In one of the latest and more enjoyable Facebook chain-statuses, I was asked which ten books have stayed with or touched me in some ways. Having spent a surprisingly large amount of time reflecting on and spelling out the significance of each book to my life thus far, I thought: why not share them here as well?
So here they are, my ten:
1. The Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder – a bit of a cheat since it’s more than 1 book, but never mind! The series is my favourite childhood read and to this day holds my record for the highest number of re-reads. To other Little House fans, I like in particular the ones centred on Laura’s life before she got married.
2. The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella – Becky Bloomwood for the world! I have yet to find a more entertaining chick flick author than Kinsella, and Shopaholic is her at her best and brightest. The perfect fun read, and one I can always turn to in my time of need.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – the book that has touched me the most, and probably is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read.
4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – the book that has amazed me the most, and drawn the most chuckles. Incidentally, I lost my first copy before I got to finish it (I have since acquired 2 others, which I will start re-reading soon), so no spoilers please! *also on my favourite book list*
5. Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstadter – the most wonderfully weird and smartest book I’ve ever read. I’d recommend this to any curious mind. *same here*
6. The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb – if there ever was a book that shifted my paradigm, this was it.
7. Human Conduct by John Hospers – my first substantial philosophy read and probably a key stimulator of my interest in the field. If you happen to have a copy and are willing to lend it, please make yourself known – I’d very much like to read it again!
8. The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson – the only books I’d call “too good to put down”, the most absorbing and well-written fiction I’ve ever read (with Harry Potter a close second!).
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – if reading To Kill a Mockingbird made me feel happy and warm, reading this left me with a gaping hole. This is the only book to make me physically ache. Such powerful writing.
10. L’âge de raison by Jean-Paul Sartre – it just feels wrong not to include a French book, and this comes in just ahead of L’étranger by Albert Camus. I’m not entirely sure if this book has stayed with me in a good way… but stayed with me, it has!
What about you? Which ten books have stayed with you the most?
Feel free to share publicly via the elusive comment box (whoever designed this theme couldn’t have made it harder to find!), or in the more user-friendly private form below. 🙂
Love,
Val
Val Saksornchai 
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