Happy World Book Day, my Readers!!
On this joyous occasion, I came up with the idea of telling you all about my 10 Favourite Books of All Time! Fun, isn’t it?
You can any time check my Goodreads to get this list, but after my colleague
asked me about it, I just had to write a post on it! I have rated all these 10
Books at 5/5 on Goodreads! Here we
go!
~~ALL
THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by ANTHONY DOERR~~
I read this wondrous book ‘All the
Light We Cannot See’ by Anthony Doerr. It just touched my heart! It has very
rightfully won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
back in 2015! This is hands-down one of the best books I have read
in my life. It is a beautiful story in the historical fiction genre, set in
France during WWII. There are two story lines – Marie-Laure & Werner
Pfenning. Reading this novel gave me a lot of hope. It’s the kind of book that
you just need to read to unravel its uniqueness.
~~THE
GOLDFINCH by DONNA TARTT~~
Donna Tartt’s ‘The Goldfinch’ is
undoubtedly #2 on my Top 10 Books! This one also won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014. Whenever I read the
name of the book, I am teleported to the time I read this book; a world of
literary brilliance! It is a wonderful story of Theodore Decker & the
painting he stole – The Goldfinch. I think he is someone who has seen
everything that’s possible to see in one lifetime. Death. Addiction. Adventure.
Obsession. Fate. Life. It is incredible how many challenges he faces & how
he comes out of them. At times, the book is downright emotional, at other times
almost too cruel. But, when you see how it is pieced together towards the end,
you will be the one feeling all the feelings possible!
~~THE
BOOK THIEF by MARKUS ZUSAK~~
I read Markus Zusak’s ‘The Book
Thief’ long ago, which is why I don’t exactly remember it. But, what I remember
is that I truly enjoyed reading it! I think this book is usually on every
reader’s Top 10 List & I won’t be surprised by that! Similar to ‘All the
Light We Cannot See’, this book is based in the time of WWII. The protagonist
is Liesel who is our little book thief. What starts as a harmless theft, turns
into an overgrowing love for books for Liesel. And, while she is engrossed with
her books, much more intense things happen around her which end up altering her
life.
~~A
LITTLE LIFE by HANYA YANAGIHARA~~
This little modern-day classic by
Hanya Yanagihara has captured my heart. This book won Man Book Prize in 2015. ‘A Little Life’ is the
story of one person – ‘JUDE ST. FRANCIS’. It revolves around his horrific
childhood, all the people connected to him as he grows into adulthood & his
mental health. The book starts out as something but grows & ends up in
something entirely different. This intense & powerful novel focuses
on the realities of friendship. It puts forth the horrors of abuse. It is
sadist and yet there is beauty in it. It is intense yet there is joy in it. It
is something else & you won’t know until you read for yourself.
~~THE KITE RUNNER by KHALED
HOSSEINI~~
What can I say about this absolute
treasure of a novel? I’m an ardent Khaled Hosseini fan & I love all of his
books! The Kite Runner is definitely his best work. It captures so many
emotions which contradict themselves giving the reader such pleasure in the
whole experience. It is a wonderful & heart-warming tale of friendship
between Amir & Hassan. There
are a million little things that will touch your heart. This along with A
Thousand Splendid Suns & And the Mountains Echoed are a MUST-READ!!
~~THE
MOMENT OF LIFT by MELINDA GATES~~
Most of the books you will find
here are fiction, but Melinda Gates’ ‘The Moment of Lift’ is one such beauty
which I had to include. It is the single most amazing non-fiction book I have
ever read! The Moment of Lift is a book reflecting on how empowering women
changes the world. It has topics such as Maternal & Newborn Health,
Family Planning, Girls in Schools, Unpaid Work, Child Marriage, Women in
Agriculture, Women in the Workplace & the last chapter – Let Your Heart
Break: The Lift of Coming Together.
The best thing about these topics
is that the author hasn’t put a lot of facts & data into it. Yes, there is
data. But, it is always accompanied with real life stories. Melinda Gates has
travelled the remotest parts of the world & shared it with us. She talks
about how we need to focus on the people who are on the edge. We need to make
outsiders feel like insiders & stop creating a world where there is an
inside-outside parameter. Her experiences are remarkable & it reflects in
all the stories she has written.
~~DAISY
JONES & THE SIX by TAYLOR JENKINS REID~~
I am sensing a trend in my Top 10
Favourites, which is, I am a definite fan of HISTORICAL
FICTION! Taylor Jenkins Reid's ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ is another
novel from the historical fiction genre & I absolute love this one! I could
say it is more light compared to the others on this list, but still not any
less intense. This was a pick on Reese
Witherspoon’s Book Club &
probably the only one which I loved so much.
It’s like
reading a documentary about the best band there ever was. Daisy Jones is
someone who is popular for nothing in particular, until she finally starts
singing & writing songs. The Six consists of 6 members of the band. They
have a lot of talent, but not as much fame as Daisy. So, together, they become
a perfect combo. It starts off with different chapters wherein there are story
lines happening for Daisy & The Six parallely until the stories finally
merge & the outcome is a beautiful song named 'Honeycomb'. It is
simple. It is intense. It is glorified. It is magic. It is 70s rock n roll!
~~MAYBE
YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by LORI GOTTLIEB~~
Here is another Non-Fiction Treasure! This amazing book is
written by Lori Gottlieb who is a brilliant psycho therapist. As the title
suggests, ‘Maybe You Should Talk to Someone’ is about therapy. The author talks
about her different patients who see her for a lot of different reasons. Their
therapy journey is beautifully showcased from start till end. We also get to
see Lori’s therapist & their sessions. Throughout the book, there is so
much character development from all these characters that is nothing but
inspiring. Lori, her patients, her therapist! It’s brilliantly written &
after reading it, even you will take something from it in the form of therapy.
~~THE
ALCHEMIST by PAULO COELHO~~
Paulo Coelho is another one of my
favourite authors! I think that putting ‘The Alchemist’ on this list is just
too common, but I had to. I loved that book. It had so many giveaways! This too
I read a long time ago & so don’t remember it all. Here is the Goodreads
description though-
Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells
the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel
in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far
different, and far more satisfying, listening to our hearts, of recognizing
opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most
importantly, to follow our dreams.
~~THE
DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by ANNE FRANK~~
Now, last but not the least is
Anne Frank’s ‘The Diary of a Young Girl.’ This is undoubtedly one of the most
powerful & emotional classics. I don’t think this book needs any
introduction. If you haven’t read it already, you MUST!
So, this was fun. It did take me
some time to come up with this list. Out of my 26
ALL-TIME FAVOURITES, I picked the above 10 & I am certain I have
made a good decision! It was also fun to do a photoshoot with the book with me
in it! Ever since the lockdown started, this must be the first time I dressed
up for this! I’m so proud!
HAPPY
WORLD BOOK DAY to all of you!!
Until next time,
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