I'm not too sure about favourite, there are too many, but I'd say two of the best are probably Shiver by Maggie Stiefvator and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Right now I have a clear idea of what the word "genius" means. So right, that genius is Alexandre Dumas and right now I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo. And yes, this has become my favourite book along with of course, The Three Musketeers! They are two amazing books. (The 1973 version of the Three Musketeers is excellent as well).
"I'd rather sink trying to be different, than stay afloat like everyone else"~SRK~
The best book I've read is probably a Japanese web novel series called 'Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?' or 'I'm a spider, so what?' I had to read a fan translated version of it, however, so its grammar wasn't the best.
It stars a Japanese schoolgirl who is killed, sent to a video game fantasy world and reborn as a generic spider mob named Kumo. The series follows Kumo's journey of survival through a dungeon. There's no other named character besides her. And it's one of the tensest things I've ever read. And then there's the mid-plot twist, and everything is turned on its head. Literally, the entire reality of the story is broken. It's amazing.
The best book I ever read is The Years of the Voiceless by Okky Madasari. Absolutely phenomenal portrayal of two average women's lives under Suharto's New Order regime. There were some really heart-rending moments and I wanted to cry at some points. Fantastic writing.
Here's the synopsis...
"Marni is an illiterate Javanese woman who still practices ancestor worship. Through her offerings she finds her gods and puts forth her hopes. She knows nothing of the God brought in from that faraway land. Rahayu is Marni’s daughter, part of a new generation shaped by education and an easier life. She is a firm believer in God and in common sense. She stands against the ancestors, even against her own mother. To Marni, Rahayu is a soulless being. And to Rahayu, Marni is a sinner. Each lives according to her own creed, with nothing in common. Then come the sounds of the jackboots, constantly disrupting and destroying souls. They are the ones with the authority, the ones who play with power as they desire. They are the ones who can turn the skies and the fields red, and blood yellow, their guns ready to strike anywhere. Marni and Rahayu, these women from two generations who have never understood each other, finally find something in their lives that they agree on. Both are victims of those in power. Both fight against the guns."
So far, the best book I've ever read is The Time Traveler's Wife, but this is definitely subject to change because I plan on reading a million more books throughout my lifetime.
The Time Traveler's Wife combines all of the aspects of fiction storytelling that I crave when I search for new books, and on a practical note, I like that it's on the longer side so it lasts me a while every time I want to re-read it.
"Writing well means never having to say, 'I guess you had to be there.'" -- Jef Mallett
Gone, by Michael Grant. not my favorite book, but the writing is absolutely incredible. violent, scary, and places haunting images in my mind, but i love the writing and it kept me engaged for the entire book. it’s amazing really.
My first choice would probably be my favourite book of all time, but on reflection, it's probably Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca".
In itself, the book is neither original nor world-changing.
It has elements of drama, thriller and coming-of-age in it, but what excited me the most in the whole story is simply that you can so wonderfully put yourself in the narrator's character's shoes that you feel you are really there. You have such a clear insight into her head, the embarrassing moments, and the thoughts that it is just wonderful to read there and feel how it feels to be constantly "threatened" by the housekeeper Mrs Danvers or to simply feel uncomfortable in this big estate called Manderley she now is living in after the marriage.
What I particularly like is that it is worth reading again and again and also how the character actually grows up over the story, and grows out of herself, but constantly has to struggle with the dilemma of being too young or too inexperienced.
The Mikey Way Chronicles. It’s pretty funny and involves My Chemical Romance. I don’t think Mikey Way even knows it exists. I definitely wanna find the sequel book.
