My Favourite Books

 I love to read. Here is a collection of my favourite books to date. The list will change and multiply over time. You can click on each link and find my full review of each book, as I add them to my blog. I dare you to read them all. You'll love them (and maybe have a bookcase as awesome as mine).

Titles with a * beside them are a part of a series (and unless I say so - you should read those, too)

Succulent Wild Woman – SARK

For the dreamer, the comfort and love seeker, and any woman (or man) in need of connecting with their femininity. 

 

The Artist's Way – Julia Cameron

For the struggling creative – whether writer, artist, actor or lawyer. This book will change you. 

 

The Beauty Myth – Naomi Wolf

For everyone and anyone. We all need to shift our views on society and the way we (they) use beauty as a tool to attack women.

Half the Sky – Nicolas D. Kristoff, Sheryl Wudunn

Another read for everyone. An enlightening book to the situations of women around the world. A call-to-action to improve the lives of these women through positive action – along with uplifting and inspiring writing.

Persepolis – Marjane Starapi

A visual autobiography – a beautiful look at post-revolution Iran, and how the changes affect a young girl growing up. Nostalgic, beautiful and enlightening. 

 

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

A uniquely creative and incredibly visual book. Morgenstern takes the reader through time and on a journey through a circus so magical – you really do feel like you're there. 

 

*Goose Girl/ Enna Burning/ River Secrets – Shannon Hale

A remix of a less-known fairytale. For the dreamers, those who love happy, surprise endings, and well-developed characters and themes. A good summer read.

*The Knife of Never Letting Go / The Ask and the Answer/ Monsters of Men – Patrick Ness

A must-read. Thrilling, extremely thought-provoking and hauntingly brilliant. The themes, writing, characters – everything about this book demands to be re-read and understood and sinks deep in to your whole being. Beautiful. 

 

*The Naming / The Riddle/ The Crow / The Singing – Alison Croggon

A complex world that Tolkien fans will love. Music and art weave their way in to a world that's impossible to forget, with incredibly real characters and a scintillating plot.

Angela's Ashes – Frank McCourt

A classic for a reason. Although the writing style takes a bit of getting used to, you can truly hear the author through his work. At times hilarious, tragic and heart-warming, Angela's Ashes tells the story of a poor family growing up in Ireland, and the story of one boy's childhood. 

 

*The Giggler Treatment – Roddy Doyle

For kids and kids at heart – honestly the most hilarious book out there. Just read it. It's necessary, especially on bad days. 

 

The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle

For the philosophic and seekers of enlightenment. A world-changing book with a tough mandate – yet truly powerful and beautiful. Something everyone should read – you'll be at peace within seconds.

 

*Divergent / Insurgent – Veronica Roth

For lovers of the Hunger Games (so I'm told – I've never read them). For those who love competition and a fast, chilling plotline. Hooks you in and you can't stop reading it. Set in a unique world with very relatable characters. The romance is quite lovely, too. 

 

*The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place – Maryrose Wood

This series is aimed for younger children, but the prose is too quirky, smart and unusual to resist. Children raised by wolves in Victorian society? Loved it. The illustrations are wonderful, too. Read them all.

 

Habibi – Craig Thompson

This absolutely stunning book shook me to the core. The painstakingly detailed art ties in perfectly with the lush and elaborate story behind the work. I swallowed up this book in a night. One beautiful, haunting and sacred night. I'm sure you will, too. 

 

The Guerrilla Art Kit – Keri Smith

For everyone to read, so we can fill the world with anonymous art in public. Guerrilla art is about a campaign that involves doing anonymous (usually time-based) art in public You can learn how to make graffiti with moss, stickers, and seed-bombs, all in one book. 

 

Wreck this Journal – Keri Smith

One of the most fun books you'll ever find. Each page is a different task that slowly 'destroys' the journal. You'll take it in the shower with you, scrape a chair over it, and write the same word over and over again. It's a lark.

The Merchant of Venice – William Shakespeare

I feel like the MoV gets a lot of bad rep for no real reason. The prose and poetry in the play are absolutely beautiful, with two of the most famous and philosophical monologues out of Shakespeare's work. Plus, it has a wonderful moral, and a happy ending (surprise – it's possible).

The Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood

A dystopian novel that really, really shook me. Atwood imagines a world where infertility runs rampant and, in desperation, the bible is taken literally, and woman have no autonomous power whatsoever. A really challenging, yet intriguing and engrossing read. 

 

*Graceling / Fire / Bitterblue – Kristin Cashore

An upbeat, if angry, story about people who are gifted with incredible talent in one area, Graceling has a real kickass heroine, and a fantastic setting full of woods and smoke and heroes and villains. The best fantasy series I've read in a while.

*Trickster's Choice / Trickster's Queen – Tamora Pierce

I would recommend anything by Tamora Pierce, but this series is incredibly engrossing. Aly is a really complex and enjoyable character, and the issues of race and class mingle with clever characters and a gorgeously detailed setting. 

 

Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden

Although I don't enjoy some of the controversy surrounding this book, it truly is a beautiful (if somewhat fictional) look at a culture that is exotic, foreign and beautiful all at the same time. 

 

Little Brother – Cory Doctorow

This book turned me in to a nerd. Seriously. I loved it a ton – especially considering the author and narrator of the book describe incredibly complex computer programming in easy, understandable and entertaining terms. Imagine 1984, for the modern teenager. It's fantastic.(Also, let it be known that this book can be read online for free here)