Favourite Books

I have already said how much I like reading in my very first blog entry, in which I touched upon some of the books I like, so this entry is all about my favourite books.

There are so many books I have liked, a lot by the same authors, but the ones below are those that are special to me. I have also put in the covers of the versions of each book which I have fondest memories of.

I also make no apology for the number of Fantasy/Sci-Fi on the list.

First on the list is Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien, the greatest book ever written. I have read this book many times and still love it. It is the classic genre Fantasy and it set the benchmark which no other Fantasy has reached again. It defined and introduced so much of the mainstay of the Fantasy genre. The depth of the world created is immense, with an incredible back history (a lot if it told in the also brilliant Silmarillion). The scale of the story is epic and the characters are brilliant. This book also spawned my major collecting habit.

Next is my second favourite book, Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. I could have included nearly all 40 of the Discworld series, they are just brilliant, but Night Watch is my favourite. I have read it many times and I enjoy it as much each time. I would say that you should read the preceding 5 guards novels first in order to get the full impact, particularly getting to know the excellent characters. The main character, the reluctant hero Sam Vimes, is one of the best created by Pratchett and is central in many ways to the brilliance of the book. This book has all the usual stuff in Discworld books, the humour, the real world parody, the great characters, the good writing. But what's really great about this book is the emotion, you really feel the characters and what they are going through, and they are very real. The story is excellent and the time travelling actually works, a very hard thing for a story to pull off.

To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee was one of the first classics I read when I started to read more than just Fantasy. It is an excellent book, full of atmosphere. I liked the fact that it is told from a child's nieve perspective but manages to tackle some serious race/justice issues. I also think that the film is very good (very few films of books are).

My next selection is 1984 by George Orwell. It may be a bit bleak, but it is iconic and a wonderfully envisioned view of the future. It is superbly written and very atmospheric. This was one of the first books I read in a book club.

Sheri S Tepper was an author I was introduced too when I was only reading Fantasy. Her writing is very good. I like lots of Tepper books and I will do a whole blog entry on her in the future, as i do collect her books, but Beauty is my favourite. It blends lots of classic fairy stories together into the real world (she did it long before the latest fad for this). It is very quirky and a bit weird. It is also more Sci-Fi than Fantasy. Like all of Tepper books it highlights a lot of moral issues (sexism, over population, abuse of natural resources etc) but does so very subtly and well.

I do like a lot of young adult books, although they can have a bit more simplistic style of writing. I find that they often tackle interesting and challenging topics within good story lines. One of the best is Wonder by R J Palacio. The way this book looks at the same story from the viewpoint of various characters is very interesting and very well done. It also looks at some serious issues very well.

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card is pure Sci-Fi and has one of the best endings to a book ever, I did not see it coming (It actually changed the way I read, in that I now think a lot more about where a story is going). I think the ending makes or breaks a book, it can make an ok book a good book or ruin a perfectly good book (I might do a blog entry of books with good endings). Saying this Enders Game is not just about the ending, it is well written and a good story which builds up gradually.

The next book is a book which I loved reading with all of my kids, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It is a perfect interactive and fun way to introduce books to kids. I love the story and it is also educational.

I'm not a zombie fan at all, but World War Z by Max Brooks is just brilliant. very well written. The scope of it is huge, it presents the story in a very real, and global, way, with no aspect ignored.

One Day by David Nicholls is a great way to tell a story. I loved the yearly concept, and yes it is a bit romantic but there's nothing wrong with that. What makes this story great is its ending, such an impacting twist and you don't see it coming, very, very emotional.

Another Sci-Fi next, a real classic, Foundation (trilogy) by Isaac Asimov. This is the first real space Sci-Fi I read and was a great introduction to the genre. It really is an epic which just grows and grows with some major twists along the way. It is very cleverly thought out. I love the way it starts off small and just gets bigger and bigger. You do have to read the first 3 in the series. The rest are ok but they are a bit more drawn out and also a bit weirder.

l like unusual and quirky books and Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde has a large dose of both. Again a young adult book with an interesting concept. A dystopia where social standing is determine by a persons ability to see colour, what more could you want, just brilliant. It is very well written, humorous and a great story.

Another emotional story is Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. It looks and starts like a chick lit, but don't be deceived, it actually has great depth. Despite tackling some serious issues it still keeps a level of fun ness. Actually it is the characters which make this such a great book, along with a thought provoking ending.

The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton was a huge influence in my reading as it started my love for Fantasy. I loved this book, along with the others in the series (and also the Adventures of the Wishing Chair), and read them many times. This book may also have induced my love for reading altogether.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a wonderful dystopian story about genetics, politics and corruption. It is incredibly atmospheric. The story is excellent and so are the characters. I read this book whilst on a business trip to Vietnam which was an amazing experience, enhanced by this book.

A few other books worth a mention are Day of the Triffids, Hunger Games, Wolf Hall, Harry Potter, The Help, American Gods, The Book Thief, Life of Pie and Cloud Atlas.