Entish Ramblings: My 10 Favourite Books

So two friends of mine tagged me on one of those Facebook list-games or whatever they’re called (I’m looking at you, Becca and Miss.P) and my inner writer had quite a task before him to finish the list within an acceptable word limit so as to not scare readers away. Then I decided, screw it , it’s my post, I’ll make it as long as I want it to be and as long as it needs to be. So read on (or not!) at your peril.

This was the post:List 10 books/stories that had an impact on your life. These don’t have to be acclaimed works, just ones that mean something to you personally. You can include series as well. Then tag 5 or more of your friends, including me so I can see your list.



And now onto the list:

1. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson: 

Wheel of Time Quotes




This series managed to usurp The Lord of the Rings as my all time favourite and held the crown for a long, long time. The best part is the way I delved into the WoT world had a flavour of fate and destiny about it. I found a book titled, ‘The Eye of the World’, quite by chance while I was searching through the dusty shelves of a part-bookstore part–raddiwala near Goregaon station. I picked up the book and liked the look of its cover as well as the summary. It had been a good while since I had read a good book and I picked this one up hoping that it would at least sate some of my thirst and craving for a good fantasy series, and my! how good did it turn out to be! The owner of the shop gave the book to me for a mere 50Rs (that’s barely one US$) and I tumbled into an adventure of Fate, Ta’veren, wool-headed farm boys, Trollocs, Darkfriends and a lot more! The best part is that ‘The Gathering Storm’, which was being written by some person called Brandon Sanderson came out within 2 days of me finishing the series (which was 2 weeks after I purchased The Eye of the World). I had consumed all the books at the speed of a book per day and the only reason it took me 14 days to read the lot of them was because I had to get the money for the next book by doing freelance assignments or odd jobs in the days between. The best part about this series was that it came to me during a point in life wherein things weren’t going well for me at all. And these books helped me plough through that period in time. It gave me an amazing adventure, let me escape into the world of some brilliant characters, introduced me to a bloody flaming amazing group of friends of Facebook and on the Tor Re-read thread and hardened my resolve into diamond to become a writer. All in all, this series was and is gold, and it will always have a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf.

Let the Dragon Ride again on the winds of time!

2. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson:




“There is no struggle too vast, no odds too overwhelming, for ever should we fail- should we fall- we will know that we have lived.”

I have never ever tried to describe or elucidate upon the Malazan books, ever. This is in part because I have always failed to find the right words which would be capable of depicting the grand  EPIC scale on which events occur, the sheer scope of the series and all that happens in it, the veritable trove of characters whom we encounter, their stories and tragedies and their will to fight beyond them, and in part because I believe I would end up rambling about them. To that end, I was glad that this task was set upon me by my friends (Don’t grin now you two). I had never thought that I would read anything which would be better than the Wheel of Time series. It had become my benchmark by which I would often judge books just to see how short they would be of Mr. Jordan’s concoction. Malazan wrenched and crushed that benchmark under its weight and unparalleled perspective. It broke me down, it rendered me emotionless and dead, unable to feel anything until the very next page would bring life and hope coursing through my veins. It made me hate a character for a 1000 pages just to make me empathize and feel for him in the next 10 pages. It made me detest and hope for a characters death for eight books just to hope that he gets his salvation in the next two. I have ridden with Coltaine and his Wickans with Dhryjna’s apocalypse at their heels, I was there when Kallor committed his heinous act and I thought I would hate him forevermore, until again the author made me sense and realize the innate, ragged humanity within the High King’s eyes. I was there when Icarium ‘remembered’ and when Gothos committed his folly and when the Bridgeburners overwhelmed odds impossible and when the Bonehunters were forged and much more. I have lived with these characters and died countless deaths with them, by their side, in wars, at the hands of an assassin in the dark or through a pike in the stomach or with a carefully aimed strike of the opponents strike because it was necessary for salvation. I have witnessed. This series has broadened my horizon beyond the ordinary and made me ‘think’. It has given me words and quotes to live by and to never fear failure of falling. It is, in my opinion, the greatest work of literature by any author. It may not be as famous as ASOIAF or some other works, there may be books which may get more praise and recognition, but I do not expect to read a series as complete as this, which creates its own perspective. To you I urge, read, and witness.

3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien:


“Not all who wander are lost”


Every list is incomplete without the mention of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. From the standpoint of fantasy literature it probably holds a position of prominence for being the book which made characters like Dwarves and Elves famous, beginning a revolution which continues till this day. Numerous other authors have adopted these characters and used them in their books but in some way of the other they are always reminiscent of Tolkien and their roots can easily be dragged to the way he envisioned them to be. Lord of the Rings was my gateway to this genre and though I read it while only being in the 8th grade (and losing the librarians precious and only copy of the book), I ended up re-reading it numerous times over the next four years and there was a time when I could recall every moment and event from the story like it had actually happened. The bittersweet ending at the Grey Havens and the final parting of the Fellowship was also the first time I realized that not all stories end in a sunshine and happiness with every character being together in mirth and friendship until the end of time. Lord of the Rings enhanced my imagination, enriched a not-so-boring life and made me dream brighter and grander. It thought me that heroes can reside in everyone of us, no matter however small or lackluster we consider ourselves to be and the value of friendship which is true and pure. Samwise Gamgee, I doff my invisible hat to you.


4. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher:

I think I was introduced to The Dresden Files by Pooji (Or was it the other way round?) and I was lucky enough to begin reading them at a period of time where everything in life was going at a slow pace which helped me finish off all the books at a trot. Though that probably means a re-read is in order before I read Skin Games when it comes out in the next few months. I lost count at the number of times Harry got beaten to a pulp and treated like thrash or ended up with death’s looming shroud over his shoulders, yet each and every time he managed to even the odds and even come out of the debacle with a win in some form or the other and Thomas’s suffering makes me realize that however bad life is, at least you aren’t being tortured by a Naagloshi Skinwalker (Gotta enjoy these fine points of life). Sacrifice, love and gritty determination are some of the messages I have managed to learn and save from these books. Oh, and not to forget the eternal wisdom of Harry and Bob: having a snarky reply and sarcasm are good ways to deal with whatever life throws at you!


“I did the only thing any reasonable wizard could have done. I turned around and ran like hell.”

 

5. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:

There isn’t much left to say about Harry Potter which hasn’t already been said. J.K.Rowling inspired a generation and her words about Harry turned out to be prophetic indeed: ‘Every child in our world will know his name’. My meeting with Harry and the gang was quite weird. I was looking for a good book to read at the library and I saw this book sticking out with a beautiful cover titled, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’. I picked it up, read a part of it, didn’t understand any of it and gave it up as a bad job. Then, quite randomly, my mother had bought tickets for a movie called, ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone’. I went for it without thinking much and returned wide-eyed, amazed and completely enraptured. That’s when I researched and realized that it’s based on a book series and that The Goblet of Fire was actually the fourth book in it. Knowing this, I had to go and read the books because I’ve always believed that a book is always much much better than the movie can ever be and so began my never-ending love affair with the Harry Potter books and my formal induction as a ‘Potterhead’. The Order of the Phoenix was the first book in any series which I’ve ever had to wait for and that’s when I realized the bittersweet beauty of waiting for the next book in a series. Friendship, bravery, courage and redemption were just some of the many themes which clung to me from these books and I think Hermione was my first ever book-crush ever. Add another star to the series for this! Thank you, Ms. Rowling for such a wonderful adventure – Though I still wish you shouldn’t have killed Sirius and Remus.

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of places, if only one remembers to turn on the light.”

6. The Famous Five (And many more books) by Enid Blyton:

I’ve read a number of Enid Blyton’s books during my childhood and I lapped them up like a cup of steaming hot cocoa on a cold winter’s night. Whenever I think of The Famous Five or any other book by Enid Blyton, I always imagine the joyous, carefree days of childhood and the glorious picnics and the adventures of her characters. To this day, ‘Five go to Demon’s Rocks’ and ‘Five on Finniston Farm’ remain two of my favourite books by her. Her description of the beautiful English countryside, the delectable depiction of food (Hey, I am a foodie! That was one of my favourite parts), camping under the beautiful starlight night over a bed of heather and bracken with Timmy as a sleeping guardian made for an entertaining and splendid childhood filled with adventure and mystery, and I always wished I could join them in some way. Boring and stuffy summer afternoons were replaced by the rolling green and misty English countryside whenever I entered the world of the famous five and other Enid Blyton books.

“A clown needn’t be the same out of the ring as he has to be when he’s in it. If you look at photographs of clowns when they’re just being ordinary men, they’ve got quite sad faces.”

Five go to demon’s rocks!









7. The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss:

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”

Patrick’s writing is poetry in motion. I had heard a lot about his first book, ‘The Name of the Wind’, but I didn’t pick it up for a long-long time (I’ve had to curb buying books numerous times because I’ve been low on money: harsh reality). I finally got to read the book when a friend of mine sent me the e-book and though I hated reading e-books on a computer, I had no other option. Luckily, the book was so enthralling that the pages began to fly and I was transported away to the Waystone Inn where Kvothe recited his tale to the Chronicler. In fact, amongst all the writers that I have read until now, I must say that Pat is the best with his words. The fact that he is capable of weaving an enrapturing story with those words makes him a magician, no, a Gleeman! One who can transport you into a world where magic is alive, where adventure and mystery has not been lost and where lives the legend of Kvothe: Lover, Killer, and Innkeeper. Reading this book was a joy. It helps that Pat is a brilliant, brilliant man who does a lot of work for charity through the Worldbuilders and even his blogposts are beautifully worded. A complete writer, if ever there was one. Pat’s writing makes me aspire to become a better writer and is a constant reminder that the way is long but as long as I keep on it, I’ll reach the destination eventually.

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”



8. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud:



“One magician demanded I show him an image of the love of his life. I rustled up a mirror”


Stroud’s series begins with a completely different perspective about magicians and the world with them using different kinds of magical entities as bound slaves and punishing them at their whim. Of course this does not mean that the Imps, Djinns, Afrits, Marids and other demons (creatures?) were harmless or good at heart. They were as twisted and corrupt as most of the magician’s who bound them to their will and summoned them to the Earth. Well, Bartimaeus was mostly good but that can be chalked to Ptolemy. What I found refreshing was how there were no outright heroes and how Nathaniel finds himself throughout the series and the way he changes – both positively and negatively – after meeting Bartimaeus. The footnotes beneath the page are genius and always left me short of breath due to laughter while Bartimaeus’s witty commentary and perspective on the world – which has been developed by millennia of being amongst human sorcerers and kings (and even eating up a few gullible ones) is entertaining and makes for a fun and yet thrilling read with all the tasks and hurdles before him. Through Nathaniel, Kitty and Bartimaeus, I learned a lot. About the indomitable human (and Djinn) will, redemption, trust, intellect and the importance of a witty comeback in times of distress. One of the most fun books I’ve read.

9. The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson:



“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”

 

Is Brandon Sanderson the fastest writer out there today? It sure feels that way! Well, good for us, I say, the faster he writes the faster we get to read it! I heard about Brandon Sanderson when The Gathering Storm was being released and I had to read some of his works after that. The man had been selected to complete The Wheel of Time, surely his own books wouldn’t be half bad?! And I wasn’t disappointed. I had picked up Mistborn and Warbreaker and I liked both of them. Especially his unique magic systems and the creatures in the books. Quite innovative. And soon there was news flowing out that he was working on his own ten book epic series called the ‘Stormlight Archive’. After reading the Way of Kings, I was sold. The book had solid world building and some really interesting power creatures as well as another unique power system. Kaladin’s story was heart wrenching and that was the part which sold me and made me realize that yes, this book would be the WoT for our generation. I did find an issue with Brandon’s writing and characters in places where it seemed to be be clunky and oscillated between modern to ancient despite the world not being a modern place at all. However if you’re going to write a 1000 page door-stopper then there’s no use being overly critical. The only way to go is upwards and I look forward to reading more about Kaladin and Bridge four in the next book. And then of course is the series which we’re all waiting for…Dragonsteel and Hoid’s world. The best part is that reading Brandon’s work helps me improve my own writing and makes me realize similar errors which  I make or places which I can embellish and improve upon. Lastly, I need to thank Mr. Sanderson *Doffs hat* for putting his own work aside and completing the Wheel of Time series. It was beautifully done, and even the Creator would have been proud.


10. Percy Jackson And the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan:




“Hercules,huh?” Percy frowned. “That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn–there he is.”




Okay, finally reached the end! How long did it take to write this *Looks around, sees everyone is asleep*. Bah, foolish mortals! Only the brave can be called readers. Only the brave, and only the strong! This is Sparta. Wait what? *Inhales a cup of coffee to get back in working order*

I remember picking the hardcopy of ‘Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief’ at crossword, being impressed by the cover (I know,  know, don’t judge a book by its cover) and summary and ended up plopping on a small squarish box and beginning the book. Before I knew it, I was a hundred and fifty pages into the book and afternoon had turned to evening. I ended up reading the book until the bookstore closed and wishing that the would stay open for an hour longer so that I could finish the book (couldn’t buy it, was short on cash, again.) and so I ended up going home with numerous theories in my head about how the book would end, and thoughts of poor ol’ Percy, losing his mother and getting the cold shoulder from Annabeth for a long time and Grover’s hilarious antics. Finally, I managed to get a fitful sleep and woke up the next day and ran to the bookstore to finish the book. As soon as I was done, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next one. And thus, I delved and became engrossed into Greek mythology, reading as much of it as I could while waiting for the next book. Percy Jackson helped me enter the world of historical fiction and books like the Emperor Series, The Amulet of Troy, Spartan, etc. I remember when the second book came out, and this time I wasn’t broke (a miracle!) and I ended up buying both, the first book along with the Sea of Monsters. Now, I’ve come a long way with those characters, Percy, Calypso, Annabeth, and Rick’s writing and story telling (which was always engaging and fun) has had a greater depth and emotion to it and as the end draws near, I am again in the familiar territory of waiting for the last book and yet not wanting it to be all over. Like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson has taken up an important part on my bookshelf. No Greek hero has ever had a happy ending in the myths, none except Perseus, and that’s why he was so named by his mother, these words raing in my ears as I awaited the final book and the confrontation with Gaia. I can only hope that the story continues in some form after that book.

Well, I suppose that’s my list of top 10 books. Though I suppose I should have managed to squeeze the Inheritance Cycle in there somewhere. Brom’s words have been really helpful and inspiring for me on numerous occasions: “The real courage is in living and suffering for what you believe.” But the last book in the series and the way Galbatorix’s death was handled was a massive letdown for me and so I had to choose Bartimaeus in favour of Eragon.

That’s that. Did anyone make it to the end of this list? I hope the twin demons of laziness and boredom did not strike the reader down before getting to the end…it wasn’t that long, was it? *Sheepish smile*Hopefully it was interesting enough and at least a few of you got to the end!

 

 

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