We watch movies or television shows repeatedly. Even though many say: The book was way
better than the movie.
The answer is simple to me: there are just too many good books to read. Movies and television
are limited. But saying that, certain books exist that I have read multiple times. I decided that
these must constitute my favorite list. So, I’m going to try my hand at this. Some of the books are
parts of series, but it is the book named that makes the list. [MINOR SPOILERS MAY BE
PRESENT]
1) The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
I have read a lot of “classical” literature, but this is the only one that makes my top five. Not only
does it make the list, it sits right at the top. Why? Because to me it is not what is on the surface
that makes this book so great. It is short, but it is as deep as the sea upon which the eponymous
old man plies his trade.
We are told that a good character in a good novel is one that faces hardships and is
changed—either to the benefit or to the detriment. However, this does not happen to our old man.
He has been a fisherman his entire life, subject to the whims of the sea, taking its bounty when
and only when it is offered up to him. He is consistent. He is steady.
But the hardships he faces in the story serve to be the catalyst of change for young Manolin, a
boy that used to fish with the old man until his parents made him work on a “luckier” boat. In the
last part of the book Manolin leaves childhood behind and becomes an adult.
2) The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is the only book that I have probably read as many times as I have the number one entry on
this list. It created in me a love for fantasy and world-building that I’ve yet to relinquish. It is
escapism at its finest.
The adventure, the camaraderie. It is a special book. I know detractors exist that bemoan its
colorful and descriptive language, but to me, that is part of its charm. Tolkien has created a world
that has endured. It must be something—an article in Forbes lists Tolkien as the top-earning
celebrity no longer walking this mortal coil.
It is a story first printed in 1954. For 69 years it has enthralled readers the world over. On the
surface it appears to be a simple good versus evil story, but the truth is something else. This first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy also warns about the corrupting influence of power and
how even those with noble intentions can fall.
3) The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I’m not going to be subtle about this at all. This book made me weep. We’re talking ugly tears
that brought a look of panic to my wife’s face when I came down the stairs to tell her about it. I
read the final chapter to her…and cried again.
This tale of a post-apocalyptic North America wherein a father and son strive to find a place of
shelter tore at my heart. Something made me feel total empathy with the characters. What
happened to them happened to me. When the movie starring Viggo Mortensen came out, my
wife also cried. It was just that powerful.
I tried to read All the Pretty Horses back in college and couldn’t get into it. This one grabbed me
up and shoved me into its pages, refusing to let go.
4) Dune by Frank Herbert
The best-selling science fiction book of all time comes in my list at number four. Herbert talks
about the dangers of blindly following charismatic leaders. People are fallible, and he illustrates
this throughout the book. Paul Atreides is not the hero many think he is. The character himself
understands that people are easily manipulated.
Many of the concepts represented in the book have helped shape my own philosophical thinking
about humanity, organizations, and power. “Power attracts the corruptible…We should grant
power over our affairs only to those who are reluctant to hold it and then only under conditions
that increase that reluctance.” ~Frank Herbert.
The story first found its way into print as a serial in science fiction magazines because none of
the publishers thought readers wanted science fiction of epic lengths. Chilton—the publishers of
automotive repair manuals—took a risk on it and proved the publishing world wrong.
5) Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Another post-apocalyptic story finds its way into my top five. Why? I read all 956 pages of this
book in one 24-hour period during my senior year in high school. A friend recommended it to
me, so I had to read it.
I borrowed his copy and took it home on a Wednesday afternoon. From the moment I opened the
cover and read the first paragraph, it hooked me as surely as a harpooned fish. I could have
staggered my reading, but I had no intention of it. I read through the night and told my parents I
would not be attending school the next day as I had more important things to do.
This book wasn’t just about a world-ending doom that descended on the population. It was about
survival. It was about what makes us human and both the terrible and wonderful things humans
can do to one another. It was about not accepting things for their outward appearances.
