My Favorite Books of All Time

Here’s a little known fact about me: I LOVE reading. Growing up with no friends, my top 3 forms of escapism included:

1. Completely immersing myself into my Sims world for 10 hours straight
2. Drawing whatever was in my head on paper
3. Connecting – and feeling a little less lonely, with the characters, words, and stories that I’d discover in books

I’ve read a lot of books. Back in December, I read a total of 10 books over Winter Break. And ever since Quarantine started, I’ve been privileged enough to stay at home and spend my time reading some more.

So here are my top 5 favorite books of all time:

5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson (self-help)

Ok this is the ONLY self-help book on my list. I know there are some self-help book haters out there, and if you’re one of them: let this be the only one you ever read! I read this like 4 years ago, and I don’t say this a lot. But it changed me, and has actually STUCK WITH ME over the years.

As someone who has struggled with anxiety for almost the entirety of their whole life, I had a bad habit of giving way too many fucks.

This book taught me that HEY we’re all going to die one day. So don’t waste your energy stressing over things that really, just don’t matter. Basically, decide where fucks do and don’t deserve to be given.

4. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll (thriller)

Thrillers are hands down my absolute FAVORITE book genre. Despite the astronomical number of book reviewers completely shitting on the main character’s personality – I’ve never found a book character I’ve related to more. Not sure what that says about me, but that’s besides the point.

This book has murder, revenge, self-reinvention, lies, etc. You’ll get so wrapped up in it, you won’t be able to put it down. I read it in a day.

3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (thriller)

Written by the author of Gone Girl, she’s probably my absolute favorite writer. I’ve read all of her books, and got balls deep in every single one of them.

Gillian Flynn does a fucking amazing job of creating truly complex, interesting characters and storylines that keep you on your toes. You never know who or what to trust in her books.

And that’s what I love about them.

The reason Sharp Objects made it to my top 5, though, is that I have such a deep connection to this book.

I read it my senior year of high school when my depression was at its worst. I felt so alone during that time. I had no friends, and people were pretty fucking awful to me that year. It’s so isolating and scary when you feel like no one in the world knows or cares what you’re feeling.

Then I picked up this book. And suddenly I didn’t feel so alone anymore. Mind you, the protagonist is a 30 year old investigative journalist. I was an 18 year old high schooler that worked at Jimmy Johns.

But this was the first time that I felt truly connected to a character. I felt like her feelings were mine, her words were mine, etc. I love books that understand you like that.

Oh, and this book also has murder and some truly fucked up characters in it as well.

2. Girl on a Train (thriller) by Paula Hawkins

God this is the most intense book I’ve ever read. No exaggeration – I could NOT put this book down. Read it in a day. My heart was actually racing and I felt scared reading this.

You’ll get entranced by the characters and then get stress sweats every time a twist comes up. Read this book if you’re looking for some excitement in you life – I mean, who doesn’t need a little bit of that in quarantine??

1. Where the Crawdads Sing (mystery & Bildungsroman) by Delia Owens

Thissss book. Ugh. If you want to FEEL something, read this book. The end of this book made me feel something I’ve never felt before. And trust me, I’m not a feeler. I thought I lost any sense of feeling ever since junior year of college when I started Lexapro, okay?

But this book made me feel so many emotions. You fall in love with the protagonist, you grow up with her, you want the best for her, you become a fully fucking involved member of her life. And you love it.

This is my favorite book of ALLLL time. It’s like how watching Forrest Gump for the first time made me feel. But like, way better and more intensely.

I want a freaking hardcover copy of this book and have it treasured in my house for the rest of my life because it’s so amazing. It’s just one of those books that you really fall in love with and never forget how it made you feel.

And I love books that have the power to do that.

Hope you guys enjoyed this and read some of them! What are some of your favorite books?