Top Five Books Everyone Should Read

I was recently persuaded to join the website Helium.  It's a little daunting, but when I saw they were looking for posts on "top five books everyone should read" I figured I'd found my niche and jumped right in.  Here's my post.

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I spent a lot of time reading as a child, and even more in university as a student of literature.  These days I work full time, and as a result find it difficult to read as much as I’d like to.  I find, however, that my personality and general outlook on the world have been profoundly shaped by the fictional stories and characters that have remained such an integral part of my consciousness.  It’s difficult to pick a definitive top five, but here's my attempt, in no particular order:

1)      Anne of Green Gables – This classic book by Lucy Maud Montgomery was originally given to me by my Nan, a native of Prince Edward Island, to read on a family road trip down east.  As a ten-year-old, I was inspired by Anne’s spirit and passion for life, and delighted by the engaging, heart-warming story.  As a twenty-five year old, I am still both those things, but now also recognize the novel’s beautiful representation of true family love (conventional or not), as well as its wealth of timeless and impressionable images (e.g., a little girl with red pig-tails sitting alone at a train station, Anne breaking a slate over Gilbert’s head, etc).

 

2)      A Christmas Carol – Adaptations of the original Charles Dickens novel have become such a touchstone of our culture that on the surface it might seem like a waste of time to read the actual book.  I assure you, however, it’s not.  Dickens has such a distinct, memorable style of writing, and everyone should read at least one of his books.  I chose A Christmas Carol for this list because it’s so classic and well known (again, I’m a sucker for timeless images), but my personal favourite Dickens novel is probably Great Expectations.

 

3)      Alice Munro’s Best – The recent collection of short stories by one of my favourite authors makes the cut because this list is not long enough to include all of Munro’s work.  More than any other contemporary author, Munro has the ability to see deeply into the human experience and express it in writing.  Whenever I read her, I almost always discover something new about myself (or at least I’m forced to acknowledge something I was too afraid or embarrassed of to face up to on my own).  The compilation includes many of her most memorable stories, and is perfect for those who do not intend to read her individual books.  Everyone, however, should read the individual books too.  I like Who Do You Think You Are? and Runaway, best but all are excellent.

 

4)      King Lear – It’s not technically a book, but King Lear is my all time favourite play (possibly even my favourite literary work of any variety).  Anyone who has ever watched a parent or grandparent descend into the confused, grotesque haze of old age will find it remarkably cathartic.  Shakespeare’s treatment of family relationships is almost chillingly accurate, not to mention the beautiful language and structure common to all his plays.

 

5)     Lolita – This novel is a personal favourite of mine.  It is at once controversial and amusing, naughty and engrossing.  I think it’s important for all readers to experience things that are on some level offensive.  In Lolita, Nabokov offends his readers with an ironic subtly that leaves them laughing at how appalling it all is.

 

Well, that’s my list folks.  I hope it inspires you to fall in love with some of these books…for the first time or all over again!