March 22nd: Five books everyone should read

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FYI, I could write a list containing one hundred different books. But I'm not looking to write a novel myself, so here are synopses of five, as promised.
  1. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith: Spoiler alert - it's actually J.K. Rowling using a pseudonym, and, truth be told, I don't think I would have purchased this book on its own merit had I not known who the real author behind it all was, as I tend not to opt for crime or detective novels. However, I can safely say that this book, and its sequels, swiftly changed all of that. I have not known a series of books in recent memory that have gripped me in the same way as these did. I recall as an 18-year-old sitting curled up on my bed for, literally, hours at a time as I avidly paced with Detective Strike through the streets of London or tailing over back-roads in rural England investigating whatever crime was at hand. Expect plenty of twists, turns, and "oh my GOD" moments. I cannot recommend a series enough.
  2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: Just the exotic setting of mid-20th-century Japan was enough to pull me straight in to the heart of this riveting story. The story follows Chiyo, the main character, from childhood to late adulthood, and is told in such a way that the reader feels she is relaying it to them personally over a cup of tea. An emotive tale and one I would definitely advocate be on every book-et list. (See what I did there?)
  3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: This book shook me to my core. Wilde is a linguistic craftsman who manages to make a story that was written in 1890 seem so compelling and scarily relevant to the modern day era, and forces the reader to self-scrutinise. A good many laughs as well, by the way.
  4. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak: Despite being aware of the existence of this novel since I was 15 years old, I actually only got around to reading it last year. The last few pages had me shaking with sobs. The story as a whole took me on such an emotional journey, renewed in me a love of books, and instilled in me a deepened sense of compassion for victims of war, poverty and injustices everywhere.
  5. The Bible: Read it, read it and read it again. Get to know it inside out. Every reading reveals more flaws and discrepancies, and more reasons to doubt the existence of the supposedly benevolent God from whom it is purported to have originated.

Happy reading.

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