I wanted to share a list of my top 5 all time favorite books to read. These, in my opinion, are books which influenced me and I hope you will take the time to check them out. Without further ado, here it goes:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
This was a book that I read back in high school for my English 5 class and it is a book I recommend so much. It is a must read book with an unforgettable story set in a Southern town. Harper Lee was perhaps one of the greatest writers that ever lived, in my opinion, and the way she engages the reader with the story of the racism that existed in this fictional work through the eyes of the young girl Scout is one book which will stay with you forever.
2. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young girl
This is one book that brings into full circle the horrors that were experienced by this young woman. Anne Frank kept this diary in the attic and this is where she spent most of her life. This captures the reality of war. Anne is a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her, along with her family, have fled Amsterdam and go into hiding in 1942 when the Nazis, headed by Adolf Hitler, began to occupy Holland.
3. Pride and Prejudice
This is another amazing book. This book was published in 1813. Author Jane Austen is one of the best writers that existed. This book is labeled as a witty comedy of manners. It is still one of the most popular novels of all time. This is a story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and five girls who are all unmarried. Then Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy move into their neighborhood. One of the best things about this book is the interactions of Elizabeth Bennett and the very proud Mr. Darcy.
4. The Great Gatsby
I was introduced to this book also back in high school in English 5. This was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book; this is the most famous of his books. One of the best things which stands out is it is set in the Jazz Age, and has been acclaimed by generations of readers. How can you not fall in love with the wealthy Jay Gatsby and all he goes through to please the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, whom is already married to a rich man by the name of Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald captures so much in this story with the lavish parties on Long Island and the narrative of Daisy’s cousin, Nick Caraway. The complexity of the love of Jay Gatsby and his constant persistence of trying to recapture the past and his love for Daisy make this novel one of the greatest classics of the twentieth-century.
5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
This last book by author Ken Kesey is a 1960’s classic. Kesey's main protagonist is Randle Patrick McMurphy. He is a rebel and in order to avoid jail time he winds up going into a mental hospital thinking this will solve his problems. Then you also meet the antagonist in the book, Nurse Ratched. Her and McMurphy clash from the first meeting when he sees how she is very conventional and strict with the other patients. He immediately begins to defy all the rules and works hard in getting everyone to stop following her dictatorship and fight back against all the injustices she is doing to all of them.
