

5. Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton

This book isn’t a novel, like the other books I’ve talked about thus far. It’s a collection of pictures and stories from people in New York City, told through the camera lens of photographer, Brandon Stanton. He goes around the Big Apple taking pictures of people and often asking them a question such as, “What was your biggest mistake in life?” or simply asking them for a quote or something funny. I love reading the little things people have to say and more often than not, it restores my faith in humanity. Through reading this book and his blog on Facebook, I can see that life is hard for a lot of people. We all come from different walks of life and we are all battling a different battle so we shouldn’t be quick to judge someone. I put this book on the table in my room and I just love to flip through it when I have some free time. It never fails to put a smile on my face.

What are some of YOUR favourite books?