These novels are a few of my picks that I recommend to people. They are a mixture of dark, heart-breaking, inspirational, and beautifully written works. These novels have made a lasting impression on me and in no particular order, these are my top favorite:
1. "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte.
This is my number one favorite book. Many people believe this is a love story, but it's about a strong, independent, woman named Jane Eyre, who grew up an orphan an made her own way while finding love through it all. Jane Eyre is a great female icon because she never loses who she is through all her ups and downs.
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
2. "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.
A story about a cynical teenager who was expelled from a New York City prep school. We get to experience a day through a 16-year-old's eyes as he tries to figure out where to go from there. Through edgy slang, Holden Caulfield expresses perfectly teen isolation.
“Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
3. "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath.
Originally a poet, Sylvia Plath, wrote her first and only novel. This semi-autobiographical novel about a young girl named Esther Greenwood, who is suicidal. Sylvia Plath herself committed suicide in 1963, so we get a chance to authentically understand what she was feeling.
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”
4. "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov.
A dark story about a 35-year-old writer, Humbert Humbert, who falls in love and becomes obsessed with his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Lolita. Unreliably narrated by Humbert, we get a dark but poetic look into his mind.
“And the rest is rust and stardust.”
5. "Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger.
This novella consists of two short stories involving two siblings from the Glass family. J.D. Salinger wrote a lot of short stories about the different siblings in the Glass family and how they all tie together. Franny is having a spiritual breakdown, while out of character Zooey tries to help her get through it.
“I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.”
6. "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkin.
Classic prequel to The Lord of the Rings, a story about the journey of Bilbo Baggins and how Bilbo got the ring.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
7. The "Harry Potter" Series by JK Rowling
Can you have a favorite books list without including Harry Potter? If you haven't read Harry Potter yet, go do yourself a favor.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The classic Jane Austen novel, while I enjoy some of her other novels as well, this is my first and favorite. A love story between the unlikely pair, the independent Elizabeth Bennett, and the wealthy but prideful Mr. Darcy.
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
