Tagged: favourite books
Discussion: Books You Love to Re-Read
Some books are so terrible they probably never should be read. Some books are good but only really deserve a once-over. Great books deserve multiple re-reads. And since peoples’ tastes in books are so different, everyone has a different book that they love to read again and again and again. I know I have several!
One of the books that I like to read at least once a year is The Return Man by V. M. Zito. It’s such an unique, highly emotional zombie apocalypse story that every single time I read it I discover something new that I hadn’t noticed before. The same goes for the entire Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant; you can’t help but love Shaun and Georgia. One of my new favourite re-reads is Aranya by Marc Secchia because the fantasy world he created is so vivid that like the previous books, you discover something new every single time that you hadn’t noticed before. I’ve re-read the entire Harry Potter series about once every two or three years since I was 9 years old (although when I was 9 not all of the books were out). And I think I’ve re-read Diantha Jones’ Oracle of Delphi series at least three or four times since finishing the third and latest book in anticipation of the fourth book coming out soon. I’m also currently re-reading A Song of Ice and Fire.
So what I want to know now is this: What are some of your favourite books to read over and over again? Why?
Discussion: Your All-Time Favourite Book
For people who read a lot of books it’s almost impossible to pick just one favourite. Anyone who asks me what my favourite book is will usually get a blank stare followed by an explanation of how much I actually read in a year. It’s nearly impossible to pick a favourite book, especially if you’re put on the spot.
All-time favourite books are slightly different from just ‘favourite books’ for me. An all-time favourite is one that had the largest effect on me at the time, the one that I read over and over again, etc. All-time favourite books have staying power, whereas favourite books can change in a couple of months if you read a lot.
I can pretty much guarantee that I’ve read more than 1,000 books at this point in my life. Out of all of these books I’d have to say that my absolute favourite is Inkspell by Cornelia Funke. I read it as a pre-teen and it taught me a lot about love, life, self-esteem and the beauty of losing yourself in a magical world. Harry Potter is definitely my all-time favourite series, but on an individual basis Inkspell (the second book in the Inkworld trilogy) will always hold a special place in my heart.
I still have my old beat up copy of Inkspell and even though the binding has almost totally fallen apart and the pages are yellowed from being out in the sun so much, I refuse to throw it out and get a new version. Memories live on in the pages of books and there are so many good memories for me in Inkspell.
What I want to know is this: If you had to pick an all-time favourite book, what book would it be? Why?
Discussion: Favourite Books
Yep, the title pretty much says it all. You guys all know about my favourite books, but I know essentially nothing about yours. So what are your favourite books? Do you have just one favourite or many favourites? What makes this book your favourite?
For me personally I can’t pick just one favourite; I’ve read too many books. Usually I pick a favourite of the moment, which right now is Sandra Gulland’s Josephine B. trilogy about the life of the infamous Empress of France. I love Gulland’s take on Josephine and you really get the feeling that she was utterly ruined by history when in truth, she should be celebrated.
Remember the rules for Discussion posts? Well, there aren’t many. My commenting policy still applies of course, but you can engage either with me or any other commenter on the thread. So go on and have fun!
My Favourite Books of 2012
Yes, 2012 is nearly over, which means it’s time to round up my favourite books for the year. I could have called this the best books of 2012, but that would be unfair because what I like is not necessarily what other people like. Therefore, I will be counting down my favourite books, completely ignoring reading level. A good book is a good book in my eyes, whether it was written for tweens, teenagers or adults. However, for convenience I will be classifying them by genre. So what were my favourite books this year? Read on!
Historical Fiction: The Song of Troy by Colleen McCullough.
I’ve read a lot of historical fiction this year, but The Song of Troy was my absolute favourite. It had all the grandeur of the original myth, but the characters were brought to life in a way I had never seen before. They had realistic motivations and we got to see the points of view of pretty much all of the main players, which was a real treat. There was no magic, no gods, only a plausible historical scenario in Colleen McCullough’s masterpiece, which makes it even more impressive. I can’t praise it enough. Continue reading