The Literature Empire

I’ve loved reading ever since I learned how to do it. And even though I don’t read 100 books per year, the list of books I’ve read is long.

To be honest, I’ve been struggling with reading over the last few years. So, to get back into the groove, I like getting back to the books I love the most.

From classics like Pride and Prejudice to more modern literature like One Day by David Nicholls, I’m going to share with you my most favourite books of all time.

All the stories are different, but all of them have one thing in common. They always manage to stir up emotions in me. From laughter to tears, every single page reminds me why I love reading so much.

And you know what?

I really wish I could travel back in time and read these books for the first time again.

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice has it all. Romance, the “enemies to lovers” trope, wit, family drama, and the classic charm of the English countryside. And Mr Darcy.

In the story, we meet Lizzy Bennet, the second oldest daughter of the Bennet family. She’s smart, doesn’t go far for a witty remark, and isn’t interested in a match that’s based just on how rich the man is. And to be honest, she has many traits I’ve dreamt of having when I read the book in my late teens for the first time. But no one is perfect. In fact, it’s hard for her to move over her own pride. She also judges people rather quickly, and it takes time for her to even admit she’s prejudiced.

On the other side of the story, we have Mr Darcy. From the very first appearance within the pages of the story, he seems arrogant. Just like Lizzy, he has his pride and finds it difficult to get over it. Besides Jane, Lizzy’s older sister, he isn’t fond of the Bennet family as they can sometimes be rather tactless.

Blinded by their pride and prejudice, the two keep dancing around each other throughout the story until their mutual distaste for each other blossoms into respect, followed by love.

So, if you’re like me and have a weakness for a good love story, a strong female lead, and the setting of the English countryside, then this is the right book for you.

There are also a few on-screen adaptations – most notably the 1995 series with Colin Firth and the 2005 movie with Kiera Knightley, which was also filmed at Chatsworth House.

Jack Kerouac – On the Road

Like with everything on this list, I was in my late teens when I read this book. It was a time when I was trying to figure out where I fit in the world.

(Spoiler alert: I’m slowly approaching 30, and I still don’t know.)

When I first started reading On the Road, it was like a breath of fresh air. It’s not an innocent story by any means. But if I had to describe the story by one word, it would be freedom.

The story follows the friendship of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty and their road trip across the USA. Truth to be told, I haven’t read the book in quite a while now, so I don’t remember the specifics. But I still remember how I felt when I read it. And that’s what counts, right?

After all, reading shouldn’t be just about scanning the words on the page. It’s an adventure. And just like any kind of art, it should fill your heart with emotions. Whether it’s a love story that warms up your heart, a light story where you can’t help but bubble up with laughter, a suspenseful story that has you moving to the edge of the seat or a heavy story that makes your eyes brim with tears – this is what reading should be about. At least in my books. (Pun intended)

Jon Krakauer – Into the Wild

I don’t come across non-fiction too often. But Into the Wild is a completely different story. In 1992, Chris McCandless walked into the Alaskan woods and never came back. His story filled the news, and it’s when Jon Krakauer wrote a 9,000-word article for Outside. He got immersed in the story so much that he built on the article with a book, Into the Wild, published in 1996.

When you read about what happened to Chris online or watch videos on YouTube and then read comments from others, you find out that there are 2 groups of people. Some people think that Chris was stupid, underprepared, and shouldn’t have gone into the woods in the first place – so it’s his fault. On the other hand, there are people who glorify the story and see Chris as a hero.

I see myself somewhere in the middle.

Sure, he was underprepared. He probably should’ve known better. But at the same time, I can help but admire the guy. In my teens, I was hungry for freedom and adventure. I wanted to get rid of all the societal constraints and just be my own person. And in my eyes, that’s what Chris did. He had the courage to stand up and chase after what he believed. But… From his diary and what was found along with his body, we know that he figured out that solitude isn’t the answer.

“Hapiness only real when shared.”

That’s a note he left in his copy of Dr Zhivago just above this passage:

“And so it turned out that only a life similar to the life of those around us, merging with it without a ripple, is genuine life, and that an unshared happiness is not happiness…”

The story made me realise how important it is to love the people around me – and I wish other readers had a similar Heureka moment.

If you’d like to see the story on screen, you can watch its 2007 film adaptation with Emile Hirsch in the main role. It’s a beautiful piece of cinematography, and thanks to Eddie Vedder, it also has one of my most favourite soundtracks.

David Nicholls – One Day

One Day was published in 2009, but the latest screen adaptation skyrocketed the number of its readers again. I think I was 18 or 19 when I read the book for the first time – and I immediately fell in love with the story.

The book explores the relationship between Emma and Dexter over the span of 20 years. While that makes it sound like a tedious piece of reading, we meet with them only on the 15th of July of each year. And as the years go by, we watch Em and Dex moving on from being acquaintances to becoming good friends to becoming lovers.

But it’s not all so dreamy. There’s plenty of drama and both infuriating and tearful moments, too.

What I like about this story the most is the way it shows how much our lives can change in a year. And not only our lives. Our personalities. The person you were a year ago probably wouldn’t recognise the person you are now. I know that’s scary. But it’s what we have to accept.

One Day also has two on-screen adaptations – a 2011 film with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess and a 2024 Netflix series with Ambika Mod and Leo Woodhall. I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews of the film adaptation, but to be honest, it’s on the list of my favourite movies. On the other hand, the Netflix series got a lot of praise. Sure, it went into more detail than the movie, but from my p.o.v., I can’t say that I’d enjoy it more than the earlier adaptation.

Harper Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic. But when I read the book for the first time, I had no idea that that was the case. I found it by accident at my grandparents’ cottage, locked in a small cupboard stuffed with books, and it was love at the first page.

In this story, we follow a lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his children, Jean Louise “Scout” and Jem.

When Atticus agrees to defend a Black man who was falsely accused of raping a white woman, Scout awakens to the prejudice and racism in her small Alabama town of Holcomb.

And considering that we see most of the story through the perspective of an innocent child, it makes the message only stronger.

However, the story doesn’t finish with To Kill a Mockingbird. There is also a sequel called Go Set a Watchman. In this book, Scout isn’t a little girl anymore. She is an adult. Her being more mature forces the reader to see the bigger picture.

And if you love onscreen adaptations, To Kill a Mockingbird is no exception. There’s a 1962 film version with Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. So, if you love older films, this one is a real treat.

Getting Back Into Reading

I’ve always been a bookworm. But when I was younger, people were telling me that they didn’t read as much as adults because they simply didn’t have time, and I didn’t want to believe it. I thought I’d be different. Well, that’s not true.

Since I started studying at the university and then subsequently joined the club of full-time working adults, the number of books I read in the year has declined drastically. There were even times when I hadn’t picked up a book for months. Shocking, I know.

But it’s time to change that. So, in January, I decided that I’d read at least one book a month. And so far, I’ve managed to stick to my promise – currently re-reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. My only hope is that I’ll continue down the same path for the last few months of the year – and then, fingers crossed, restart the challenge in January 2025.

And if I ever get into a reading slump, I always have my most favourite books to help me bounce back.

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📚 What are your most favourite books?