Every bookworm has a list books to recommend at the drop of a hat. There is something magical about the world a book can create and something even more magical sharing it with another person. These are ten books, in no specific order, that are sure to keep you busy. Happy reading!
1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This is my number one recommendation to anyone. Zusak takes you into the world of a young girl living in Nazi Germany as told by death. Death is the narrator of the story. It's a love story and a story of surviving and finding joy in the darkest of times.
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I would describe this book as a psychological torment. Flynn twists a thrilling story of a marriage, murder, and return. The book moves between the present and a past diary. As hard you try to put the pieces together, you won't know who or what to believe. Be prepared to trust no one.
3. Brain on Fire. My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
This is true story written by Cahalan about herself and her tragic experience with a rare autoimmune disease. Once an acclaimed journalist in New York, Susannah begins losing pieces of time and place, and becomes someone no one knows for seemingly no reason at all. She pieces together the experience through memories, hospital records and footage, and family accounts.
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Classics are a classic for a reason. This is a timeless coming of age story and a reminder to erase our prejudice and see the human behind the story.
5. The Quiet Room by Amanda Bennett and Lori Schiller
This is a must for any psychology student. Schiller takes you inside her mind while she battles schizophrenia. She has such an engaging style of explaining in her symptoms in physical terms so the reader can understand. You will hear from Lori, her family, and doctors to grasp an understanding of her disease and life.
6. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
This is no quick read as it sits at almost 800 pages, but it's worth it. I am still working on this one myself. It takes place in a partly mythical New York with a mingling of reality and fantasy as Peter Lake tries to save the love of his life. There's a magical horse, a mob, and satan. You will not be bored.
7. Grimm's Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm
These are the original and gruesome versions of the fairy tales which have been retold with happy endings. You can find most of them compiled into one volume.
8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Bauby's memoir tells his story after suffering a massive stroke which left him with locked-in syndrome. He wrote the entire book with the help a translator by blinking one eye.
9. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Full disclosure, I struggled to get through this novel. It is long and it is not easily understand. The main character, Howard Roark, is a young architect unwilling to compromise or conform his artistry. It's worth the read because the main characters think so differently and it forces the reader to do the same.
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
On the surface, it's a mystery about who killed a neighborhood dog, but it is so much more. The main character is a teenage boy with Autism searching for the truth. The book is craftily written to help readers understand how he interacts with the world around him and what his reality is like.
