Top 5 Favorite Books of All Time

When I think about reading, I think about my younger self spending late nights on my kindle buying love story after love story. That was all I read. It was all about the romantic gestures and traumatic events that brought people together. I fell in love with The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene and countless others that showed the depth of true love. Although The Fault in Our Stars is definitely extremely sad and heart wrenching, I read plenty of others were definitely of lighter topics and solely about falling for someone and going on cute dates. These were my favorite because they taught my younger self that maybe I could one day have these cute relationships, that I could go snow tubing with a guy and he would make us fall and kiss me. When I first read those lines, my heart burst with happiness, I thought it was the sweetest thing. Unfortunately, that has not happened to me yet. Besides the point, I was obsessed with love stories. As time passed, I started reading less as school got more difficult and I spent more time on devices, but reading has always been a way for me to escape into another reality. If I fall in love with a book, I fall hard. I obsess over it and do my best to finish it as soon as possible. The books I am about to talk about are just like that.

1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This book is perfect for someone who loves historical fiction. It follows the lives of two sisters in France during World War II. They both overcome many challenges, although their values and beliefs may be different. There is love and tragedy that is portrayed in such a beautiful manner.

2. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

This book is about the life of a mixed-race Chinese American family in Ohio. The daughter, Lydia, drowned in a lake (not a spoiler do not worry) and the novel focuses on the emotion and reaction her death triggered. As the book goes on, more is learned about each character and how they all struggle with identity and fight to find their place in the world.

3. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

When Breath Becomes Air is a true story about a neurosurgeon who, at 36 years old, is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He beautifully writes about his life story and the impact of his cancer diagnosis on his life. Throughout the book he searches for the meaning of life, which really puts things into perspective. This book is fascinating, especially given that we are living through a pandemic. It taught me a lot about what to value and how life is a very precious thing.

4. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This book is about romance, murder, and finding oneself. The book starts where Kya is a young girl whose family abandons her. She learns to fend for and take care of herself. She goes through cycles of love and pain, yet she discovers who she truly is and what she values in life. The overarching theme of this book is coming of age through trauma, complicated relationships, and connection to nature.

5. Educated by Tara Westover

Educated is a memoir, which discusses Tara’s early life in a mormon home. She grew up with very anti-government, survivalist beliefs, but works her way out of that life through education and college. It is an exceptionally well-written book. I absolutely love it.

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if you like any of these books!!