11 Books That Have Stuck With Me

1. Macbeth- William Shakespeare. Although technically a play and not a book, Shakespeare’s Macbeth instantly popped into my mind when this blog was assigned. For the longest time I had been under the impression that Shakespeare’s work was nothing but wordy nonsense, but upon reading Macbeth, I found it to be remarkable I have since been in love with Shakespeare’s work.

2. A Thousand Splendid Suns- Khaled Hosseini. This book touches upon the subject of love better than any other I have read before. I completed it in a single sitting because of the emotional surges I felt throughout the novel, and I finished wishing that the beautiful story of love would go on longer.

3. The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold. It is a wonderfully touching tale about love and moving on and it made me cry more than any other book I have ever read.

4. The Namesake- Jhumpa Lahiri. It focuses on an Indian youth settled in America and torn between two cultures, and therefore, I find it very easy to relate to. Adjusting to a new culture while retaining the old culture’s values can be hard, and this book captures that struggle perfectly.

5. The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald. I loved the way Fitzgerald painted a vivid picture of the “roaring twenties” and all the culture which surrounded that era.

6. Ramona and Her Mother- Beverly Cleary. Cleary’s Ramona series was my favorite during my youth and to this day, I often find myself revisiting my childhood by curling up with the one that I loved the most, Ramona and Her Mother.

7. Flowers for Algernon- Daniel Keyes. I first picked this book up as a fourth grader, and in many ways, it was the first “adult” book I had ever read. At the time, the brief sex scene seemed exceedingly inappropriate and I was unable to understand many of the book’s deeper themes, and so, I have always remembered this as my first mature read.

8. This Pen for Hire- Laura Levine. Levine’s novel is a light and fun read and probably the funniest that I have ever read. I love the quirky heroine whose imperfections make her all the more loveable.

9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan- Lisa See. It seamlessly incorporates the brutality of traditional Chinese culture with a soft story about a secret friendship. It provided me with global insight into a culture I knew little about.

10. The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini. An unforgettable story about redemption and regret that has always haunted me with its ending that brings the story to a complete 180 degree finish. It had the most well-written ending to a story that I have ever encountered.

11. Gone With the Wind- Margaret Mitchell. I loved the way in which Mitchell develops the main character, Scarlett O’Hara. She is selfish, overconfident, and manipulative throughout the whole book but she is also one of the strongest and most memorable female icons I have encountered in a piece of literature (503).