I always get swept away in Chapters. Or any bookstore really. Walking through the rows and rows of books, their silent covers promising adventure, love, new ideas and perspectives… There is nothing that I love better then reading a good book. I usually always carry one with me, and have one ready to read when I finish.
It is kind of funny how we love to engage ourselves in other people’s stories. Even if you’re not a big reader, this is true. I have yet to meet someone who does not have some type of favourite TV show, or a movie that they enjoy, which really is the same as a book. They both tell a story, but books are way better, in my opinion.
There is something alluring about fiction. Maybe it is because they reflect enough of reality back to us that we feel we can relate. It dramatizes our characteristics and plays up our drama, creating a world we can recognize no matter if the story takes place on a pirate ship in the 1600s, or across the world on the streets of London.
Although there is no possible way I could pick favourites, I thought I would list five books I have read that I loved, in case someone out there wants to try something new.
1. Dream When You’re Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg – Elizabeth Berg is amazing. Her stories pull at the heartstrings, are entertaining and have observations about the world that make you think. This book is about a girl and her family in WWII.
2. Inda by Sherwood Smith – This is the first of a four-part series. If you love new worlds, intricate characters and complicated plot lines, this is a great series.
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns – This is a powerful book that tells the story of two Afghanistan women. It gives amazing insight to life in that country.
4. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck – Published in 1931, this book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, it is definitely worth a read.
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I know there was a lot of hype about the movie, but the books were actual pretty good. I quite enjoyed them.
Fiction takes us on journeys; it teaches us about different cultures, people and helps us understand our own motives. It is a way to escape our own world and forget our problems if only for a short while.
