by Meagan Kane

Created on: April 13, 2011

Not an easy question to answer for any avid reader, but a particularly challenging one for me personally. I fell in love with stories at a very young age, and have been consuming books at a slightly unhealthy rate ever since.  That being said, there are a few novels that stand out, that I still remember as perfectly as the day I first read them, that are important to me.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

A young, reclusive biographer is asked to write the life story of a notoriously reclusive, extremely prolific writer in Setterfield's first novel. The Thirteenth Tale is a literary mystery taking place in flashbacks, old libraries, and silent mansions, centered around the life of the aforementioned writer, Vida Winter, and her young biographer, Margaret Lee. The novel hearkens back to a lot of gothic literary traditions, and is rich in small details, beautiful and terrible images, and brief flashes of brilliant characterization. At the heart of the novel is a deep meditation on the nature of storytelling and identity that I find very compelling. I take this book out and read it every winter, it's perfect for a snowy day, and it's a lovely read. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is a beautiful story about friendship, death, books, and war. Lisle, a young German girl whose family dies unexpectedly, is sent to a small German town to live with a foster family. While she's there, she finds herself increasingly uncomfortable with the politics of her country, and attempts to fit in in a strange new surrounding. I love all of Zusak's novels, but this is by far my favorite. He has a very unique voice that I enjoy, particularly in this book, which is narrated from the perspective of Death. It's a very touching, very honest novel. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Though most people know Jane Eyre from their senior year of high school English, I read Jane Eyre a little earlier, and thus managed to avoid the repulsion all high school students feel towards books required of them to read. A classic novel about a governess who finds herself entangled in the lives and mysteries of a household in England, Jane Eyre captures a lot of elements of both the Romantic and Gothic literary movements, and is a forerunner to other famous feminist works. Not only is it an important and well-written book, Jane herself is an instantly sympathetic character, and one of my all time favorites. 

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

A linked set of stories about human exploration, and eventual colonization, of Mars, written by one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time. This is the book that really inspired by interest in space, astronomy, and space exploration when I was younger. Though, of course, not in any way scientifically accurate, The Martian Chronicles has a feeling of nostalgia, for a time and a place that never existed.

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