My Top 5 Books and Why

This was a tortuous task. I have thought about this a lot. A LOT. So much, that this post is two weeks late! I couldn’t even narrow it down to 5. I’m listing 7, and this doesn’t even breach the surface of how many books I’ve read that I categorize as favorites. So, here we go (and these are in no particular order of favoritism).

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – this was the first book (that I can remember) that my grandmother ever gave me. I instantly fell in love not only with Anne but also with reading. This is where is all began.

Needful Things by Stephen King – I’ve been reading Stephen King books since I was eleven. This is also my grandmother’s fault. She had no qualms over letting me read Christine and Pet Cemetery on the weekends I would stay at her house. We also had movie marathons of Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street and any zombie movie that was available at the video store (hey, kids, in the 80s we used to rent videos, on VHS, at a physical store…we had it rough). My grandmother was a horror fanatic and an avid reader. In those two aspects, I followed right along in her footsteps. I cannot tell you how many Stephen King books I’ve read, or even how many I own, but if I haven’t read it, and I see it at a store or on sale on Audible, I snatch it up. That man can weave debauchery, gore and profanity into poetry. Needful Things is my favorite because of the theme: manipulation of the desperate. It depicts just what people will do when over powered by greed. Of all the Stephen King books I’ve read, it’s resonated with me the most.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte – I love books of all of the Bronte sisters, but this one is by far my favorite. I think mostly because its main character is a woman who branches out and breaks the stereotypical mold of her time. She’s disliked by many because of it, but she continues on with her head held high. Very inspirational and positive for women.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover – I love all of Colleen’s books (do you see a pattern here…I LOVE books), but Hopeless had a twist that knocked me on my ass. The feeling I got when I reached this twist was epic. It was even better than when it was revealed that Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank, or that The Narrator and Tyler Durden in Fight Club were the same person. Best. Twist. Eva.

Marrow by Tarryn Fisher – This book was brilliantly written. I hung on every word. My favorite part is how the main character takes justice into her own hands. I live vicariously through Margo when I’m angry over the real injustices of our world.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (entire series) by Steig Larson (majority) and David Lagercrantz – Lisbeth Salander is an all around badass and a whiz hacker…she taps into my nerdy side. The story of the missing girl from the first book and Mikael Blomkvist’s determination to find the truth drew me in, but Lisbeth kept me reading.

The Martian by Andy Weir – Nerd Alert! This book combined a lot of scientific details about Mars, space travel, botany, mechanics and chemistry with efficient use of sarcasm and the F word. I loved every single page of this story. Mark Watney is my forever favorite book boyfriend (I know, I weird).

So that’s it in a nutshell. It at least gives you a glimpse into my crazy book world. What’s your top 5 book list? Comment here or hit me up on facebook/zeiajameson