William Golding
The self-discovery. The youth figures in this novel drew me in. There was something scary yet thrilling to live on an island with the young boys. But ultimately their childhoods fade without the presence of adults and after the first struggle for food, all the purities of juvenescence become lost.
To Kill A Mockingbird
Harper Lee
The one I read to young. It is the perfect mix of innocence and complex social forums completely under appreciated at the age of 12 but, analyzed, grasped, and respected at 15.
One For The Money
Janet Evanovich
The fun one. Every once and a while a little boost, in the form of a super sexy badass, crime fighting, bounty hunter, is needed to brighten our day. All the power and all the femininity cleverly wrapped into a high-speed chase novel.
Life of Pi
Yann Martel
The unbelievable fantasy. This is the first novel I have read that tells its story twice within its pages. As I struggled to pick the true story, I found that, in fact, there is something to be said about both sides. We often encounter reality too grisly to digest but with several situational twists the same story can become something so mundane. Its up to you to choose which you believe in but as for me, it’s both.
The Prestige
Christopher Priest
The mind bender. This is some of the most astonishing magic and obscure science that has ever been penned in the same source. The dark clashes with the black as the struggle towards success is tested with no limitations to the acts to expose the truth.
Beloved
Toni Morrison
The one I’ll never forget. It is by far the strangest book I have ever read. And probably the only book that took days after I finished reading it to even begin to understand it. Certainly the most misrepresented novel from the beginning. Reading it heightened my ability to think outside the box and forced me to find my own interpretation.
Déja Dead
Kathy Reichs
The scientific one. This is one of the most realistic murder mysteries in my forensic repertoire. It is the only to detail the process, what we really want to hear, instead of just the final conclusion. We learn that, in fact, there is no such thing as a perfect crime.
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hossini
The moving one. So much about this novel makes it a mystifying read. I encountered moments where my mind would cringe at the image in my head and the only thing I could do was set aside the book to let the image fade. This book functions as a history lesson as well as a guide for morality. For more impressions see my Illusive Decency blog
Interred With Their Bones
Jennifer Lee Carrell
The hybrid. It functions as a history, geography, and literature lesson while misdirecting me the whole way. It was an interesting paradigm of Shakespeare the man, the idea, and the works. Leaving only one question unanswered. Are you a Stratfordian theorist?
Lauren, I not only have a feed, I've received posts like this one that I missed before. Excellent. I like what you said about books like Mockingbird and Beloved and Lord of the Flies, and I've even read one by Kathy Reichs (not the one you mention, but I wonder just what you mean by your forensic repertoire). So thanks for an interesting list.
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