My Top 5 Favorite Books!

As I am an avid reader, I have decided to share my top 5 favorite books! They aren’t in any particular order because I couldn’t decide which was my absolute favorite.

I’ll start out with The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I have read this book and seen the movie so many times I lost count. It takes place in the early 1960’s in Jackson, Mississippi. It is about a southern society girl, Skeeter, who returns home from college and turns everyone’s lives – and the community – upside down. She decides she wants to secretly interview the black maids who have spent all of their lives taking care of prominent southern families, especially the children. Although reluctant at first, the maids decide to open up to Skeeter about their lives and what really goes on behind closed doors. This book makes you feel like you are part of story. It has humor, wit, and a great story line that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last. I highly recommend this book!

I just finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins a few weeks ago and it was one of the best series I’ve read in a long time. It is about a young girl names Katniss who lives with her mother and sister in the poorest district of Panem, what used to be the United States. Long before, the 12 districts waged war on the Capitol but were conquered. As part of the surrender terms, once a year each district must send a boy and girl as a tribute to appear in a televised event called ‘The Hunger Games.’ Each year there are different rules and landscapes, however, the goal never changes: kill or be killed. When Katniss’ sister is chosen to participate, Katniss offers to go in her place and the hunger games begin. Once I started reading this series, I could not put it down. The characters were vivid and the plot was so interesting, I had to keep reading until it ended. The movie comes out in March and I cannot wait to go see it!

One of my next favorite books is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Since it’s been a few years since I’ve read it, I went to this website to get the summary:

http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Kite_Runner/Kite_Runner03.html

“Amir tells us about the unique relationship he has with Hassan, a Hazara boy who is the victim of discrimination, but ironically is the half-brother of Amir, a Pashtun. Amir is overwhelmed with guilt when he allows Hassan to be beaten and raped on the day Amir wins the kite-flying tournament. He lies to have Hassan accused of theft so he will leave their home and Amir can try to forget his guilt. Eventually, Amir and his father flee Afghanistan after the Russians invade and Amir takes his tragic memories to America to start a new life. Unfortunately, his debt to Hassan must be paid and he returns to his country to find Hassan’s orphaned son and rescue him. There, he discovers that Sohrab has become the sexual plaything of Assef, the bully who had tormented both Amir and Hassan when they were young. Ultimately, Amir must defeat Assef in a raging physical battle, take the damaged Sohrab out of Afghanistan and try to help him repair his spirit.” The summary is a little confusing, but I promise, the book is wonderful! This book was really interesting to me because it took place in a world that I was very unfamiliar with. The author also wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns, which is similar to The Kite Runner, and also a great read.

The next book on my favorite list is The Little Book by Selden Edwards is one of the best books I have ever read. When my mom first told me about it, I thought it sounded like something I had no interest in reading. However, when I was on vacation I decided, why not. I am so happy I listened to my mom because it was such a great book. Now, this book is very hard to describe so I will again rely on an outside source for the summary: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/dec/13/little-book-edwards-review.   “Over 30 years in the writing, Selden Edwards's unconventional family saga combines time-travel, baseball and psychoanalytic theory with, among other things, the terrible repercussions caused by Hitler's rise to power. The protagonist, Wheeler Burden, is feted for his baseball prowess, later achieving rock god status as the lead singer of Shadow Self, before finally becoming the reclusive author of Fin de Siècle, an edited edition of his boyhood tutor's notes on life in late 19th-century Vienna. Suddenly transported from the 1980s to 1897, he finds himself in the city evoked by his bestselling oeuvre. While there, he bumps into his youthful father, a gallant second world war spy who is similarly dislocated in time; embarks on a powerful love affair with the enchanting Weezie Putnam; and experiences the turmoil of a society "headed for apocalypse". Though at times Edwards's historical research is too prominent, this is a captivating tale with its exploration of intricate moral dilemmas and revelation of sensational secrets.” It took the author over 30 years to write this book, which I find fascinating! The way he was able to string together these events and taking the character back in time is enchanting and nothing like I’ve ever read before. The summary makes the book sound a lot more difficult to understand and follow than it really is. Trust me when I say this is a great and wonderful book!

The last book on my list is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy by Stieg Larsson. This is a very short synopsis of the first book. Mikael Blomkvist is an investigative journalist who is forced to take a leave of absence from his job due to losing a libel case. He is then hired by a retired industrialist to investigate the disappearance of his 16-year-old grandniece nearly forty years before. To solve the case, he begins working alongside the girl with dragon tattoo, Lisabeth Salander, who has incredible research and computer hacking skills. After the mystery is solved, they then prove the truth behind the libel case and take down a rouge financier. Although they don't end up happily ever after, there are still two more books in the series, so who knows?! I really like this series because it is a great story about murder, mystery, suspense, and romance all wrapped up into one. Even though it may drag a little bit throughout the book, it still has well-developed characters and a good plot that continually keeps you guessing.  

ROCKS, PEBBLES AND SAND

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items in front of him. When class began, he wordlessly picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles, poured them into the jar and lightly shook it. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed. He asked his students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things—your family, your partner, your health, your children—anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else—the small stuff.
“If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important. Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.”
Wise words. In your own life, be sure to take care of the rocks first—the things that really matter. Remember, the rest is only pebbles and sand.
                                                                         Anonymous

A few semesters ago, I took a speech class and our first assignment was to find something relatively short to read in front of the class. Being the procrastinator I am, I waited till the last minute to find something to read. I quickly went on the Internet and searched for short, inspirational stories. After reading a few, I didn't really see anything that caught my eye. Then, I came across this story shown above. I fell in love; I mean what a great message! I took it to read to my speech class and everyone loved it. I think it really hits home with a lot of people because it explains things in a way that's easy to see how it relates to your own life, no matter who you are or where your from. Sometimes you need a little reminder about the important things in life as they are overshadowed by the small stuff; things that don't matter in the long run. If you live your life according to the "jar method," then I think you'll be a much happier person. I'll end this post with one of my favorite quotes, "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble; it empties today of it's strength." So quit sweatin' the small stuff and live your life to the fullest with the ones you care about most.