Favourite Books

I couldn't reach blog post no.4 without dedicating one to books now could I? In this post I want to discuss 5 of my favourite non politcal books, some of all time, some just recents.

1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I tweet about this book annoyingly a lot. I first found out about this book in 2014 after watching 10 things I Hate About Youand witnessing Kat reading the Bell Jar. The next day I picked it up from the library and fast forward 24 months and it's become one of my favourite books of all time. 

This book is a sort of autobiography for Sylvia Plath. Full of dark humour, wit and feministic views, it tells the tale of a summer writing in New York and then coping with life after that. Without spoiling it, ultimately Plath writes about her descent of depression and her deep traumatic battles with suicide, When I first started reading the book I was uneasy, feeling it was an extremely pretentious novel. Her descriptions were extremely detailed, often using words that one rarely hears spoken or even read. I went into the novel knowing from my Leaving Cert course that Plath was a poet and felt that at first the book was just another form of her poetry. But that only remained within the first two pages, because after that I became absorbed. Sometimes, once in a long while, a book comes around, with words so cogitative that they bounce off the pages and hit me with pangs of echoing familiarity.

And that, The Bell Jar does. Numerous times. And it's scary that I'm relating to a potential depressional and suicidal victim. 

If it's one book you want to read after taking into account this list, it should be this one.

You can purchase this book here

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I'm not going to go into too much of a review on this book because honestly who hasn't heard of this book (or forced to read it for Junior Cert English) Told through the young eyes of Scout Finch, this book is steeped in racism and class prejudice. I remember reading this one summer when I was around 12 or 13 and my young sheltered eyes being awakened to the suffering of others just because of their skin colour. The recent events of the Black Lives Matter movement show that 50 years on, the world hasn't changed at all, and that is a scary fact. For me, To Kill a Mockingbird isn't just a novel, it's a piece of history  symbolising a world where people kill each other based on the colour of their skin. A world that needs to change. 

You can purchase this book here

3. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Milk and Honey is a book filled with beautifully honest poetry. The book is divided into four chapters, each serving a different purpose. The Hurting, The Loving, The Breaking and The Healing. You get the gist. Reading each poem I felt empowered and freeing. As a whole it deals with sex, feminism, heartbreak and self-worth. Accompanied with intricate doodles by the aforementioned author, I am a big fan of Rupi Kaur and everything she stands for.

To get a quick look into this book and to ultimately buy it you can click here

4. Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris

This book was an impulse purchase at Dublin airport recently after realising I hadn't put The Great Gatsby in my carry on luggage and thus I would be bored on the plane. I spotted this in the "top charts" section of WH Smith and impulsively bought it. And I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I have this "stigma" about buying books in the charts, I don't know why. Anyway, I finished this book in two days by the beach and I think that speaks for itself. I wouldn't exactly describe it as the "psychological thriller of the year" but it was easy and exciting and I felt incredibly intrigued by the main character of Jack Angel. Basically, the plot follows Jack and Grace's "perfect relationship" but it's not so perfect on the inside. Very cliche. I won't spoil it but definitely give it a read if you like a fast frantic read that will still give you goosebumps.

You can purchase this book here

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I can feel you rolling your eyes at the screen when you realise this is another classic book. but alas this one is special in that it's the first classic novel I ever read, all the way back in 2nd year. I still remember finding the dog-eared slightly crumpled version in my local library and although it contains a very precise 402 pages I remember finishing it in 5 days and feeling some sort of accomplishment that I had read something by the Bronte sisters. Still to this day, I feel this book is one of the easiest "classics" to read. I found the old-fashioned language accessible and enlightening. This book follows the orphan Jane and the twists and turns of her upbringing in England around 1780 (that date is not correct whatsoever forgive me) Ultimately it's a romance novel but Bronte never once diminishes the fact that Jane is independent and liberated. Jane Eyre as a whole is quite possibly the definition of proto-feminism and is way ahead of its time. If you've never read a "classic" before, I would seriously recommend you starting with this one.

You can purchase this book here

xoxo 

Stephanie