My 10 Favourite Books of All Time

These are in no particular order:

1) The Giver by Louis Lowry
As soon as I finish it, I could turn it around and start again. I am amazed by this different, monotone world described in "The Giver". It pointed out to me how special individual feelings and emotions are, something I used to see as a given.

2) The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
The "His Dark Materials" series by Pullman (of which "The Amber Spyglass" is the third and final book) has accompanied me through my childhood. Lyra, the main character, used to be my role model when I was younger, and I wanted nothing more than to be like her.

3) Taking Woodstock by Elliot Tiber & Tom Monte
I was given this book for my 16th birthday just last year from my mom's cousin (32 year old Daniel, who I have always somewhat admired), and it opened the world of the 60s hippies to me. Inspired by this book, I wrote my Extended Essay on the 1960s alternative/hippy culture.

4) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter series have always been my favourite books. Especially this one, the fourth one in the series, sticks out in my mind as the most exciting one, and the one in which the characters were developed the best. It was after this book, that I became a real Harry Potter fan.

5) Tintenherz (in English: Inkheart) by Cornelia Funke
This book, and the following two in the series, shaped my imagination. Reading this book is what made me fascinated by fantasy.

6) The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
I read this in my 9th grade English class, yet I am glad that I was "forced" to read it. Something about Holden's normality and stereotypical behaviour and emotion of a teenager spoke to me.

7) Mein Schiff war die Taube (in English: Dove) by Robin Lee Graham
My mom gave this to me this summer and told me this was her favourite book as a teenager. I have to agree with her, as it made me dream of letting everything go and living completely free without any obligations. "Dove" is the story of a young man/boy who leaves everything behind to travel around the world with his sailing boat.

8) Eragon by Christopher Paolini
I read this a few winters ago, soon followed by me anxiously waiting for the next two novels of the series to be published. One of the best fantasy stories of all time, I find; the books are even better than The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

9) 1984 by George Orwell
The fact that Orwell wrote this story as set in the future, but the date which he set it at is now in the past, really fascinated me, as it shows me how fast time passes and yet humans are still worried about the same things. We are still worried about what will become of our society in the future. Although quite difficult and long, I enjoyed reading about this possible dystopia.

10) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
The book caught my attention in a store in Grand Bend, Canada because the female main character has the same name as me. This is not why I love this book though. The love story is so perfect but also reasonable and achievable for normal people (which is not always the case for love stories in novels).