Ever
since I learned to read, I’ve been a voracious reader. I didn’t consume books,
they consumed me. They swallowed me whole, and spit me out at the end, feeling
like I’d been through a hurricane of emotions. The pavement is probably worn
thin between my childhood home and the town library from how many times I
walked back and forth. I couldn’t get enough. I still can’t. I can’t keep up
with how fast I go through books. I’d be broke if I bought them all new. Even
someone who consumes at least two books a week has favourites though. Below are
five of mine.
My
first ever favourite book was The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch. I had a copy
of it that wasn’t much larger than a soda cracker. I was first fascinated by
the size of that book. That’s what drew me in. It fit so well in my little
hands. Once I read it, I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to be Princess Elizabeth
with every fiber of my being. She was an amazing, badass role model, before I
even knew I wanted or needed one in my life. I highly suggest getting this for
any young children in your life. It can be life changing.
Charlotte’s
Web was another childhood favourite that I’ve never grown out of. I’ve lost
count of the amount of times I’ve read the tale of Wilbur and friends. You can
never be too old to be mesmerized by the wonder of “some pig”, and the amazing
spider behind him. Your heart with grow bigger than Templeton the rats belly
from reading about the love and hard work that goes into making Wilbur shine.
I
first read Crabbe in the5th or 6th grade. It was the first
“adult” book that I read. I remember being scandalized by some of the content,
but also so excited to be reading something so grown up. I know a lot of people who read it as assigned reading
in high school and hated it, but I like to think that it’s because they were
forced to read it. It’s an awesome tale of self preservation and coming of age
that I think everyone should read at least once. It also gets bonus points for
the fact that it takes place primarily in Algonquin Park, somewhere where I’ve
actually been multiple times.
Just
Listen was the book that first introduced me to one of my favourite authors,
Sarah Dessen. I remember being intrigued by the cover, the torso of a girl holding
an MP3 player. I finished all 400 pages in a day and a half. I could not get
enough. I quickly devoured everything she had written before, and have kept up
with everything she’s written since, and I love it all. She’s amazing at heavy
topics, deftly broaching subjects such as abuse, eating disorders, and death,
making you feel like it’s your best friend talking to you about it. It’s
exactly what I needed at 16, and I’ll always be down to see what she writes
next. This one will always be closest to my heart though.
Lastly
for my top 5 is Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I first heard about Rainbow during
the hype surrounding Eleanor & Park, but this is the book that sold me on
her. It could not be cuter. Lincoln is possibly my favourite literary romantic
lead of all time, along with being all around one of my favourite characters. I
want to live in the world of this book forever and always.
I hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favourites. I love
talking about books, so let me know some of your favourites in the comments!
