If anyone knows one thing about me, it is that I love to read. Nothing in this world is better than cuddling up with a good book on a rainy day. A good story can make the coldest day feel warm. Choosing favorites has always been difficult, but there are some books that have held my soul so captive that they have made it into my top five reads.
5. “Caraval” by Stephanie Garber
“Caraval” tells the story of a girl who runs away to a fantastic festival called Caraval with her sister in which she loses her. She spends the story trying to differentiate between reality and illusion all while trying to find and save her sister. This book took me a few tries to get into, but ultimately, I loved it. Once the story took off, I could not put down the book. In a time when I questioned if I would ever find a five-star read again, this book did it.
4. “On Writing” by Steven King
“On Writing” is the only book on here that is not fictional. “On Writing” is partially a memoir and partially a toolbox for writers. This was required reading for my English class, but as a future author, I learned a lot from this book. Steven King takes his readers on a journey of how he became a writer and his perspective of how to craft a well-written book.
3. “Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo
“Six of Crows” follows the story of six teenagers that pull off the ultimate prison break. This is the book that taught me that I do love to read fantasy. I feel in love with each one of these characters, and I love to immerse myself in this story. I originally took this book from the library, but I cannot wait to get my own copy!
2. “The Darkness Outside Us” by Eliot Schrefer
“The Darkness Outside Us” follows the story of two characters who have been sent on a journey to one of the moons of Jupiter, but the catch is they were lied to and they were never going to Jupiter. This book showed me how you can make a book a piece of art. The creativity of this book went above and beyond anything that I had ever read before. This book makes you question everything you have read, but it just makes the story so much better.
1. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austin
“Pride and Prejudice” is my all-time favorite book. The book follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy who must overcome their pride and their prejudice on the path of love. This book was written so beautifully that I could not help but love it. I could feel the emotion seeping through the pages with every piece of dialogue. Jane Austin is one of my favorite authors, and her books will always have a special place in my heart.
As I read more books and uncover more stories, I cannot wait to add to the long list of books I love. I hope that one day a book of my own crosses someone’s list of their own top five books.