My Favorites Bookshelf
Happy World Book Day!
I started learning letters when I was about two years old (I’d thought I was three, but apparently I was two!). My father would print off each letter of the alphabet, sit me on his desk at work, and teach them to me. Within another year and a half, I’d started reading. Throughout childhood and adolescence, I was a vivacious reader. Fantasy was easily my favorite genre, stemming from my love of myths and fairytales. I am still a lover of fantasy literature but, of course, I also love a good period romance. Since it is World Book Day, my fiance Austin and I are sharing our favorite books, my list being this blog entry, and his can be found here. My list is filled with fantasy and fiction, autobiography and psychology, in no particular order beyond alphabetical. These are simply the books whose characters inspire me, whose storylines carry me away, whose ideas always feel fresh and new. Some are recent finds, some I’ve been reading for years. Each one is now as familiar to me as an old friend.
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, Fiction
Jane Austen obviously belongs on this list, the challenge only lay in deciding which book to pick. While there are good reasons to feature any one of Austen’s works, I leaned towards Pride and Prejudice. Yet I hesitated, as I wondered if it would be a cliche or not. But the more I thought about it, the classic romance of the headstrong Elizabeth Bennet and the shy yet proud Mr. Darcy needed to be here. Pride and Prejudice was the first Austen book I read, a good 10 years ago. In Elizabeth Bennet, I saw a self-possessed and confident women that I would, and still do, strive to be more like. In the eldest Bennet sister, Jane, an icon of sensitivity and sincerity, I saw a celebration of my own personality. I’ve read and reread this book countless times, and it set the bar for all romance novels that I would later read.
The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor, Fantasy
The story of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland has long fascinated me - I even devoted an entire blog post to it. The Looking Glass Wars trilogy takes the stories of Alice and turns them on their head, following the adventures of Princess Alyss Hart as she reclaims the Queendom of Wonderland back from her deranged Aunt Redd. These two women face each other down with the force of ‘imagination,’ a magic-like ability possessed by only a few, allowing them to control the physical world with their minds. The series takes Wonderland and gives it a steampunk, fantasy vibe with fleshed out, strong female characters, while remaining true to the whimsical nature of the original. Some particularly cleverly reimagined characters are General Doppelganger (who can split into the identical Generals Doppel and Ganger), Bibwit Harte (the royal tutor whose name is an anagram of ‘white rabbit’), and the Hatter Madigan (a high-tech bodyguard with a deadly hat).
Cecil Court, London, England, an alley full of specialty bookshops.
The Invisible Library, by Genevieve Cogman, Fantasy
Irene is a librarian, and Kai is her assistant. The Library is a multi-dimensional space connecting the multiverse. The librarians mission is to collect and protect knowledge from across all the worlds. In addition to tracking down books across dimensions, Irene and Kai must navigate the strained tension between the two opposite forces that keep the multiverse in balance: the Dragons and the Fey. Dragons are creatures of extreme rigidity and order, and their worlds are consumed by emotionless logic. The Fey, on the other hand, are pure chaos. Their worlds, rather than run via logic, exist as fictional tales. The Fey are less individuals with personalities, and more pure archetypes: the Maiden, the Thief, the Princess, the Rogue. The novel, and its sequels, are a metacommentary on the power of words and stories, told through refreshing characters, settings, and mystery. It captured my imagination from the moment I opened it, and is truly unlike any novel I have ever read.
Neverwhere, by Neil Gaimon, Fantasy
It’s a fact: Gaimon is a master storyteller. I read Neverwhere when I moved to London back in the autumn of 2017. The novel is set mainly in a fantastical realm that lies beyond, and yet is part of, the London Underground. As I rode the Tube myself, I read about the mysterious girl named Door and unassuming businessman Richard, as they raced through the forgotten world of the Underground pursued by dark assassins who murdered Door’s entire family. This novel is bizarre and brilliant, revealing a world of those who society forgets. It manages to capture the very essence of London, in all its mystery and majesty. Whenever I revisit its dogeared pages, I find myself back in that city I grew to love so well, wandering its narrow streets, and finding my way through the maze of the Underground.
The Righteous Mind, by Jonathan Haidt, Non-Fiction
Though published in 2012, The Righteous Mind could not be a more relevant book. Written by a moral psychologist, seeks to break down the inherent biases in political ideologies by identifying the governing beliefs of liberalism and conservatism. I found my own biases called out, and discovered ways to engage in conversations about issues rather than fight over ideology with those with whom I disagree. Fun fact, this book is one of things that drew Austin and me together, as we both share a passion for politics, and at his suggestion I read it right around the time we first started dating.
Never Let Me Go, by Kazou Ishiguro, Fiction
A little bit science-fiction, and a lot romance, Never Let Me Go chronicles the lives of friends Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, from their childhood in Hailsham, an English boarding school, through to the hospitals where they live out their last days. All are clones, raised by the government to harvest their organs, and as such, their lives are tragically short, giving their choices and what time they share deeper meaning. Kathy’s reflection on her past reveals a deeper theme that runs through all of Ishiguro’s books: memory. Memory is a powerful thing, providing solace, but is also unreliable, as it becomes clouded and overshadowed by the steady passage of time. Never Let Me Go is a deeply moving, powerful piece of fiction that feels more like a memoir than anything else, and makes me want to hold tight to those that I love.
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, Fantasy
I debated which of the seven books of this iconic series to feature, and found that it was impossible to choose a single one. These books are fundamental to my childhood and the way I see the world. My understanding of the nature of Christ, in many ways, is inseparable from the character of Aslan. Of all the characters I’ve met through decades of reading, none has been so formative for me as Lucy Pevensie. She’s deeply imaginative and kind, she’s loyal even to a fault, and deeply sensitive. Growing up, she was both someone I related to, and someone I aspired to be. Even as an adult, I’m continually inspired by her strength, joy, and depth of faith.
“Becoming,” by Michelle Obama, Autobiography
I’m not usually a fan of biographies, but I am a fan of Michelle Obama, so I gave hers a go. I could not put it down. From her clear prose to her refreshing honesty, I loved everything about it. She tells her story, from childhood through her time as First Lady of the United States, not held down by hardships but staring them boldly in the face. As unique as her life is, there are elements of her journey that every woman can see in herself. Obama’s purpose in her autobiography is clearly to raise up other women, as her writing drives home the point that we are all continually becoming ourselves.
I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith, Fiction
My best friend’s mother gave me a copy of I Captured the Castle for my 15th birthday. Over a decade later, my copy is dogeared and well-worn, and I still read it yearly. The novel is told from the perspective of 17 year-old Cassandra Mortmain, as wealthy American newcomers upset the lives of her eccentric, penniless family in their derelict castle in Suffolk, England. Cassandra yearns to be an author, and chronicles six months of her life across three journals, as the American brothers change her forever. Not your average coming of age novel, it critically examines the nature of love - in family, in friends, and in lovers - and the effect of our choices on lives of all those we love.
The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, Fantasy
I blame Tolkien for my struggle to find new, good fantasy novels. I have yet to find a fantasy book quite as rich as The Lord of the Rings (as Tolkien considered his trilogy to be a single book, I’m treating it the same here). When I was 6, my Dad read The Hobbit to my brother and me, and I had heard that The Lord of the Rings continued the Hobbit’s story. My parents’ copy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy sat in easy reach in the hallway outside my bedroom. I was 9 when after much curiosity, I started to read The Fellowship of the Ring when no one was looking. I didn’t tell anyone, as I thought of it as a “grown-up book.” After a week of sneaking around, consumed by guilt, I confessed my sins to Mom. Naturally, she was more surprised and amused than anything, and I went on to finish the trilogy in the following weeks. The lush, sweeping saga, the struggle between good and evil, as well as the characters’ individual struggles, completely captured my imagination. It has yet to let me go.
Narrowing this list down to a single 10 books (or series, as the case may be), was more challenging than I expected. There are so many titles I could not include, so I’ve shared a “honorable mentions” section at the end. Thinking about each of these books, and why they matter to me made me critically examine my relationship with reading. Across my years reading, I’ve discovered that finding a good book, one that is truly unlike anything I have read before, is a challenge. Finding such a book makes it, and each time I enter its pages into a world new with fresh ideas or characters, a treasure.
Honorable Mentions
The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Fiction
Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, Fiction
The Underland Chronicles, by Suzanne Collins, Fantasy
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell, Fiction
The Age of Anger, by Pankaj Mishra, Politics
