10 Great Books That Hit All the Right Notes
Like so many writers, as a child, I read all the time. I still read a lot. There is no way to laser in on what makes the books we love, the books we love. Yet, sometimes, we just go all in. Perhaps the writing entices us or perhaps it’s all about the story. Either way, there is an unquestionable magic to the great books that hit all the right notes for us. They take us into another world and hold us until the story is done. Here is my list of 10 great books that hit all the right notes for me.
Every book doesn’t tick all the boxes for me. But oh, how I chase the high.
The Chronical of Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis This series is captivating. Young readers will find a fantasy world to get lost in for many days. Great summer series.
Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain Twain’s book is Satirical Rhetoric and is one of the funnies books I’ve ever read. Anyone who can read the book with an open mind, will find food for thought inside.
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin There are so many reasons to like this book, chief among them is the writing. Baldwin is so lyrical, plus his writing style is powerful, raw and honest.
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson A book about self-deception may not sound like a good read but this one was that and more. The authors’ presentation proved to be well-written, informative and for me inspirational.
From So Simple A Beginning by Charles Darwin (Find his work here) This gigantic book contains all of the scientific writings of Charles Darwin. In it, he writes about the Theory of Evolution, and much more. Read the book to understand some of the connections between our greatest achievements and Darwin’s science. Unfortunately, human beings also managed to use his brilliance to justify many of its inhumane acts. See if you can spot those connections too.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card I rooted for Ender. He was the underdog that we love to see beat the odds. But the book was so much more than an underdog story. It was about ethics. The original sequels are excellent too.
The Lord of the Rings Series (which for me includes The Silmarillion) by J. R. R. Tolkien I love the books, not the movies. These books captured my imagination and with them I painted the landscape of the worlds Tolkien created. My imagination was not as dark or scary as the movies.
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler I’ll admit it, this book caught me by surprise. Yet, in it, I found a world so completely drawn, characters so original and a story so utterly fascinating.
Dune by Frank Herbert My first dog was named Dune because I loved this book that much. The world Herbert created is reason enough to read the book. Although it falls in the sci-fi genre, it’s really other world politics. But the characters and interactions are worth the read.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok This is my all time favorite book. I’m not sure what made it so, but I just bet it had a whole lot to do with my age. When I read the book, I was an angry, frustrated teen; ready to rebel as much as any teen ever was.
While reading the book, the unusual friendship between Danny and Reuven drew me into the story. At the same time, I found myself forever captured by Potok’s writing style because his words jumped off the page. For me, the combination was magical.
