My First 100 Books
I only really discovered reading for pleasure at the age 13 or 14 but since then I have really fallen in love. I started out by reading the first couple of Darren Shan’s Cirque Du Freak series, Robert Muchamore’s Cherub series, and Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books. Don’t get me wrong I was slow going for the first couple of years; I’m still not the fastest reader in the world. Since 2013 or so I have read 100 books. I want to tell you what I’ve learned, what I’ve read, why I think it's made me a better and more understanding person.
I have really read all sorts of stuff in the past 7 years: from 1984 to most of John Green’s novels, from poetry by Johnny Cash or A. E. Houseman; not to mention non-fiction book on everything from Drugs Nazi Germany to Louis Theroux’s autobiography (which is great by the way). Let me take you through some key things I’ve relied on over the last 100 books, along with a few recommendations to get you started.
The Don’t Forget about the Classics-
There is a reason that books like Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and Nineteen-Eighty-Four are called classics; they are great. Sure some might feel a little bit dated or not as easy to read as other novels but yet they can still transport us into another world and make us feel things that are still important and still resonate today. You might be used to having to pick these books up at school and this can ruin books for plenty of people but they don’t have to be read line-by-line with critical analysis; they can be enjoyably read. So pick up a classic and get lost.
5 Wonderful Classics:
Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Nineteen-Eighty-Four by George Orwell
The Plague by Albert Camus
Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koeslter
Credit- Michael Ayrton, 1960
Credit- Francis Cugat, 1951
Non-Fiction is just as Important as Fiction
When you say non-fiction to some people all they think of is huge tomes about the Second World War or some distant historical monarch but that’s not how it should be and not how it is in reality, most of the time anyway. So to challenge the first of these ideas that non-fiction books are daunting and inaccessible, a number of the 100 books I’ve read suggest the opposite. For example, one great book is a collection of Greta Thumberg’s speeches called No one is too Small to Make a Difference, which most people could finish in a day or two at most; another great short non-fiction book, which was actually the 100th of the 100, is Diarmaid Ferriter’s The Border which is less than 150 pages long. What’s more non-fiction is not just about taking on a collection of new facts or figures, it’s about challenging the way we think by contrasting our world view with that of other people. Plus non-fiction books can be just as entertaining and funny as fiction books.
Don’t forget that non-fiction really can be about anything, from true crime to autobiographies.
5 Non-Fiction books to take a look at:
Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawk
The Border: The Legacy of a Century of Anglo-Irish Politics by Diarmaid Ferriter
Gotta Get Theroux This by Louis Theroux
Learning From the Germans: Confronting Race and the Memory of Evil by Susan Neiman
God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens
Give Everything a Go
I can’t stress this enough that reading is all about enjoyment; it’s not about fulfilling a quota or reading books that you think will make you sound good in conversations. If you are interested in a person, place, or topic then pick up a book on it and if it turns out that book isn’t very good don’t be afraid to put it down and move on to the next one. There is no point reading when you’re not enjoying yourself; you’re just wasting your time if you do that. As an addition to this, you don’t just have to read traditional novels; graphic novels can be just as engrossing. Personally I really want to get into giving screenplays a go. I can guarantee that whatever you like you’ll be able to find a book or two on it.
I can’t tell you what your new favourite book might be, that’s up to you, but I can give you a few suggestions based on subject area.
Great all-round Recommendations:
Horror- Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Young Adult Fiction- Simon versus the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Politics / Current Affairs- All Out War & Fall Out by Tim Shipman
Poetry- Selected Poems by Langston Hughes
Drama- Normal People by Sally Rooney
So if you don’t already love books, now is the perfect time to get into reading for pleasure. Get out there (while abiding by social distancing rules) and find your next page turner to get lost in.
P.S.
Feel free to check out my book Instagram (B_&_B_Books); you can send me recommendations or if you just want to chat about what you’re reading then feel free to get in touch.