There’s nothing like cozying up with a hot beverage (or cold), a fluffy blanket, and a good book — unless you can’t find the latter — then things start to go downhill. So today, I’ve decided to make a list of my go-to books when my current read doesn’t satisfy me.
-
East of Eden, by, John Steinbeck:
I came across East of Eden in my school library and I was hooked from the moment I read the title. It’s packed with love, hate, betrayal, loyalty and everything in between, and yet still finds time to have some beautiful descriptions of the land. The story is primarily set in the Salinas Valley, California, and it starts with three separate stories, and then all lead into one. Mainly, it’s about the main protagonist, Adam, and his son, Caleb, or Cal. Steinbeck originally meant to write the novel for his two young sons, wanting to describe Salinas Valley for them in detail. This novel is perfect for those afternoons where you just want to lose yourself in another world because Steinbeck brings all of the characters to life, that you have to convince yourself you’re just reading a book. You can almost feel yourself in the valley, with the rows of wheat in front of you and the mountains on each side. If you’re thinking about reading Steinbeck, this is a great first step.
-
The Yearling, by, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings:
This sweet, coming-of-age novel, set in the country of Florida in 1938, is about a boy, Jody, who finds a yearling in the forest with no mother and takes it home. Again, another book that has beautiful descriptions of the land and setting. It was a number-one best seller for more than twenty consecutive weeks, it has been translated into more than twenty-five languages, and won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel category in 1939, only one year after its publication. It’s quite a story and it’s arguable that it hasn’t any plot, but it’s amazing all the same, and N.C Wyeth’s illustrations make it even more amazing. Once again, I found this in my school library on a Friday of a long weekend where we were going to Waterton. I started it on the car and I was pulled straight into the sunny spring afternoon beside the spring where the novel started. I finished it the next morning, with bloodshot and puffy eyes, from lack of sleep and the fact that I was crying; partially because the story was sad, and partially because I finished the story. Personally, I think every child should read this before they turn eighteen.
-
To Kill a Mockingbird, by, Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird caught my eye in grade four, when the person who was sitting in front of me in the library started to read it. I decided to go and ask the librarian for a copy, and I’ll never forget the look on her face when she said: “Sweetie, you won’t have to read that until you’re in high school,” but she went and found it for me all the same. At first, I thought that the librarian was right, but by the time I finished it, I had an overwhelming desire to go back and start from page one. I’ve read it more than five times since then. Set in 1930’s Maycomb County, Alabama, the story follows Scout (Jean Louise) and her brother Jem (Jeremy Atticus) for three to four years, climaxing when Atticus (Jem and Scout’s father) defends a black man. The story addresses many problems of rape and racism in the 30’s but is also renowned for it’s warmth and humour. The book is loosely based upon real events that happened in Lee’s life when she was ten years old. It was also made into a movie in 1961, staring Gregory Peck as Atticus (Scout’s father) and also won Best Actor for Gregory Peck, Best Writing Adapted Screenplay for Horton Foote, and Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White with four other nominations, including Best Picture. Although you will read this one time or another in your educational pathway, this is the one book that I think is worth more than just one read. Read it, read it, read it, I promise you, it will be worth it.
-
The Count of Monte Cristo, by, Alexandre Dumas:
Originally written in French, you can say that this is the ultimate adventure story, circling around Edmond Dantès, how he was unjustly imprisoned for over ten years and his thirst for revenge when he comes out. This is definitely not a book to be read in one-sitting, since it’s over one thousand pages long, but it will be worth it. It’s filled with anger, hatred, loyalty, love, betrayal, murder, justice, in-justice, beauty, suspense, drama, peace, war etc. etc. But, the want for revenge was the aspect that kept me up late into the night, feverishly reading the last hundred pages.
-
The Little Prince, by, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry:
Originally written in French, this novella, has been translated into over 250 languages, including Braille. It is one of the best-selling books ever. It’s about the story of a pilot who crashed into the Sahara Desert and a young prince who fell from the sky. The novella unveils all the raw emotions of human beings, and is filled with symbolism. This book is great for a cozy afternoon, or night, and I personally think is meant to be read in one sitting, at least for the first time. Illustrated by the author himself, the novella was meant to be a children’s book. I simply adore this book because it is so true, simple and bitter-sweet in its nature and I think that no adaptation can come close to capturing the magic of the story. If there’s only one book you should take away from this post, it should be The Little Prince.
More to come…