This can be a quick one. Don't take too long to think about it--Ten books you've read that will always stick with you. First ten you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.
- Comet in Moominland - Tove jannson This was the first Moomin book that I read when I was about six or seven, after I was given a copy by a Finnish friend of my mum. I think an important factor in whether a book sticks with you is dependent on how well it conjures a sense of a particular place and time, and Jannson's timeless, magical Moomin Valley is one of those.
- The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R Tolkien I had to get permission to borrow this from the adult section of the library because I was under ten at the time, and I still remember the anxious wait for 'The Return of the King' to come back into stock. Another completely realised world that feels very real to me.
- Sharpe's Sword - Bernard Cornwell This was the first book of the Sharpe series that I picked up, many years before Mr Bean pulled on the cavalry trousers. It's mid way through the series, but the recurring characters and the historical context pulled me in, not to mention the swashbuckling sword play, bloody battles and the odd bit of bodice ripping. I still don't know what Sharpe sees in the heavy cavalry sabre that he favours though ...
- Espedair Street - Iain Banks The rock and roll lifestyle of the 70s writ large and brought to life, and one of the very few books to ever make me cry.
- Wizard and Glass - Stephen King The fourth book in the Dark Tower series breaks with the continuity of the series to delve into the history of the world, making Roland the Gunslinger one of the most intriguing and well rounded characters in any novel that I have ever read.
- Maus - Art Speigelman I only read this book a few months ago, but it is extraordinarily powerful and I don't believe it will ever slip my mind
- Weaveworld - Clive Barker This story of a magical world hidden within a carpet remains with me for one memorable sequence where the protagonist forgets what he has seen, and is left only with a sense of loss and longing
- Mort - Terry Pratchett I DON"T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY. Nuff said.
- God is Not Great - Christopher Hitchens A powerful and unanswerable broadside against the evils of religious belief
- Microserfs - Douglas Coupland The definitive roman a clef for the internet generation of the 90s
- Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry One day I will make that journey north from Texas to Montana. One day.
No comments:
Post a Comment