My Top 10 All Time Favourite Books! | Happy World Book Day!
Posted On April 23, 2020
Happy World Book Day, my Readers!! On this joyous occasion, I came up with the idea of telling you all about my 10 Favourite Books of All Time! Fun, isn’t it? You can any time check my Goodreads to get this list, but after my colleague asked me about it, I just had to write a post on it! I have rated all these 10 Books at 5/5 on Goodreads! Here we go!
~~ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by ANTHONY DOERR~~
I read this wondrous book ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ by Anthony Doerr. It just touched my heart! It has very rightfully won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction back in 2015! This is hands-down one of the best books I have read in my life. It is a beautiful story in the historical fiction genre, set in France during WWII. There are two story lines ‘ Marie-Laure & Werner Pfenning. Reading this novel gave me a lot of hope. It’s the kind of book that you just need to read to unravel its uniqueness.
~~THE GOLDFINCH by DONNA TARTT~~
Donna Tartt’s ‘The Goldfinch’ is undoubtedly #2 on my Top 10 Books! This one also won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014. Whenever I read the name of the book, I am teleported to the time I read this book; a world of literary brilliance! It is a wonderful story of Theodore Decker & the painting he stole ‘ The Goldfinch. I think he is someone who has seen everything that’s possible to see in one lifetime. Death. Addiction. Adventure. Obsession. Fate. Life. It is incredible how many challenges he faces & how he comes out of them. At times, the book is downright emotional, at other times almost too cruel. But, when you see how it is pieced together towards the end, you will be the one feeling all the feelings possible!
~~THE BOOK THIEF by MARKUS ZUSAK~~
I read Markus Zusak’s ‘The Book Thief’ long ago, which is why I don’t exactly remember it. But, what I remember is that I truly enjoyed reading it! I think this book is usually on every reader’s Top 10 List & I won’t be surprised by that! Similar to ‘All the Light We Cannot See’, this book is based in the time of WWII. The protagonist is Liesel who is our little book thief. What starts as a harmless theft, turns into an overgrowing love for books for Liesel. And, while she is engrossed with her books, much more intense things happen around her which end up altering her life.
~~A LITTLE LIFE by HANYA YANAGIHARA~~
This little modern-day classic by Hanya Yanagihara has captured my heart. This book won Man Book Prize in 2015. ‘A Little Life’ is the story of one person ‘ ‘JUDE ST. FRANCIS’. It revolves around his horrific childhood, all the people connected to him as he grows into adulthood & his mental health. The book starts out as something but grows & ends up in something entirely different. This intense & powerful novel focuses on the realities of friendship. It puts forth the horrors of abuse. It is sadist and yet there is beauty in it. It is intense yet there is joy in it. It is something else & you won’t know until you read for yourself.
~~THE KITE RUNNER by KHALED HOSSEINI~~
What can I say about this absolute treasure of a novel? I’m an ardent Khaled Hosseini fan & I love all of his books! The Kite Runner is definitely his best work. It captures so many emotions which contradict themselves giving the reader such pleasure in the whole experience. It is a wonderful & heart-warming tale of friendship between Amir & Hassan. There are a million little things that will touch your heart. This along with A Thousand Splendid Suns & And the Mountains Echoed are a MUST-READ!!
~~THE MOMENT OF LIFT by MELINDA GATES~~
Most of the books you will find here are fiction, but Melinda Gates’ ‘The Moment of Lift’ is one such beauty which I had to include. It is the single most amazing non-fiction book I have ever read! The Moment of Lift is a book reflecting on how empowering women changes the world. It has topics such as Maternal & Newborn Health, Family Planning, Girls in Schools, Unpaid Work, Child Marriage, Women in Agriculture, Women in the Workplace & the last chapter ‘ Let Your Heart Break: The Lift of Coming Together.
The best thing about these topics is that the author hasn’t put a lot of facts & data into it. Yes, there is data. But, it is always accompanied with real life stories. Melinda Gates has travelled the remotest parts of the world & shared it with us. She talks about how we need to focus on the people who are on the edge. We need to make outsiders feel like insiders & stop creating a world where there is an inside-outside parameter. Her experiences are remarkable & it reflects in all the stories she has written.
~~DAISY JONES & THE SIX by TAYLOR JENKINS REID~~
I am sensing a trend in my Top 10 Favourites, which is, I am a definite fan of HISTORICAL FICTION! Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ is another novel from the historical fiction genre & I absolute love this one! I could say it is more light compared to the others on this list, but still not any less intense. This was a pick on Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club & probably the only one which I loved so much.It’s like reading a documentary about the best band there ever was. Daisy Jones is someone who is popular for nothing in particular, until she finally starts singing & writing songs. The Six consists of 6 members of the band. They have a lot of talent, but not as much fame as Daisy. So, together, they become a perfect combo. It starts off with different chapters wherein there are story lines happening for Daisy & The Six parallely until the stories finally merge & the outcome is a beautiful song named ‘Honeycomb’. It is simple. It is intense. It is glorified. It is magic. It is 70s rock n roll!
~~MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by LORI GOTTLIEB~~
Here is another Non-Fiction Treasure! This amazing book is written by Lori Gottlieb who is a brilliant psycho therapist. As the title suggests, ‘Maybe You Should Talk to Someone’ is about therapy. The author talks about her different patients who see her for a lot of different reasons. Their therapy journey is beautifully showcased from start till end. We also get to see Lori’s therapist & their sessions. Throughout the book, there is so much character development from all these characters that is nothing but inspiring. Lori, her patients, her therapist! It’s brilliantly written & after reading it, even you will take something from it in the form of therapy.
~~THE ALCHEMIST by PAULO COELHO~~
Paulo Coelho is another one of my favourite authors! I think that putting ‘The Alchemist’ on this list is just too common, but I had to. I loved that book. It had so many giveaways! This too I read a long time ago & so don’t remember it all. Here is the Goodreads description though-
Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different, and far more satisfying, listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
~~THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by ANNE FRANK~~
Now, last but not the least is Anne Frank’s ‘The Diary of a Young Girl.’ This is undoubtedly one of the most powerful & emotional classics. I don’t think this book needs any introduction. If you haven’t read it already, you MUST!
So, this was fun. It did take me some time to come up with this list. Out of my 26 ALL-TIME FAVOURITES, I picked the above 10 & I am certain I have made a good decision! It was also fun to do a photoshoot with the book with me in it! Ever since the lockdown started, this must be the first time I dressed up for this! I’m so proud!
HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY to all of you!!
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.