Forty Books I've Enjoyed: Part I

One of these days I’m going to write a blog post that is not list-style. Today is not that day.

I’m going to split this list into two posts because I got a little wordier than I intended to. I can’t make “forty” lists without doing something about books, can I? So this list of 40 books that I’ve enjoyed. I had a hard time stopping at 40 and keep feeling bad about the ones I didn’t get to. 

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry 

I have loved this book since childhood, and often hail it as my all-time favorite. Now there are so many similar books in the dystopian genre that The Giver would be very underwhelming to the modern reader, but back when it was written, it was quite mind-blowing (to me, anyway). I also like the movie. 

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is another of my all-time favorite books. I've read (and listened) to The Book Thief many times. I think having Death as a narrator is so clever, and I really like the way Zusak portrays Death - not as a character full of malice but an empathetic being who carries a weight in his duties. I also like the theme of the power of words and the power of reading. 

Rosa Hubermann is one of my favorite characters ever!

3. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I had to read the unabridged version of Les Mis for AP English in high school over the summer. On the first day of school, had a test on the book, and if we didn't pass, we were OUTTA THERE! (I passed. Phew!) My English teacher's justification for this requirement was, "You can answer any essay question with Les Mis!" and she was absolutely right! 

I resented Les Mis for a long time because of school, but now that I'm a real life grown up, I love the story, love the themes, and love the characters. Jean Valjean and Javert are top of my list with Rosa Hubermann for all-time favorite literary characters. 

I also love the musical and love the BBC mini series (I've watched it twice - I didn't like it the first time but loved it the second time). The book is amazing, but find yourself an abridged version. Hugo knows how to take a political tangent and run with it... for hundreds of pages. Let someone sift it out for you! 

4. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

I don't know what made me read this book. The Netflix series came out, and I never intended to watch it (still haven't, but I'm more open to it now). I was annoyed by people posting YouTube videos of themselves doing dumb things blindfolded (this was pre-Tik Tok - it's hard to recall a time when Tik Tok didn't rule the world). Somehow I ended up reading the book, and I really like it. 

Like, really really liked it. 

Bird Box is such a psychological trip. The entire time, you don't know what to believe. Unfortunately, it's also gory and full of swears, so I can't recommend it with good conscience

It has a sequel, which I've also read, and I wish they would have just left the original story alone (although there is one very intriguing revelation in the sequel). 

5. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

To be honest, this book is boring, but I really liked the themes of religion and art. I've always been fascinated by Orthodox Judaism. In my copy, I have written all the definitions to the Jewish words, and I printed out a lot of the artwork mentioned and glued them in the pages. I didn't "read" Asher Lev, I studied it. And it was just out of personal interest - not for school. 

6. The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan

I listened to this book while on vacation in Lake Tahoe several years ago, and I enjoyed the narration and the story. This book spoke to me of the strength women can have when they come together and the healing power of music. 

7. Columbine by Dave Cullen

This is a fascinating non-fiction piece about the Columbine shooting. Not for everyone. 

8. The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal

When I did my internship for school, I was involved in the creation and beta testing of a workshop for which this book was a resource. I learned a lot from this book. I feel like it's a manual for how to deal with adversity. 

9. Have You Seen Luis Veldez by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I don't remember a lot of details from this book, but it's a sweet story about a young man who develops a meaningful friendship with an elderly woman. 

10. Anxious People by Frederik Backman 

This story is about a failed bank robber who accidentally takes several people hostage during a real estate open house. Most of the people are incredibly unlikable, but as the story moves forward, and you begin to learn their backstories, you grow to understand them. This book forces you to think about things you would "never" do - like rob a bank - and makes you realize you can never say never. Also, people are not always what we assume them to be. A life lesson I'm forever learning.

I didn't really like this book at first, but then when the entire story had unfolded, I retained it as my favorite book I read that year (2021).

11. Seekers Wanted by Anthony Sweat

You can read more about this book here. 

12. Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker-Bradley

This book deals with hard subjects and is written for a young audience. The content is important but should be approached with care. In the author's note, she explains that she was sexually abused as a child, and she wanted to write a story for children on this topic. I think she handled it with excellence - keeping the story very real while interweaving hope for healing. I am not sure what age I would recommend this for. It really depends on the maturity level and the life experience of each individual child. However, I highly recommend this for adults.

13. All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat 

You may recall the story from 2018 - when 12 young soccer players and their coach got stuck in a cave in Thailand. The week after the rescue took place, I was in Lake Tahoe (listening to The Chilbury Ladies Choir), and a documentary aired on the Discovery Channel about the event. I'd heard about the boys stuck in the cave, but I hadn't followed the story very closely, so I really didn't know much about it. I knew that they'd all been saved, and that was nice to hear, but I had no idea just how miraculous it was that every single one of them was able to come out safely, so I was captivated by the documentary. While the documentary was was mind-blowing, it barely tapped the surface the the story. 

This book goes into far more detail about the nature of the cave and what had to be done to save those boys. The story and the rescue efforts are just incredible. Even if you don't read this book word for word, it's worth checking out from the library just to skim a bit. As a bonus, it has pictures!

14. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku

This is a very positive, healing memoir from a Holocaust survivor. I liked it, and it was of reasonable length. Sometimes memoirs can be just too darn long! This one was just right.

15. Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard

This is a book that I don't think most people would care for. You might say, "Meh, it was just okay." For some reason, I really liked this one. It's about a broken family, and the ways they hurt each other but then also the ways they find healing. It was so raw and real, and there was so much in the mother, Eleanor's, experience that I could relate to. This book made me feel stuff - joy and pain - and it was beautifully written. I stayed up really late in a hotel room to finish it because I couldn't put it down, and yet, I knew while reading it that this isn't a book for the masses. 

16. I Must Betray You by Rita Sepetys 

This book has been quite popular (among Rita's other works). She's good, you guys. She's good! 

This book dove into a part of history I knew nothing about that happened during my lifetime (1989). I love a book that puts morals and ethics into question. Who do you save and who do you betray when you're being blackmailed and when your safety or your family is at risk? 

17. The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour

Read more about this book here. 

18. Wait Til Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Read more about this book here. 

19. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I've read The Handmaid's Tale twice (I've also read the sequel, but I haven't watched the show). It's among the best of dystopians. What makes a good dystopian, in my opinion, is making it believable. Weave me a story that parallels our current society just enough that I can actually fear us turning one small corner and ending up there. 

20. The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty 

This is another book that I don't think the masses would like, but I do! I've read it twice. It's quirky, and kind of weird. I almost gave up on it the first time through because it seemed plotless - like it was going nowhere, and the timeline was a little confusing (I eventually figured out what the author was doing, and then it made more sense). This is another tale of a broken, somewhat dysfunctional family, and in the end, I really liked the characters' flaws and imperfections. 

To be continued…