My Favorite Books (so far)

Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

I first read this book when I was 15. I know everyone cites this book as their favorite, but it changed my life and the way I looked at literature. I love re-reading it every few years or so. Every time I do it’s like reading it for the first time. I notice so many new things and I always feel so differently about the words I’m reading. It’s a timeless book.

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

I didn’t jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon until the 4th book came out. I was amused by the obsession and seeing that my 7th grade language arts teacher had the first book on her reading shelf I decided to give it a go. I devoured that book in a matter of days. Ever since then, HP has been a constant in my life. Yes, I waited until midnight on the release days for the 5th, 6th and 7th books (for this last one I was in London!). I even wore the glasses they’d pass around in the store. JK Rowling created a world that was so real to me, so tangible, so beautiful and fantastic, that I almost feel ruined for life. OK, maybe not, but I really do feel a part of that world and cannot resist the urge to re-read the books whenever I’m feeling blue.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close  by Jonathan Safran Foer

This book was one of the first novels that got me interested in contemporary authors. I used to be such a classics snob! However, after reading Foer’s moving and thoughtful book, I quickly read his other novel Everything is Illuminated. Both novels are wonderful, but it’s this book that touched me most. Foer’s plots are unique and fun, his prose is easy but riddled with meaning. I hope he writes another piece of fiction soon.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Every few years or so, I come back to this book. Oscar Wilde is definitely one of those authors and cultural figures that has had a great impact on my life, particularly at how I view art. This sassy man’s words reverberated within the sixteen-year old me unlike any other author could, not even Salinger. Wilde’s cynicism and poetic quips made me question everything. The Picture of Dorian Gray is by far his darkest work on human nature, but I think it’s his masterpiece. I definitely think I’m due for another rereading.

1984 by George Orwell

The first time I read this book, I liked it. Sure. But I didn’t love it, nor did I think it would end up being one of my favorite books of all-time. Then while I was studying abroad in Italy I had to do a project on the book for my History of Fascism class. I really dissected the book and found so much more upon first reading. It’s brilliant, poignant and well-executed from beginning to end. 

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Another contemporary author that I was trying out. I knew of Eugenides because he wrote The Virgin Suicides and while I wanted to read that book first, the book store I went to was sold out of copies. Thus I bought Middlesex. Let me tell you, TVS is a great book, but Middlesex is where Eugenides really matures in his writing. I read this book in the summer of 2008 while I was interning in DC and going through a very difficult time in my life. It seemed like everything he was writing was not only entertaining but was also thought-provoking. It made my commute to work every morning that much easier.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

McEwan’s prose is heaven sent! It’s mellifluous, insightful and clever. His storytelling transcends the written word and I found myself absolutely transfixed by this book and its cleverness. It’s a tragic story and one that I can’t seem to get over. Every time I think about the ending of this book I feel a bit more doleful and desperately wish the characters had ended up with different fates. It’s such a great book that you never really know what to expect.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What can be said about Jane Austen that hasn’t already been said? She speaks to not only the girly girl in me, but also the feminist. Austen was writing (and profiting) during a time in which female authors were few and far between. Not only that but every word she wrote is just delicious on the page. Her novels have all spawned numerous adaptations and even though most of them take place 200 years ago, the stories are timeless. She expertly writes about the 19th century zeitgeist and with wit. I love all her novels but it’s the story of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet that really enraptures the bibliophile in me.