Books have the power to take their readers to another world, to make them question their very lives, and to question even themselves. It is a form of expression that will always be around and one that should be enjoyed by everyone. Here are 10 books that you should strongly consider reading... because I said so?
1. "Dinner With Buddha" by Roland Merullo
This is one of those wanderlust, Buddhist, enlightenment books and honestly, if you're even remotely into that kind of stuff, you'll enjoy it. Even if you're not into all of that, I still think you'll enjoy reading this. The pages are filled with deep thoughts from a bald, Russian monk, who pronounces his Vs like Ws, that will actually make you think twice about what's important in this world. And the two main characters go on a road trip. Everyone likes road trips.
2. "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy
If you can make it through this 864-page book, you'll appreciate the themes of love, fulfillment, and family throughout its many pages. While it might seem daunting at first, it will be worth it as you reach the last page.
3. "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein
Whether you're a dog-lover, cat-lover, bird-lover, lizard-lover, or hate anything breathing that isn't a human, this book is worth a read. The narrator is a dog who honestly happens to be smarter than most people I know. It's story of family, loyalty, life and love. Just to forewarn you, tears may be shed.
4. "A Brief History of Seven Killings" by Marlon James
This is not an easy book to read, I'll just go ahead and say that now. It's dark, violent, and political. Marlon James writes about the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in Jamaica during the 1970's, the preceding events, and the aftermath. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, whether this be a gang member who is high of cocaine, the bloodthirsty don of Copenhagen City, a CIA agent stationed in Jamaica, or some other significant character.
5. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The movie doesn't do it justice so if you haven't read the book you still need to.
6. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson
Don't worry, it's a series so when this first book leaves you wanting more, you'll know where to find it.
7. "11/22/63" by Stephen King
1963. JFK is still president. Jake Epping finds a portal and is transported back in time and must prevent Kennedy's assassination. No pressure, right? Don't worry, you can tag along for the ride. It'll leave you wondering if you might just find a time portal in your local fast food restaurant.
8. "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn
I had to read this book for my AP Environmental Studies class my senior year of high school. It's about more than just the environment though, it's about humanity and our origin and our role here on this earth. Oh, and all of these lessons are taught by a gorilla. Ishmael is a gorilla. Yeah...
9. "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown
Critics attack this book for its scientific and historic inaccuracies, but I'm not recommending it to be read as a history textbook, it's simply an entertaining read. This detective-mystery novel will have you hooked after the first couple of pages and suck you in until the very end.
10. The "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling
This series obviously had to be on this list. I didn't want to take up seven slots on this list for each of the books in the series, but just know they're interchangeable at #10. I'm not even going to summarize the storyline because if you don't know what Harry Potter is about then you should probably come out from the rock you're living under.
