My Favorite Books of All Time
Books might particularly touch people for different reasons. They might make us emotional, or change our view of the world. These books are the most important books to me. These books are the ones that made me think differently, made me fall in love with reading, and made me feel understood and not alone.
So, in no particular order, here are my favorite books:
Eloise by Kay Thompson
I grew up surrounded by stories of fairy tale lands, filled with princesses, dragons, and magicians. As I knew these worlds were impossible to reach, I wanted the next best thing: to be a child living in the Plaza.
Eloise tells the delightful adventures of the titular young girl living in the Plaza Hotel in New York City. She had the freedom to be goofy and fun, and Manhattan's finest hotel was her playground for all her imaginative adventures.
To this day, if I am looking for a quick read before bed, I reach for this lovely picture book.
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Anne made me fall in love with classics. I have a hard time focusing on older language, but there is something about Anne's quirkyness, charm, and curiosity that kept turning the pages.
Written lyrically, there is nothing more delightful than the adventures of this young girl as she is finally given freedom to explore the world out there. The beautiful backdrop of Prince Edward Island and the iconic stories that can now be also seen on screen and stage make this book a timeless classic that is fit for any age. For both young and old need scope for the imagination.
Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
Sometimes you pick up a book at it serendiptuously is exactly what you need in that moment. That is exactly what my first encounter with Turtles All the Way Down was like, and from what I have heard, others feel the same way too. The YA genre has a strong stereotype of having bland writing, cheezy stories, and annoying main characters (who usually like to complain a lot) but John Green, the King of YA, has proven over and over again that there is much more breadth to the genre than it is given credit. Turtles is a incredibly reflective and beautiful piece about mental health and our relationships when we struggle most. With a fresh, young, and slightly philosophical lense, this book is a must read.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Tuck might be the most important book in the shaping of who I am that I have ever read. I remember walking into my sixth grade classroom one day and there being one big question on the board: Would you want to live forever? That question, my contemplation, and the discussion that it followed in class single-handedly changed the way I look at life and mortality and transitioned my mind from one that looked at the world as simply a child to one that approached everything as a thinker.
This book is incredibly strong for a middle grade book and is an absolute must for all young readers. Beautifully written and very original, it had me turning pages and crying until the very end.
The Harry Potter Series
Although I used to read a lot of picture books as a child, bigger ones with chapters seemed like a whole other beast to tackle, and one I didn't quite want to attempt to. Reading Harry Potter marked a new spark in me that has made me an avid reader forever.
This is a series that I really do separate the art from the artist, and if someone hasn't read it and can look past the controversies, they must read it. This is a modern classic about hope, love, and perseverence that redifined what age appropriate reading means as it is devoured by adults and children alike.