I've recently come to the conclusion that the "best" book and a "great book" are not always one in the same. There are people who claim they read the first Harry Potter book in one day. Maybe they claim to have read the entire series in just a week. In my definition, a "great book" is a book like Harry Potter; a "great book" is a book you cannot put down. "Great books" are often favorite books, and when someone gives a book recommendations they will recommend a great one. But recently I've come to realize that the ''best'' books are the ones you can put down. I don't always want a "great book" when I ask for a recommendation, and I have a feeling that you don't always want one either... you just don't know it yet. Here's why:
Spending an entire day reading and feeling elated about the book you've just read is a great feeling, sure. But these days when I have a free half an hour I watch an episode of Netflix, and I have found that most people my age will do the same. However, when I have a book to read that I know I can spend half an hour reading, I'll often choose that instead. When I have a book to read that I know I cannot put down, I'll choose Netflix because I know I don't have time to read that "great book." It's not that I won't choose to read a book that I'm excited about once I'm halfway through-- I'll just watch Netflix instead of ever starting it. What it comes down to is that a "good book" often fits into a busy schedule better than a "great book."
I've read some "great books," but "good books" are sometimes the best ones to be reading. I spend months reading "good books" that I pick up and put for weeks at a time. I've found that it's ideal to have a "good book" lying around I can throw in a bag for a trip that I'm about 50 pages into and can easily pick back up. I'll feel satisfied for the trip and still be able to focus my attention elsewhere.
Here's some takeaway definitions from this article:
"Good Books" are books that you thoroughly enjoy and feel excited about, but you are able to read 50 pages of, put it down when you get busy, and pick it back up again easily. These can be classics and should still be well written!
"Great Books" are books that you cannot put down and devote a day to reading. Your favorite book is most likely a "great book."
Fear not, a "good book" doesn't have to be a book that is mindless and doesn't push your thinking-- though no shame those fill this purpose as well. Often nonfiction books and memoirs fit this description well because each chapter does not effect the next.
So, for those of you who do have a day to devote to a "great book" here are some of my favorites and favorites of others:
Great books:
-Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
-Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
-Othello by William Shakespeare
-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
-The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
-A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
-Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
-The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
-Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
And for those of you with jam-packed schedules that need something you can keep coming back to, here are some "good books" (both intellectual and mindless):
Good books:
-The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot
-Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Many people will argue this deserves to be considered a "great book" but it stuck on my "good book" list)
-Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen J Dubner
-Survival of the Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem
-L.A. Candy Series by Lauren Conrad
-Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
-The Giver by Lois Lowry
-Life Hacks by Keith Bradford
-How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
