This Is Me In Five Books
I suppose as a huge fan of books (my greatest ambition being to become an author), then the only logical way to show who I am is by listing and explaining the five books that have made me who I am today. So, without further ado, here they are:
1. The Hunger Games
This might be cheating as I saw the film first, but Suzanne Collin’s ‘The Hunger Games’ had a huge effect on me. I sat in the cinema, watching Jennifer Lawrence in her awesome portrayal of Katniss Everdeen, and thought, wow, this is amazing. One day I want to write something that affects people in the same way it’s affected me. And just like that the decision was made to become an author. Coming out of the cinema, I felt like a different person entirely, and that night, I began planning my very first novel. I see now that my book’s events and characters hugely reflected Suzanne’s masterpiece, but it was a start, and regardless, ‘The Hunger Games’ was monumental in making me who I am today.
2. The Famous Five
Without sounding like a sad case, during primary school I didn’t have a lot of friends. As in, I had none. My classmates and I hadn’t clicked, and as a result, I had plenty of time to read. At that time, Enid Blyton was my greatest love. With ninety of her books in total, I’d devour them like I needed them to live, but of all of them the series I loved best was ‘The Famous Five’. Twenty-one books of gripping adventures (for an eleven-year-old), with characters that I’ll admit I considered my closest friends. Yes, I was that weirdo every class has. Nevertheless, Enid Blyton and ‘The Famous Five’ played a huge part in making me who I am today, teaching me that when you feel most alone, books can be what get you through it.
3. Pride and Prejudice
‘Pride and Prejudice’, or more accurately, Jane Austen, also helped mould me into who I am as a person. I’ve always been a hopeless romantic, and can quote, as many girls can, the scene where Darcy tells Lizzie that he loves her the second time around (spoiler alert!). I swear by the Keira Knightly version though — sorry Collin Firth fans. Anyway, the more I learnt about Jane Austen and her plight to be published in a man’s world, the more I became determined to follow in her footsteps. Now, Jane Austen is my hero. ‘Pride and Prejudice’, while difficult to get through the first time, remains in my opinion one of the greatest books of all time. One day, I hope my name will be up there with the likes of Jane Austen… what, a girl can dream, can’t she?
4. Santa’s Squeaky Boots
Okay, yeah, this one might seem a bit weird, but bear with me. See, my parents are both strong believers in the power of story time, and so before I could even speak they would read me a story before bed. Though I don’t remember this, my parents reliably inform me that ‘Santa’s Squeaky Boots’, accompanied by said squeaker, was a favourite of mine for a year, around my first birthday onward. Even though Christmas was over, I would insist they read it to me. To this day they can quote the book word for word and I suspect the words will be etched into their hearts forever. ‘Santa’s Squeaky Boots’ has become symbolic of a happy childhood and the story time that kindled my love for reading, and eventually writing, that has lasted my entire life.
5. Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky’s masterpiece is on this list, less because of how it shaped my journey towards writerdom and more before it spoke to me on a personal level, discussing difficult subjects with a sensitivity and understanding that blew my mind. It was recommended to me by a friend, and thank God it was. At one point in the book, Chbosky, or rather his hero Charlie, describes feeling infinite. This, I have since decided, is the best if only way to describe it. When you’re among all the people you love, having an amazing time and you know that it will end eventually but for now that moment is everything, that is the feeling of being infinite. They are the best moments in life, the ones to be remembered and treasured always, and so this book taught me to live for those moments of feeling infinite. If you haven’t read it, you really should.
And so that’s my list, a glimpse into the books that are closest to my heart and the works of literature that have made me who I am today. This is me.
