The Best Books in the World
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Of my 16 years on this Earth I have spent approximately 6 years reading. I would like to share with you the books that made me laugh the most, those that made me think, and those that were just good for no precise reason.
Obviously, one of the best books in the world is the Hitch-hikers guide to the Galaxy, but I think that enough has been said about it already, so I will limit myself to EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT!
NB these books are listed in no particular order whatsoever, 'kay?
WILD SWANS by Jung Chang
This is a both a biography and an autobiography. It was the first bio I ever read, and I still think its the best. If you are even the teeniest bit interested in China, this is the book for you. Jung Chang tells the story of three generations of women in China; her grandmother, mother and herself. She charts the changes, from arranged marriages and bound feet to little red books and communist purges. The story is brutal in parts, but is told in such a beautiful style that it never repulses you. It shows what is best and worst in human nature, as well as telling the story of a country largely unknown in the West.
AGENT Z AND THE PENGUIN FROM MARS by Mark Haddon
This book is a complete contrast- it is incredably funny. Basically, it is about a boy, Ben, who, together with his friends, Barney and Jenks, gets revenge on his neigbour, Mr Sidebottom. This revenge involves a stolen penguin, some bacofoil, half a meteorite, and a giant helium balloon, among other things. If your confused, it'll all makes sense when you read the book! It comes under the genre of "Things which Could and Should happen, but somehow Never Do". I think it deserves to be considered a modern classic; even the title is genius!
THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY by Mervyn Peake
I discovered the wonder of this when the BBC (bless them) made it into a TV mini-series. Theres one comment about it that sums it up beautifully, but unfortunately I didn't think of it. Voila: "Before you have read Gormenghast you have never known anything like it before, but once you have read it you see things like it everywhere". That is the beauty of this book- bizarre characters, amazing plots and sudden desciptive passages the like of which no-one alse could write. My mother claimed she couldn't "get into" this book, but the secret is to imagine yourself on a comletely deserted moor in Scotland. Turn around, and theres Gormenghast...(It works for me, anyway).
MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS by Gerald Durrell
This is a zoological/autobiographic/humourous book, about the authors childhood in Corfu. Although the fauna are officially the subject, Durrell's incredably eccentric family are the real stars. They even make my family seem normal and well-adjusted! My copy of this is falling to pieces as I have read it so many times, but it has never yet failed to make me laugh, even if I was sad/ill/angry/etc. Gerald Durrell has written many other books, but has never surpassed this. The perfect book to read if you depressed.
Obviously, one of the best books in the world is the Hitch-hikers guide to the Galaxy, but I think that enough has been said about it already, so I will limit myself to EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT!
NB these books are listed in no particular order whatsoever, 'kay?
WILD SWANS by Jung Chang
This is a both a biography and an autobiography. It was the first bio I ever read, and I still think its the best. If you are even the teeniest bit interested in China, this is the book for you. Jung Chang tells the story of three generations of women in China; her grandmother, mother and herself. She charts the changes, from arranged marriages and bound feet to little red books and communist purges. The story is brutal in parts, but is told in such a beautiful style that it never repulses you. It shows what is best and worst in human nature, as well as telling the story of a country largely unknown in the West.
AGENT Z AND THE PENGUIN FROM MARS by Mark Haddon
This book is a complete contrast- it is incredably funny. Basically, it is about a boy, Ben, who, together with his friends, Barney and Jenks, gets revenge on his neigbour, Mr Sidebottom. This revenge involves a stolen penguin, some bacofoil, half a meteorite, and a giant helium balloon, among other things. If your confused, it'll all makes sense when you read the book! It comes under the genre of "Things which Could and Should happen, but somehow Never Do". I think it deserves to be considered a modern classic; even the title is genius!
THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY by Mervyn Peake
I discovered the wonder of this when the BBC (bless them) made it into a TV mini-series. Theres one comment about it that sums it up beautifully, but unfortunately I didn't think of it. Voila: "Before you have read Gormenghast you have never known anything like it before, but once you have read it you see things like it everywhere". That is the beauty of this book- bizarre characters, amazing plots and sudden desciptive passages the like of which no-one alse could write. My mother claimed she couldn't "get into" this book, but the secret is to imagine yourself on a comletely deserted moor in Scotland. Turn around, and theres Gormenghast...(It works for me, anyway).
MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS by Gerald Durrell
This is a zoological/autobiographic/humourous book, about the authors childhood in Corfu. Although the fauna are officially the subject, Durrell's incredably eccentric family are the real stars. They even make my family seem normal and well-adjusted! My copy of this is falling to pieces as I have read it so many times, but it has never yet failed to make me laugh, even if I was sad/ill/angry/etc. Gerald Durrell has written many other books, but has never surpassed this. The perfect book to read if you depressed.
