Reading has always been an obsession of mine. And yes, I meant to use the word obsession. For me, reading is not a hobby. I don't read just because I enjoy it or use it as a way to pass the time, I read because I have to. It is quite literally one of my favorite activities. I understand that not everyone has the innate desire to flip open a book every chance they get. This is why I have compiled a list of books below that even the most anti-literary individual will enjoy.
1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.
Alright, so I know this is a whole series and not an individual book, but let me just say this: these books are insane. Rowling does an amazing job of stringing together all of the twists and turns of the wizarding world as well as portraying each character so vividly it seems as if they jump of the page. The Harry Potter series is definitely one of the best works of young adult fiction to be created in the last 20 years.
2. Wild by Cheryl Strayed.
This book was written for the free-spirited bunch. It is a honest and heart wrenching story of a young women's season of self discovery as she hikes the Pacific Coast Trail. Strayed includes the events that lead up to her hiking the trail and they are not for the faint of heart, grab your box of tissues readers, because I promise a few tears will be shed during the reading of this novel.
3. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
Kalanthi's autobiographical tale tells the story of his life and how he stumbled upon his two greatest loves: literature and medicine. During his early 30s, at the end of his strenuous neurosurgery residency, Kalanithi is diagnosed with aggressive cancer. When Breath Becomes Air is a doctor's beautiful attempt at telling his life story as well as pondering the intimate moments that happen at the end of one's existence.
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
I was assigned to read this book my senior year of high school and it did not disappoint. Hosseini's novel takes place in Afghanistan and spans from the 1960s to the early 2000s. The protagonists are 2 women who are harshly mistreated in their society. They encounter an array of hardships such as being denied to attend school and sexual harassment. There is not much I can say about this novel without spoiling the plot, but if there was one book off of this list that I had to choose as my favorite, A Thousand Splendid Suns would be it.
5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
Set in America in 1964 this book tackles everything: racism, heartbreak, and the death of a parent. 14 year old Lily Owens runs away from her absuive father and stumbles upon a trio of black bee keeping sisters living in South Carolina, whom she lives with for a few weeks. Lily discovers secrets revolving around her mother as well as forming tight bonds with the bee keeping sisters. If you like historical fiction, this book is certainly for you.
Well, there you have it folks, some of the best books to ever be written. Summer is upon us and now is a perfect time to begin a new novel, so pick up a book and get to reading.