Though i like almost every book i read like all Roald Dahl's, the Nancy Drew series, the Sweet Valley High series and the Chronicles of Narnia, an ardent book-lover as i am, here ill talk about my 10 favorite books as yet.
1. HARRY POTTER
The third part of Harry Potter book series is the first ever book i read and not only i loved the book but also the reading experience and that was where my love for reading started. I've read all the 7 parts and have loved all of them equally, though the first three parts are on top of my favorite list. The Books are about a young wizard, Harry Potter , who is not a super hero but by virtue of his courage, he defeats the wizarding world's most powerful and dangerous wizard, Lord Voldemort and all the adventures therein. Everything about that magical world fascinated me, making me a big-fan-forever!
2. TWILIGHT SAGA
The read that took the place of my Harry Potter obsession, Twilight Saga. All four parts of Twilight Saga namely Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, gave me a great time reading it. The books are about the love story of a vampire guy, Edward Cullen, and a human girl, Bella Swan, with little action and more drama. The harmless, vegan vampires, the human girl, the werewolves and the volturi, all make up the story. There is also a love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob, the werewolf, which started from the second book, New Moon, and ended in the last part Breaking Dawn, with a shocking turn of events between the three.
3. PRINCESS DIARIES
A purly girly and teenage book about a regular teenage girl living in New York who finds at her sixteenth birthday that she is the princess of a monarchy in Geneva. The way this book is written, like a diary by that princess girl herself, with dates and everything, was what a good thing about this book. I've read five books of the series: Princess Diaries, Princess in Pink, Princess in Love, Princess in Waiting and Princess in the Spotlight.
4. AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS
I never thought i would find this book interesting but i did. Perhaps it was because i like traveling and that was what the whole book was about. Very light and a good read. Also informative as i get to know the geography from a lighter yet true side. The calm and determined personality of the hero is another interesting thing about this book.
5. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
The book was very tragic with difficulties and obstacles for the two heroines but it got all better as their was a happy ending. The authors' other book, The Kite Runner is very much the same, based in Afghanistan, whole lot of tragedies and then the happy ending, though the main story was different. Other than the story of this book, the thing i liked most about this book was reading about Afghanistan and its culture. I got to know a whole lot more about the Afghanistan history and it satisfied my quest for knowing Afghan culture.
6. THE ALCHEMIST
Very simply written book with a life lesson not unlike what I've read or heard all my life but presented in a very mature way. It was a very simple book, not really my type but still i enjoyed reading it, maybe because the three major places used in the book, Egypt, Spain and Arab, are the ones i like to read about and maybe because it has something, no wonder it was an international bestseller. And the whole idea of alchemy is a fascinating one.
7. WHITE MUGHALS
I started this book because of the name as it refers to my cast and i found the back cover catchy as well but the book was, if not 360 then, 180 degrees different from what i expected. It was more history and less the story mentioned on the back cover but it was nevertheless an exhilarating experience to read which contributed in developing my interest in reading history. I loved reading about James Achilles Kirkpatrick and all about the the history of East India Company. The pattern of the history written was a totally new style which took some of my effort to get a grip of it initially but then it was all me and this book. Other facts apart, the Mughal culture, its grandeur, its adaptation by the English, all this filled me with pride. After this book and an interview from the author, i was a big fan of him. The history written by him is very authentic as only reading the book will prove, what with all the references and my own previous knowledge. I have recently got my hands on another of his writing, The Last Mughal, which i cant wait to read.
8. LOST HISTORY
Another book which contributed a lot towards my love for reading history after years and years of reading fiction. The book is about the golden past of Muslims, their worldwide achievements and the impact they left on this world and most importantly, their "lost history". Written by a non-Muslim, many elderly Muslims are not ready to trust the author i-e, without actually reading the book. The book is completely unbiased and if it is inclined, its inclined towards Muslims. I, myself is a pretty much religious person with a strong faith and i think i can understand what is a propaganda and what is not and i also think that this book is anything but propaganda towards Muslims. The author has written this book for both Muslims and non-Muslims, in both cases, clarifying their concepts. Being a Muslim, it pains me to read about the demise of Islam in the present world but it also gives me pride in reading about the past of this grand religion and i think that's what the author intended and his intention did not go to waste.
9. THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD
Mainly i liked reading it because i liked the idea of having a tiny human and the adventures with him. That would be just awesome to have a tiny and real human around my home. It was my kid fancy which started from the cartoons, Detective Private Eye, in which this detective was about the size of a human's thumb. Though now it is a kid read for me but i enjoyed it a lot when i read it many years back.
10. LAST ACT
Recommended by my sister, it was my first Christopher Pike book. I read it at a time when i dint have any definite taste in the book genre and it was a thriller book so i loved reading it too and Pike went on top of my favorite authors. I'm not much into reading thriller, horror or mystery but i loved reading it. I got tired of reading Pike when i grasped his writing style and i started predicting the plot of the story, that's where the thrill and suspense lost its charm for me in Pike's book but not before i had read quite a lot of his books like Chain Letter, Scavenger Hunt, Master of Murder, Monster, Cold People, Phone Fear, Time Terror and Hollow Skull. Of these books, Scavenger Hunt was worse to read because it was too spooky, Chain Letter and Master of Murder were predictable but were still good and Hollow Skull left me feel bad and weird because of its bizarre end. The plot usually consists of suspense or thriller situation happening with a group of people and the spooky stuff and all with everyone blaming and doubting the meanest person for it but in the end the real culprit is the one who was the most innocent character all along. Well, i shouldn't have spoiled it for other people :P
