Every reader has a list of favorite books. The list keeps changing as our reading preferences evolve and change but there are definitely books that we keep coming back to time and again. The thought of certain books fill us with nostalgia and we wish we could read them again, for the first time. Out of all the books I’ve read over the years, if I were forced to pick only five these would probably be it.
The Island of the Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
This is a beautiful love story narrated in two timelines—one in the 2010s London following 16-year-old Ada Kazantzakis, and the other in the 1970s Cyprus, following her parents Defne and Kostas. One of the narrators is a fig tree that lived in the middle of a tavern in Cyprus before Kostas took a cutting and planted it in his and Defne’s garden in London. As Ada narrates her story of loss and grief and explores her cultural roots, the fit tree fills in the gaps, offering insights into the character’s past and history. The writing is beautiful and concise and believe me, you will never look at a tree in the same way again.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A coming-of-age story of a girl named Kya Clark who lives alone in a shack in the swamplands of North Carolina after being abandoned by her family, ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is a fascinating read. Owens is a retired wildlife biologist and she intersperses the story with a lot of information about nature’s various elements, blurring the line between fiction and non-fiction in places. Set in the 1950s and 1960s, the story begins with a body being discovered in the swamp and alternates between the past and the present. Kya is a lovely character, even though she’s a bit aloof and might appear strange at times. You will be rooting for her throughout.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
This book made me laugh. It made me cry. I bought multiple copies of it to give to people I love. It’s basically a story about a 59-year-old Swedish widower called Ove who repeatedly tries and fails to kill himself. Ove comes across as cantankerous but between his attempts to die, you see him take flowers to his wife’s grave and tell her that he misses her. He takes his pregnant neighbor to the hospital and even babysits their kids. He does not do it with a smile on his face but you can see that beyond the grumpy facade, there’s a kind man. You also get a taste of urban Swedish life and how immigration is slowly changing the landscape there, much like everywhere else. It’s a beautiful book because it teaches you to love life despite the many issues that inevitably arise.
Roar by Cecelia Ahern
I have to admit that I wasn’t particularly interested in reading this book when a friend gifted it to me. I assumed it would be sappy and silly as I wasn’t a fan of Ahern’s fiction. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Roar, a collection of 30 stories about women from different walks of life, is one of the most uplifting and inspiring books I have read. The feminist stories have traces of magical realism and science fiction. The writing is okay but the stories are relatable and highly imaginative. Based on women’s experiences that are almost always shoved under the carpet, the stories leave a lasting impact. I would recommend you to read a story or two at a time and let their message sink in before moving on.
The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
Roya and Bahman are in love. They get engaged but then the coup happens in Tehran and they get separated. Roya is devastated and leaves for California where she meets Walter and gets married. But she can never forget Bahman and this dictates her entire life. ‘The Stationery Shop of Tehran’ is essentially a love story but it’s also a story about a woman’s strength to overcome life’s challenges. It’s sad at times, hopeful at places, and fills you with a strange kind of yearning. If you like historical fiction and romance, you will love ‘The Stationery Shop of Tehran’.
