What reading means to me
As I have gotten older, reading has become more and more important to me, and personally, I think it's one of the most import and constructive things you can do with your time. It has the power to take you to another place, away from reality, almost like a drug but without all the ill effects and other risks. I come away from a good old reading session with a great sense of fulfilment, and the simple act of exercising my imagination feels like nothing else. Also It's such a physically simple task to complete it makes it endlessly accessible. No expensive equipment, it can be done anywhere, any time, all you need is a book and your mind. It should be part of everyone's daily routine.
East of Eden
Yea, the book that everyone seems to list amongst their favorites, East of Eden by John Steinbeck. You cannot miss a top ten book post on Reddit without it being mentioned and it's for good reason, it is a masterpiece of literature. I only got around to reading it two-years-ago and went into it expecting a rather long and boring book that I would need to study and get very deeply involved in to understand it's concepts and meanings, a book that would take a long time to read and slog through. But, what I found was a book that was a page turner, that flowed like butter, full of accessible philosophy which gripped hold of my mind and made me think about the world, people, and life in a different way. The book is beautifully written but at the same time covers brutal subject matters, I was actually surprised at how dark some of the storylines were, but it is so gripping. The writing is so good that you get to not only find out about each character, you actually get to know them, feel for them, become so attached, the tragic storylines that hold this epic together rip your heart apart. I think everyone should read East of Eden in their lifetime, a true masterpiece that can change a person.
Grapes of Wrath
I read this book a few month after East of Eden because I was craving more John Steinbeck, and, to be honest wanted to find out if he was more than a 'one hit wonder'. Well, I can safely say that he is not a 'one hit wonder'. GoW was a brilliant read, Tom Joad, one of the main characters and with whom the story starts, really helps to drag you into the book before meeting the rest of the cast. Jim Casey, the Preacher, is a fantastic character and adds a sense of joviality to a very depressing scene, and the rest of the family of characters all have their own interesting and inevitably sad stories that are deep and compelling. It's a book full of sadness, depression and tragedy but carries hope and the human spirit throughout. My only gripe with GoW, is that it could maybe be shortened by 100 pages, the section where the family are in the government camp could be more concise, but that's just my opinion. The ending was somewhat of a shock, it actually left me speechless and I just sat and pondered for sometime, it's the book I think about the most, and I did some further research into the Okies and the Dust Bowl of America, an incredibly depressing and troubling time. For GoW to exist and tell the story of these people is a true triumph of human creativity. John Steinbeck deserves all he credit he get's for writing this important, timeless, masterpiece.
Lonesome Dove
Another book that is on every Reddit thread, indeed, that's where I discovered Lonesome Dove, a book about cowboys, a book about so much more. The first 100 pages of of this book are like a diary of a cowboy. I was reading them, thinking, I just cannot get all the way through this huge book reading about the life and times of a group of cowboys, a genre that held little interest for me. But, slowly you become so attached to the characters you look at the page number and it is page 300+. It grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. The main cast of Gus, Call and Jake, alone, would be enough to keep you interested, but, the book is a sprawling group of deeply interconnected storylines that keep you on the edge of your seat. Similar to the work of Steinbeck, this book makes you feel for every character, it's as if you know them personally and living their story alongside them. Lonesome Dove is a compelling, epic book that will always stay with me. I plan on reading it many, many times.
The First Law series + all of Joe Abercrmobie's books
I read Game of Thrones many years ago and loved it. It was my first time reading fantasy since Lord of the Rings as a teenager and really rejuvenated my love for the genre and whilst looking for my next fantasy book I stumbled upon recommendations for the First Law (Reddit, again) series by British author Joe Abercrombie. Without doing much more research than finding out these were highly thought of books, I started the series and was instantly hooked. These are not your wordy, slow, world building takes three books, kind of read, these are full throttle action packed reads from the word go. That's not to say they are without depth or the odd political twist, they are complex, the world is amazing, huge and interesting, and they are full or intertwining storylines of power struggles, magic and war. I still hold many of the characters found in the First Law close to my heart, Logan, Caul, Glokta, West. All amazing, amzing characters. But, the First Law is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Joe Abercrombie. After finish off the trilogy, I immediately started on his three standalone books and then the second trilogy, which, in my opinion is even better, and then his latest book The Devils was purchase on day of release! Anyway, do yourself a favour, go and purchase every Joe Abercrombie book you can and read them all. You will not be sorry.