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.
