This title is slightly misleading as it may suggest that only ten books have ever had an affect on me, which is simply not true. Every book I read has some sort of affect on me whether it's annoyance, joy or terror.
The reason I bring this up is because I was nominated by a friend to post ten books on Facebook that have affected me at some point in my life. I don't usually do this sort of thing but I'ma huge advocate for sharing our opinions on books, getting people reading and, to be honest, I am actually quite interested to see what books have had an affect on other people! Like any avid reader, choosing ten books out of my entire life was difficult and I'm sure this list could change at any moment but when I wrote it earlier these were the ones that stuck out in my mind for one reason or another. So, in no particular order.... 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Okay, so this one is always going to be number one for me because it was the first novel I ever read by myself. Without speaking out loud. This was a big achievement for my seven year old self (I think I was seven, maybe I was eight) and I instantly fell in love with Dahl's story telling. As soon as I finished the book I was desperate to get my hands on another, resulting in a life long love affair with books. 2. The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling I dare you to find a child who has read these books who is completely ambivalent towards them. It's impossible. Just waiting for these books to be published was a time full of emotion as I, like millions of other children, couldn't handle the anticipation or excitement that came with the waiting. Rowling had created such an immersive and unique world that I'm pretty sure this is where my love of fantasy truly began. 3. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins Admittedly, I was a little older than the target audience when I read these books but, despite being classed as YA novels, plenty of adults place them among their all time favourites. After finishing Mockingjay , I experienced a book hangover like no other. I truly didn't know what to do with myself. I tried reading other books in the same genre and they just didn't compete, which came as a huge surprise to me as, in all honesty, I wasn't expecting a great deal from the books. 4. 1984 by George Orwell Again, who could possibly read this book and not be affected by it?! Until I read this book, every story I had read until then had had a happy ending or at least a satisfying ending. But not with this one. The characters were truly trapped in a way I had never experienced before and by the time I finished it I just wanted to hide the book in a dark place and never read it again. 5. One Day by David Nicholls This may come as a surprise considering the books that seem to affect me most are either dystopias or those in the fantasy genre. However, I don't think I have ever related to a character as much as I have related to Emma in this book. I always find characters that I like in books but it's very rare that I actually feel like a writer has captured some part of me in his or her work and at some points I feel like Mr. Nicholls has momentarily popped inside my head and stolen a few of my thoughts and feelings without me knowing. 6. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini I had to read this as part of my AS Level English Literature course and this was the first time that I'd read anything with obvious political statements. I was still at that time where I was teetering between YA novels and dipping in to more grown up stories. In a similar way to 1984, I couldn't quite get my head around how difficult it was for these characters to break out of their situations and this terrified me. These events were set in recent times and I don't think a book had ever really forced me to think about political issues in the same way that this one did. 7. Station Eleven by Emily St. John MandelThis is one of the most recent books I've read (and you can see my views on it here) so I feel that it's quite a feat for it to end up on this list. Unlike other dystopian books I've read, this one feels the most real and likely to happen. The story shifts between days before civilization falls and twenty years later, highlighting just how much we're set to lose if we're not careful. I've always been a bit terrified about how much we rely on technology (especially myself, I always find myself on the verge of tears if it looks like my laptop has died) and this book has captured all of those fears within its pages and more. 8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood I feel that as someone who wants to write I should always be looking for books with captivating sentences and carefully selected words but I always end up picking something with a story that appeals to me instead. I know I should be more in to literary fiction but I'm not. However, Atwood is a true master of both of these aspects of story telling and in this book she provides a unique story with cleverly manipulated words that implore you to read on. This book hit me from the start and even thinking about it now brings back the chills that the story initially gave me. 9. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman I know I said that my first experience with real life politics was with A Thousand Splendid Suns but really it was with this book, it was just made a lot easier for teenage me to understand. So many ideas are packed in to this story and from start to finish I was an emotional wreck. I vividly remember finishing this book in the back of my parents' car on a sunny afternoon and having no idea what to do with myself. The whole family was trying to figure out how to get to this certain pub and all I wanted to do was scream "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S JUST HAPPENED! HOW CAN YOU BE SO IGNORANT RIGHT NOW?!" 10. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger This was also one of the first 'grown up' books I read as a late teenager and I fell in love with it straight away. The relationships between all of the characters, not just Claire and Henry, were fascinating and heart breaking in equal measure and Niffenegger's incredible structure introduced me to a whole new way of story telling. I was completely entranced by these people and the idea that they knew that their lives were always going to be intertwined but they fully embraced it. I defy anyone with a heart not to love this book. So those are my ten (for now, it will no doubt change in a week or two) and I've found that it's been almost therapeutic to talk about them. But, then again, books are meant to push our emotions and question the world and so it's imperative that we talk about them. Therefore, I would love to hear what books you would put on your list (like I said, I' a bit nosey when it comes to people's book preferences!)
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I'm not really a romance novel kinda gal, as a teenager I think I overloaded on books about quirky teen girls looking for love with the too-cool-for-school guy and ever since my interests have been more in the fantasy or sci-fi genre. That's not to say that I don't like a nice love story, one of my favourite books is One Day by David Nicholls, I just prefer it when the writer brings something new to the genre. Otherwise it's just a lot of 'Will they, won't they?' and 'Do I even care that much? I know they're going to get together, anyway.'
To put it plainly I like contemporary love stories to either be unconventional and unique or to be surrounded by a great futuristic battle or the like. The Rosie Project was the former and did it brilliantly. Our protagonist, Don Tillman, is a socially awkward genetics professor who wants to find a wife but doesn't really possess the life skills needed for such a venture and so begins something called 'The Wife Project.' Unsurprisingly, Don has a very strict criteria of what he wants in a potential mate and no one seems to quite match it. In comes Rosie, a young woman in search of her biological father who doesn't tick a single one of Don's boxes but manages to turn his world upside down. What could possibly happen?! I won't spoil the ending for you but I'm sure anyone who has ever read more than one book can figure it out. Although the ending is pretty clear from the get go the journey to arrive there is great fun. Don's various unsuccessful encounters with the opposite sex are both hilarious and heart breaking. As I said, the ending is obvious, so when he goes on these many dates it's best not to get too frustrated with him and just enjoy the ride. Simsion's words are always spot on and caused me to smile at the text numerous times. In addition to the lovable but sometimes infuriating Don, there is a brilliant cast of secondary characters that provide him with the situations to woo Rosie without him realising, most notably on their quest to find her biological father. Even though the plot may seem a bit far-fetched Simsion weaves in his cast of extras perfectly so that you don't question the story too much. I read one review that labelled this book as 'Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory looks for a wife' and I think that is the perfect way to sum up this book. It's silly, it's funny and, yes, it's romantic in its own way. Love may be one of the major themes but, thankfully, due to Don's character it's not described with long, overly descriptive poems or screaming out in anguish in the middle of a thunder storm. It is approached in a fairly clinical way and yet, somehow, the book doesn't reduce its importance. If you're looking for a straight forward approach to love with a few laughs along the way then this is definitely the book for you. Hello, there! Happy New Year and all that jazz! Sorry for not logging on sooner but, like most people, Christmas is a very busy time of year and I have neglected my blog. But I'm here now so you can dry your eyes and read whatever intellectual and challenging thoughts I have for you today (if only.)
Yesterday I came across this article on The Guardian's website and thought it made for a very interesting read. If any of you have read my articles on Story Star Publishing you will know that I am a huge advocate for reading, especially among children and teenage audiences and what Rachel Cooke says in the article did make my heart sink a little. I have nothing against technology (heck, this blog wouldn't exist if I did) but I don't see why it can't happily co-exist with more traditional past times such as reading. I know there are a lot of apps now that incorporate stories and make them come to life on the screen as you read them, which is great, but I am worried that sitting down and just reading a book, whether it's in print or an e-book, is no longer seen as a viable use of our time. As a child I would often pick up a book, quickly get lost in it and forget the outside world and then when I was finished I wouldn't know what to do with myself because my head was still lost in the story. The older I get the less that this experience happens, probably because I'm more able to separate fiction from real life these days, but when it does I both adore and hate the feeling. I love it because it makes my brain pulsate with thoughts and emotions and I hate it because for those few days afterwards I don't see how any other book could possibly be as good as the one I've just read. I think we can all agree that magic doesn't exist in our mortal realm but I truly believe that the experience I've just described is the closest thing we can get. It's not a physical, tangible thing but one of the strongest emotions you are ever likely to feel and it's all down to some words on some pages! So who wouldn't want to feel that? Who wouldn't want their child to feel that? As Cooke writes, we have been telling stories since the beginning of time in the hope of fathoming the world in which we live and, to be honest, does Facebook even come close to doing that? All we find out there is who is sleeping with who or get an update on the latest weird cat video. I myself am guilty of wasting hours on the internet rather than reading a book but when I do finally drag myself away from the temptations of the twenty first century I chastise myself for taking so long. That book has been waiting for me to devour it and I haven't shown it the least bit of respect by staring at my computer screen. It's pretty clear that I am a mad woman, especially when it comes to books, but I don't care. Not everyone shares this madness but I firmly believe that's because they haven't found the right book and I urge you to keep looking until you do, even if you leave fifty or so half finished. Because when you find that book that makes your brain want to explode you will never look back. |
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