Inspired by Krissy and Manda – with the amount tweaked slightly for my convenience – I’m jumping on the bandwagon for blogging about my favorite thing in the world – books. I’ve read many books  over the last decade or so, with genres ranging from chick lit to teen fiction to murder mystery, and although I have enjoyed most of them, there are a dozen or so whose stories and characters still remain with me years later. These are books that really make you think about your own life as well as that of those around you, or sometimes even society as a whole. Anyhow, this is just a small list of books that I have read that fit that category for me.

7. Wasteland by Francesca Lia Block

Wasteland is an extremely small novel, but it still leaves an impression on you. You are dragged into the world of Lex and Marina, a brother and sister who have always been aware that their relationship differs from the average sibling relationship. This book forces you to think beyond your current comfort zone, and read about an issue that has always been taboo in modern society. The incredibly sad ending has provides a very haunting set of “what-ifs”.

6. Atonement

Along with Romeo&Juliet, Atonement is my favorite tragic love story. When I first read the ending of the book, I was extremely sleepy and groggy, so I didn’t get the ending of the book at first. I thought that there was happy ending, and it wasn’t until the next day that I realized Robbie and Cecilia’s actual fate. This book made me really think about the consequences of people’s decisions, and the extent to which we make can make ourselves believe anything if it suits our purposes.

5. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Both the book and the film by the same name are completely amazing and will always remain some of my favorites pieces of cinema and literature. The Reader is the story of Michael Berg, who, at the age of 16, begins an affair with a woman in her 30′s. The woman, Hanna, disappears completely one day, and Michael does not see her again until he is a law student, and he is witnessing a trial against a group of people who took part in the Holocaust. Hanna’s story, told through Michael’s eyes, is really an amazing one, and makes you think twice about what you might know.

4. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

The story of the ill-fated Lisbon sisters will always be one of my favorites. The book begins with the youngest sister’s suicide attempt, which sparks a series of events that will haunt the family forever. What I find the most fascinating about this book is that it is the story of five teenage girls which is told through the eyes of a group of teenage boys, who years after the book’s ending are still unable to understand what really happened when they were teenagers. The movie version is also excellent, and features Kirsten Dunst and A.J. Cook, two actresses that I really love, which is always a plus!

3. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

I read this only a couple of months ago, but the characters and storyline are still stuck in mind. This novel details the aftermath of a school shooting where the shooter is caught before he gets a chance to commit suicide. Through a series of flashbacks, it takes you back through the characters’ lives, which makes you realize (as most of Jodi’s books do) that nothing in life is completely black and white.

2. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

As someone who’s struggled with mental illness, this book has resonated with me ever since I first picked it up. Sylvia Plath manages to draw us into the world of Esther Greenwood – which was, ultimately, her own – to the point where we can practically feel the dark abyss that she is experiencing ourselves. This book is probably the closest depiction of depression that I’ve read.

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I’d be lying if I didn’t put these books at the very top of my list, since it is the series that has altered my world the most. Aside from a few chlidren’s books here and there, Harry Potter was the first book I ever read. I started reading the series when I was eight years old, and am still completely enthralled with the series a decade later. What amazes me about the series is how it manages to tackle nearly every issue that our world faces (such as  the pure blood debates, which parallel racism), while managing to lessen the severity with a layer of magic and awe. This series will always remain my favorite, and I owe so much to it as it is what inspired me to begin reading as well as writing.

And some honorable mentions: White Oleander by Janet Fitch, The Pact by Jodi Picoult, 1984 by George Orwell, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, and The Shape of Things by Neil Labute.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at 6:00 PM and is filed under Top 7 List. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.