Top 5 Novels

I'd like to state, for the record, that my commitment to get out something every day has done a lot to cure any lingering perfectionist tendencies. That said, almost as soon as I released my list of top 5 albums last week I realized that it was a pretty awful list that really doesn't reflect my feelings right now. That said, take this list with a grain of salt.

I decided to leave off series in this list. Kind of arbitrary, but I think series like The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire would pretty comfortably make it onto this list, and it would be more boring because of it. Not to mention having to assess my current thoughts on Harry Potter...

5. Contact - Carl Sagan

Two Blog posts in a row about Contact, what an accomplishment. Truth be told, Carl Sagan isn't the best writer in the world, but what a great world to write about. I was almost moved to tears a few times reading about the world's development as the plot progressed. It's enough to make me wish I'd grown up on the original Cosmos TV series, as I think it would do me good to have more of that style and optimism.

4. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

So I'm cheating a bit on the series front. That said, I think this book is able to stand on its own better than, say, The Fellowship of the Ring. In the end, if you've read this book, you know why it's endured so well in many hearts. If not, get on it. It's ridiculously short and easy to read.

3. A Prisoner of Birth - Jeffrey Archer

The first book on this list that I read, and the only one that I've read more than once. I've already owned up to being a big Jeffrey Archer fan, and this is probably my favourite. It's a modern rethink of the Count of Monte Cristo, which I've also read and enjoyed. That said, Archer weaves his own motifs masterfully through the plot and in general it lines up a lot better with my modern sensibilities. It's just an easy read from start to finish, and eminently enjoyable.

2. Norwegian Wood - Murakami Haruki

The last two entries on this list are both books that I read as part of a book club while teaching in South Korea. I've come to really enjoy Murakami's writing style. I've read Kafka by the Shore, and I'm currently working through What I Talk About when I Talk About Running and The Wind-up Bird Chronicles. That said, Norwegian Wood is a cut above the rest, in my opinion. It carries none of the magic or mystique of some of his earlier novels, but it's masterfully crafted, and brought me to tears at the end (a common theme). At the base, maybe you could just say that it's a coming of age story set in 60s Tokyo, but it's a damn good one if it's that.

1. All the Light we Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

I'll admit, I cry easily when I'm reading. So maybe tears are just the lowest bar for a serious book to make it on this list. Doerr's masterpiece passed that test eventually, but more than that it captured my imagination and pitched a world war II story at me in a way that I'd never digested before. It's not a conventional war story, it's just a story about being in the world, about plenty and scarcity, but also about magic and mystery in good measure. I heartily recommend.