Chris' favourite books!

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 the5^th or 6^th 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!