Sarah’s Top Five Favorite Books
I don’t remember learning how to read. Reading, like writing, is something I feel like I was born doing. I don’t come from a literary or bookish family. My mom read the occasional Mary Higgins Clark mystery, but other than that, books weren’t the go-to form of entertainment in my house. Yet I always had books, and, it seems, I’ve always known how to get lost in them.
I’m in the midst of my annual fall rewatch of Gilmore Girls as I type this. I recently watched the episode in which Rory graduates from Chilton. Her valedictorian speech struck me as it always does:
“I live in two worlds. One is a world of books. I’ve been a resident of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County, hunted the white whale aboard the Pequod, fought alongside Napoleon, sailed a raft with Huck and Jim, committed absurdities with Ignatius J. Reilly, rode a sad train with Anna Karenina and strolled down Swann’s Way. It’s a rewarding world, but my second one is by far superior. My second one is populated with characters slightly less eccentric, but supremely real, made of flesh and bone, full of love, who are my ultimate inspiration for everything.”
It resonates, doesn’t it? I, too, live in two worlds, one full of “supremely real, made of flesh and bone” characters, and one of books. I, too, have spent countless hours in Yoknapatawpha County. I’ve walked the halls of Hogwarts, crossed the Parapet of Basgiath, volunteered as tribute. I’ve joined Darrow in the Rising, experienced Starfall in Velaris, and enjoyed a quiet respite in Cahlish. I’ve spent time in Chestnut Springs and Blue Rebel Ranch, and goodness knows I’ve lost countless hours at Pemberley and Tara.
You get the idea.
Narrowing down my favorite books to just five is a task like no other. The first two are easy, and arguably even surprising. The rest of? Ask me for my Top 5 Favorite Books again in six months, and this list will likely change. Even so, here are my (current) Top 5 Favorite Books.
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
My all-time favorite book is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I read it for the first time when I was a sophomore in high school. It was assigned in my Humanities class, which was a three-hour combination of U.S. literature and U.S. history. My classmates hated it. I pretended to, because I was a sophomore in high school and wanted to be cool, but I loved it. I’ve read it several times since then. It’s an incredible commentary on the decline of the American South and the burdens of the past, explored through the trials of the Compson family. And of course, there’s the experiential nature of Faulkner’s writing. Quentin Compson’s POV is quite the journey, isn’t it?
I’ve read most of Faulkner’s catalog at this point, but The Sound and the Fury is forever my favorite (I do love As I Lay Dying, however).
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
My mom had a worn copy of Gone with the Wind when I was a kid. At the time, it was the thickest book I’d ever seen that wasn’t the Bible. I was intimidated by it and desperately wanted to read it in equal measure, but she consistently told me I was too young. The book was eventually donated during a move or else lost in some other way. Years later, I was with her at an antique store she frequented. They had the exact same copy in their used book section. She bought it for me, and I devoured it. The first time I read it, when I was, honestly, still too young to read it, I saw it as a glittering romance. With subsequent reads, I see it as a social commentary on the South during the Civil War, a lesson in pride, and a reminder that the protagonist isn’t always the hero.
I also think it’s important to note that my re-reads of this book have shown me how my own understanding of human nature and personal beliefs have evolved over the years. That’s why we need books – to help us learn, grow, develop new perspectives, and have healthy discussions.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a recent addition to my Top Five Favorite Books list. I read it for a book club over the summer, and I can truly say it’s the first book in a very long time that I had to stop and compose myself several times before continuing. It’s an utterly stunning work of historical fiction that follows the life and career of Joan Goodwin, a fictional astronaut in the NASA Space Shuttle Program of the early 1980s. Joan faces a number of obstacles as a woman in a male-dominated field, with one of the most prominent being who she chooses to love. I tear up just thinking about how beautiful this book is. It’s potent, thought-provoking, and ugly cry-inducing. You must read it.
Harry Potter Series
To be very clear, I loudly and wholly disagree with the author’s stance on transgender rights. I believe Harry would be a friend to everyone, especially those who need someone to defend them and support them. I simply cannot believe otherwise, given what we know about his character.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron were my constant companions throughout my childhood. They were with me through many moves, kept me company when I had no one to sit with during lunch periods, and transported me to a school brimming with magic and fantastical beasts during my parents’ divorce. They taught me about being good in the face of darkness, fighting for the underdog, the power of love, and the power of friendship. It was common ground that helped me make some of my best friends in college, and it continues to be something I share with my brother and sister. I’ve read my Harry Potter books so many times that they are quite literally falling apart at the seams. These books have, in sum, meant the world to me.
The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros
Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm have forever altered my brain chemistry. It’s not just that Xaden Riorson is the ultimate book boyfriend, or that Violet Sorrengail is the flawed kind of hero you simply must root for. It’s the found family, the hilarity of Ridoc and Garrick. It’s the way love and loyalty guide our characters. It’s how Yarros allows the realities of war to permeate the story, that she doesn’t back away from the hard and sad. It’s also how every word matters and how seemingly meaningless details or even presumed “editing errors” are actually crucial plot points revealed in later pages or next books. I spend far more time than can be considered healthy churning on theories and thoughts of what might happen next.
The Empyrean Series has also brought me a sense of community online. Connecting with fellow fans through social media and fanfiction has been such a joy in my life. Fourth Wing even inspired my upcoming book series (courtesy of a fanfiction I wrote), Political Gain. I’ll forever be grateful to Yarros for this series.
I’ll forever be grateful for the privilege to read books. To exist in a world where a story can carry me away, make me think, break my heart, and put it back together.
I have so many favorite books.
This is just five. Well… thirteen? I cheated a bit by adding two series… Such is the life of a book girl.
What are some of your favorite books? Let me know in the comments or on social media! You can follow a novel weekend here and my author account here.
