Blog Every Day in May - Blog 11 - Book Love

Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When I was younger I was a really keen reader, but I think I lost the bug in my early 20s due to years of study, where reading was a necessity rather than fun. I didn't really start reading again until three or four years ago. I read less now than I used to, but always take a book or two on holiday with me.

As a result of my sporadic reading tendencies, I don't have a specific favourite book, so I thought I'd mention the five I most remember from throughout the times when I was reading.

The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

I loved this book when I was young and used to dream that I'd find a tree nearby which I could climb up into the clouds, leaving my current life behind. I'd not really thought about this book for years before thinking about this blog, but now think I may just download it onto my Kindle for old time's sake!

The World According to Garp - John Irving

This book had a sort of cult status when I was at school and so it was inevitable I'd read it. From what I remember it was hard to get into, but worth it as it kept moving along with twists and turns along the way. A film was made of it, starring Robin Williams, which was even more dramatic than the book if that were possible. I read a number of other John Irving books afterwards, but this was the one that stuck in my mind.

Goddess, The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe - Anthony Summers

I'd never really read non-fiction before but had seen a programme about the conspiracy theories behind Marilyn Monroe's death in my late teens and so picked up this book. It was gripping as I really knew very little about her, so it was fascinating to read about her life, career, the demons that plagued her and the mystery surrounding her death. All desperately tragic, but I'm very glad I learned something about such an icon.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

This clearly came in my more recent reading phase. I'd heard people talking about it at work, and thought I'd like to see what all the fuss was about. To be honest, it's fairly disturbing in parts, but it's an absolutely gripping read. I've read the other books in the series and I'm only sorry that Stieg Larsson is no longer around to create more books in this style.

The Redbreast - Jo Nesbo

After enjoying the Stieg Larsson series, I'd heard good things about this series, also by a Scandinavian author. It took a little while to get into and, like The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, can be a challenging read when there are loads of Scandinavian names being thrown into the mix, but I really enjoyed it. I've read two other books with the same lead characters and hope to get another under my belt on my next holiday.


If having seen my eclectic taste in books, you think you can recommend something else I may enjoy reading, please leave me a comment below.