My Favourite Book

Hello!

I decided to do a post on my favourite book, and why I enjoy reading in general.
To be honest with you, I don't have a favourite novel.
End of post.

No, I do not have a favourite novel because 1. I have not read all of the books in the world so it is highly possible that I have not discovered it, and 2. books in certain genres cannot really be compared to books in other genres because they are so different.

I have loved reading ever since I was little, starting with the books that my parents used to read to me, e.g. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr and Mrs Pepperpot Stories by Alf Prøysen - my first 'big' book. These are brilliant children's books, and will be loved for generations to come. There are more children's books by Enid Blyton, Jacqueline Wilson (My Sister Jodie was the first book that I cried at) and lots more authors that I enjoyed reading.

Then, of course, came the Harry Potter series. I remember pre-ordering The Half Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows when I was younger. This is what started me reading properly. There is nothing that I can say about this series that everyone does not already know. If you are one of the few that has not read it, please do!

Some of my favourite YA books included:

• Delirium by Lauren Oliver, 
• Slated by Teri Terry, 
• The Hunger Games trilogy by Susan Collins,
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• J.R.R. Tolkien in general (if he counts as an author of YA), 
• the Trylle series by Amanda Hocking, 
• the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare, 
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio, 
• The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, 
• The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak,
• Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
• ALL of John Green's fantastic novels.

Wow, that's a long list. I specified YA in one list as I am trying to branch out my reading by trying out new genres in the adult world. Some of my favourites so far (including classics) are:

• The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger,
• The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon,
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn,
• Life Of Pie by Yann Martel,
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini,
• the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
• 1984 by George Orwell (as mentioned in my previous post),
• The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood,
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (a controversial one),
• The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde.

The lists could go on forever, and many more will be added over my years of reading. I will also be reading more manga this summer.

I love to read to escape to another world. As with music, reading a book is a way to get distracted after a bad day. A book, no matter how long or short, can make you laugh, cry, cringe, gasp and smile. Even when it is finished, it is embedded in your mind for a very long time, and can be read over and over and shared with friends and family. A good novel makes you relate to the characters. Becoming too attached to fictional characters is a whole over post, but that is what makes a good book. To leave such an impression on the audience is exactly what the author is wanting. If you do not enjoy reading, or are in a reading slump, go back to one of your old favourites or try a new book that appeals to you, but don't give up on it all together. Reading is one of my few hobbies, and I read everyday. I am one of those people that has to finish the book, even if I am not particularly enjoying it.

These are some of my favourite books, and the reasons why I love to read. What are your favourite books? Until the next post, happy reading!

- Ella :)