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If there are a hundred articles in response to this question, it is likely that there will be over 40 different titles listed. The additional problem, presumably, is that these need to be readily available without too much tracking needed, on an international basis. Therefore, this article is purely my opinion.

1) The Holocaust. A harrowing story of a world at war, graphically told, as it was, the good and the bad. And the bad is really awful. It shows the result of intransigent, a maniacal mind and the politics of the lemmings. One leads and others follow. Why is this number 1? Not because I enjoyed it as a book. But because it is a must read for all of the worlds leaders, in every country. If they all read this book then, maybe then, we could stop the entire senseless killing in the world and could learn to live with each other.

2) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I personally feel that John Le Carre is the master in terms of espionage. He sets the scenes so graphically and, unlike a lot of others, both gives his characters a three dimensional life, and shows it warts and all. He does not show the spy world as all glamour, and that makes it more realistic.

3) Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I am not usually a historical reader, but this work of Dickin's I found to be enjoyable and so full of morals that it has almost bible like qualities.

4) 1984 George Orwell. The predictive nature of this book never ceases to amaze me. How the author can have taken some of the things within the book that are so apt to the present day defeats me, unless he was a very gifted psychic or fortune.

5) The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver. I have not only included this thriller novel because it provides a fascinating insight into the way that forensic science is used to both detect crime and sometimes predict it. The other reason I have nominated it is because it provides amazing revelations into the life that a quadriplegic (the main character) leads. It describes the lows, the emotional trauma, and the mental pain and anguish that accompany such a condition when there is virtually no feeling. As a thiller it was intriguing, as a revelation of the condition it moved me.

Others have vied for my top five selections, but could not be included because of the restrictions I put at the beginning of this article. One of the most, if not the most memorable was the autobiography of the live of an 85 year old man who lived in a little coastal town called Whistable, which is located in Kent in the South East of England. It tells of his upbringing in that town through the ages, and his experiences throughout his navel career during the war. It is told in such a way that you become one with the character in the both and can almost physically experience his experiences. Ah, memory lane!

A final note. Many will be including the Bible within their selection. My personal reasons for not doing so are that, in my opinion that would leave me having to include a number of other religious titles as well. Religion and faith is universal and there are many bibles for many religions, most with an abundance of wonderful writings and life directions.

Learn more about this author, Paul Lines.
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