5 Books Everyone Should Read

As part of the Over To You theme I'm running this month, I was asked the following by @PoopRainbowMama:

If I told you I had just learned to read, what books would you recommend to me and why?       I love this question, although it's going to be quite a struggle narrowing it down! I'm going to limit myself to five - if I don't set a limit, this post could be about the length of a book! I'm going to stay away from books that are accepted to be books you "should" read and choose ones instead where I absolutely loved the story. The books I feel that would make you fall in love with reading.      1.The Witches by Roald Dahl I love all Roald Dahl books, but I think this one is my favourite. it gets the balance just right about building tension without terrifying kids. I have re-read this as an adult and still enjoyed it. Roald Dahl writes in a way that although the books are aimed at kids, they aren't childish. As per the original question, if someone has just learned to read as an adult, they have missed out on Roald Dahl and I think it's a rite of passage to read him. 2.The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty To me, this is the ultimate horror book. It builds up the tension to a level that is almost unbearable, and keeps it there. This book will haunt you long after reading it. 3.The Pact by Jodi Picoult This is another one that will stay with you long after putting it down, although for very different reasons. Don't let it put you off that this is billed as a love story. It has elements of a powerful love story, but it is so much more than that. It explores the relationships of teenagers and also family ties and friendships. It makes us question how well we ever know anyone and the blurred lines between love and lies. 4.The Clan Of The Cave Bear by Jean M Auel When reading the blurb on this book, it wasn't something I would normally have read, but I thought I'd give it a go. I'm so glad I did. If this book doesn't touch you emotionally, then I don't know what would! I found myself caught up in the story to the point where I literally couldn't put it down, and I felt empty when it was done. It's one I regularly re-read and I always seem to find something I had previously missed. And it still draws me in each time. 5.The House That Jack Built by Graham Masterton I don't know what it is about this book that keeps me going back, but it has something. It's predominantly a ghost story, but there's so much more to it than things that go bump in the night. It is a genuinely disturbing story that is very well told. So there you have it, five books I feel everyone should read. Which five books would you recommend? Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :) All book cover images courtesy of Google Books       

My Top 5 Favourite Authors

Narrowing down my favourite authors to just five is an incredibly difficult task for me as I love so many different genres and there are so many brilliant authors out there.
If I listed every author I liked, this post would take about six months to write! To help me narrow it down to just five, I am only going to include authors who have written more than one book/series that I have read and enjoyed. These are the authors who I actively seek out, and keep up to date on their new books, the ones who have rarely (if ever) disappointed me, the ones whose books I know I will enjoy before I even know what they are about, and the ones I can read over and over again.

1. Stephen King - I think I have read every Stephen King book, except the new one, which I am eagerly awaiting! I love all of his books, especially when he sticks to the horror genre. He really does do horror better than any other writer I have come across.
2. Jodi Picoult - I've mentioned her before, so I won't go into great detail, but she is still one of my all time favourites. If you want to know why, see here: http://myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/j-is-for-jodi-picoult.html
3. Diane Chamberlain - Diane Chamberlain writes about everyday people and their lives and dilemmas. I find her books very relatable and interesting. Her characters are always well written.
4. John Grisham - I love a good courtroom drama, and for me, John Grisham does this better than any other writer in the genre.
5. Sylvia Day - I think Sylvia Day deserves a mention here. She gets overlooked a lot because when you think of great writers, the female erotica (mummy porn?) writers usually don't come straight to your mind. But she's good at what she does, and she writes well. Think 50 Shades but well written, with more character development, an actual plot and for people with a reading age of over seven!

Do you agree with my list? Who would you add or remove?

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Desert Island Favourites - Books

I thought I would finish my Desert Island Favourites mini series with the five books I would take to a desert island, as that's the perfect lead in to June's theme. I feel these books should be things like Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Chaucer, Bronte etc, but I am going to be honest, and tell you the ones I would actually take because I enjoy reading them, not ones I think I should be seen to read.
The books I would take have to be books I can happily read over and over again. So, on that note, the 5 books I would take are:

1. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. This book is one of my all time favourites. I've read it more times than I can remember and every time I come away with something I had previously missed!
2. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. I remember being about 11 when I first read this, and I was truly horrified. I think it was the first adult horror book I ever read, and it certainly got me hooked on the genre.
3. The Pact by Jodi Picoult. This is one of those books that stay with you long after you put it down. I talk a little more about it here: http://myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/j-is-for-jodi-picoult.html
4.The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I know a trilogy is maybe cheating a little, but I love this series and I couldn't take one without the others!
5. The Shining by Stephen King. This is the closest I can come to having a classic on my list, and many people will argue the point of the book being a classic. To me it is and always will be. I love Stephen King and this is a fine example of him doing what he does best.

Which books would you take?

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J Is For Jodi Picoult

Day 10 of my A to Z Challenge. J is for Jodi Picoult. 

If you don't know how this works, I've posted the link back to the rules of the challenge at the end of this, along with a link to yesterday's post. If you want to read my full alphabet, just keep following the links. Each day has a link back to yesterday's post.

I knew when I started this challenge, that I wanted to include an author somewhere along the way. There are a lot of great authors out there, and I have several favourites. I chose Jodi Picoult, because she is the one author who has never let me down as a reader. I have read all of her books and I’ve truly loved every one of them.

So, what is it that makes her so great? I think it’s a combination of things, but for me there are two main elements that keep me coming back.

1. Her books are realistic. The first book of hers I read (My Sister’s Keeper) I actually thought was a true story. She writes about what I think of as “normal people” experiencing things that really happen.

2. Her characters. The characters in her books are so well written. She has a knack for understanding people of all ages and all walks of life and this really comes out in her work. The characters are believable, and you can really imagine that that is how they would react to the situations within the books.

It’s hard to pick a favourite book and I can’t choose just one. My two favourites are My Sister’s Keeper and The Pact. I won’t spoil them for you if you haven’t read them yet (if you haven’t, you really should), but I found them both so moving, and so utterly real.

My Sister’s Keeper is a truly sad story. It centres around a family with 2 young girls, one of whom has leukemia, and the other who is a match for being a donor. The story is told from several viewpoints within the family, all of which have very different voices and all feel so real. It is a true moral dilemma story. As the parents, which child’s quality of life would you put first? Who would you sacrifice to save the other? As the healthy child, how far would you endanger yourself to save your sister? It truly makes you question how you would react in this situation.

The Pact is another sad story. It centres around Chris and Emily, two teenagers who have known each other all their lives. Emily dies from a gun shot wound to the head and Chris is found with the gun with one remaining bullet, and tells of a suicide pact the two had made. Chris finds himself on trial for murder. How would you feel if Chris was your son? How would Chris himself feel?

I think this is what sets Jodi Picoult apart as an author. Her writing makes you question everything you thought you knew about how you would react in a situation. She has an uncanny knack for making you wonder how you would really react, and the consequences of your decision, and makes you experience the emotions that go with it. And those thoughts don’t end when you finish reading the book. They will stay with you. I love thought provoking fiction, and Jodi Picoult is the queen of thought provoking.

If you haven’t read any of her books yet, I can’t recommend them highly enough.

What do you think? Do you find her books stay with you? Who is your favourite author?

As an aside, I would just like to point out that this isn’t a commissioned post, and I am in no way affiliated with Jodi Picoult or her publishers. I just genuinely believe that she is brilliant at what she does and deserves recognition for it.

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Link to rules: http://myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/a-z-challenge-whos-with-me.html

Link to I Is For Inspirational Songs: http://myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/i-is-for-inspirational-songs.html