My top favourite books were all fiction, which I find odd given the amount of biographies and histories I read. I'm guessing I must have something in my head that subconsciously blocks off non-fiction. To be fair, it's been fairly recently that I've discovered my love for non-fiction so maybe the favourite book thing is a hangover?
Anyways, since I'd already done all this work and thinking, I decided to exploit ny pre-existing work. That's just the kind of girl I am. Don't judge me until you know me.
So: here are my top five fave fiction books, and the whys and wherefores.
♥ Lolita - Nabokov. My copy of Lolita is thoroughly dog eared and well loved and has been foisted upon many and various people over the years. I love the story and the way it manipulates the reader, I love Nabokov's amazing way with words, and I love the dream-like sense of the whole thing. It's a beautiful and terrible book, and I strongly recommend.
♥ One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This is a seriously epic book. I'm essentially a Geek For Magic Realism, and given that this is the height of the art, it's perhaps understandable that I like it so much. Tortuous love/family stories set in wildernesses and brutal places? Satirical histories of fictional South American states? Yes please.
♥ The Pursuit of Love - Nancy Mitford. I'm totally in love with the Mitfords, and the Redesdales in the Pursuit of Love are perfect cardboard cutouts of Nancy Mitford's parents. I also love the fact that Linda lives in Paris in a tiny apartment and waits for her unrequited love and then wastes away in furs. And the Hons Cupboard! J'adore Colonel.
♥ The Wind Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami. More Magic Realism, but with a confusing mystery (and a hell of a lot of spaghetti) involved. I also managed to convince myself during the reading of this book that I was somehow getting an inside perspective on the ins and outs of Japanese society. And as I'm writing this I'm thinking about how much I want to read it again. Muuuust reeeeead.
♥ The Valley of the Dolls - Jacqueline Susann. Most ridiculous OTT and super good fun book ever. What's not to love? They're all hopped up on bennies and heading to a sticky end. There is more divorce and various levels of unrequited love than you can shake a stick at. Who will survive in the cut throat world of the theatre? None of them. They're all doomed. HUZZAH.
Share share share: your favourite books and why?
Also, there is a very cool Tumblr blog Women Reading. The picture above is from that blog. You should check it out, dude.
Ohhh.. favourite books, there are so many! My list changes all the time..but here goes:
ReplyDelete- Little Women
- Heidi
- Swiss Family Robinson
(there's a pattern forming there, I must like old-school classics or summat eh..)
- French Milk (graphic novel by Lucy Knisley, very cute pictures and so SO made me want to go and live in Paris)
- The Passage (new to my 'fav books' list and not at all my usual kind of read. It's an apocalyptic-vampires-take-over-the-world kind of book. It's better than it sounds actually)
- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Jonathan Foer)
- The Bronze Horseman
- The Last Family in England (by Matt Haig and narrated by the family dog, very clever)
- Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs - She thinks I'm a piano player in a whorehouse (funny anecdotal true story of working on an oil rig.. laugh out loud funny actually)
- The Poisonwood Bible
And that's about it for now I think!
I've read Lolita. It's lurking, somewhere in my bookcase. Beautiful and terrible indeed, I agree, Nabokov's way with words is pretty amazing. I found it difficult to read actually, because the subject matter seemed a bit ick..yet it was compelling, and I had to see it through. Glad I did!
That is an amazing list lady - I'm thinking to dip into some of those! I read the Jonathan Foer book and I know that it's usually a Rave, but I didn't connect with it so much. I don't know why - funny how we connect with some books and not with others... or the way one can see the virtue in a book without actually enjoying it that much?
ReplyDelete1: Ghormengast trilogy but esp the 1st one. I think you would love these Ginger if you have not read, get the first one out immediately.
ReplyDelete2: Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
3: The Dawntreader (Narnia series)
4: The Hobbit
5: Manufacturing Consent by Chomsky- non fiction but was a life changing book for me.
6: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
7: No Logo, Naomi Klein, also, Disaster Capitalism (but mucho depressing)both non fiction.
8: Salmagundi (childrens book that was highly influential, think it's Joy Cowley).
7: All of the Discworld series, but esp the ones with Sam Vimes and the Witches. And 'Where is my Cow?' but you need to have read the series to get it. I read Pratchett whenever I am sick.
Ta Jen lady - I've read the Gormenghast trilogy and I just don't love it. I've tried, but I don't.
ReplyDeleteI grew up on a Discworld diet! My Dad is a Pratchett fiend - the Witches are my favourite too. I can't get enough of those ladies *chortle*. Painting my toenails red has never been the same since I read about how slutty it made me. I think it's the main reason that I do it these days.
I will pick and choose and put on my list ...
I've never read to the end of Lolita. I like the way it's written but the subject matter is so ick.
ReplyDeleteK. list (in no particular order):
Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf - I love the way it's written. Exquisite description.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - I just like Heathcliff, to be honest.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susannah Clarke - The characterisation is PERFECT. There are no good people or bad people, everyone's just people.
Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard - this is the book the matrix was based on. It's a philosophical text and it blows my mind. It's hard to describe how awesome it is unless you've read it though...
The Earthsea Books by Ursula Le Guin - they're just the sort of books that you wanna read again and again.