These ones will make you fall in love with reading. Hello everybody, welcome to my new post about books, and my first of this month. This time with five great works that you have to read a soon as you can.
“A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.” – Arab proverb
In all of my years as a reader I have heard all kinds of excuses from people about why they don’t like reading: their minds start to wander, they see it as a chore, reading is not “cool”, reading is difficult… And the few readers I have encountered are people who read crappy books, best-sellers about mysteries, romance, or stupid fantasy and science-fiction series. But those are not the kind of books anyone with a good taste for literature should be reading.
When the subject of the good books appear, the other common excuses I hear are: those books are too “long”, too “slow”, and they’re “boring”. I can understand some classic books can be a real challenge for those who are beginning to read or those who don’t have the reading habit; you may feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.
But good literature doesn’t always have to be difficult, “long”, “difficult”, or “boring”. You can opt for starting with something easier, then you can move on to more elaborated stuff. And I’m here to help and to recommend you five great and easy books that will make you love the good literature and start your reading journey.
On this post you will find five works of fiction, because fiction is the best thing that exists. First, there is a short but touching book about friendship, a book destined to become a classic of this 21st century. Next you’ll have probably the best book ever written by a teenager. Next you’ll have the story of a serial killer set in 18th century France, a book you won’t be able to put down. The misadventures of a drunken post office employee will be your number two. And for the number one spot I chose an introspective journey to wisdom and self-discovery written by a Nobel Prize winner and one of the most influential writers of all time.
So, without further ado, let’s begin your literary journey.
5 – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2006)
By John Boyne
A cover (Via: goodreads.com)
Life couldn’t be better for the nine-year-old Bruno. He lives in a nice house in Berlin, his father has a good job, his mother takes care of the house, he has lots of toys; his only trouble is his annoying older sister. But one day, Bruno arrives from school and notices a lot of movement around the house. His mother tells him they’re moving to some place named Auschwitz because his father, who works for a man Bruno calls The Fury, got a promotion at work.
Once in Auschwitz, Bruno doesn’t like the place and misses his life in Berlin. To alleviate his boredom, he goes for long walks around a place that is surrounded by a large fence. He notices another boy of his same age at the other side of the fence. This boy, named Shmuel, who is always dressed in a striped pajamas and doesn’t even have shoes, will become Bruno’s only friend in that ominous place. Bruno and Schmuel will spend a year talking to each other separated by the fence until one day, when they decide to live an adventure.
The film version of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008). (Via: intofilm.com)
It was in 2008 when I first saw this book exhibited in a bookstore; but it wasn’t until 2014 when I was finally able to read it. The heartbreaking story of the friendship of two boys separated by a fence left me speechless. Although it’s not something that happened in real life, the atrocities that occurred in those camps during World War II did happened. This book should be read by anyone starting the age of twelve.
The first draft of this short novel was written in two and a half days, without sleeping, by Irish author John Boyne. It has with a light and concise prose, that sometimes it’s even funny, and makes you wonder how a simple book about two boys could be so powerful? An immediate success upon its publication, this novel has sold around 11 million copies worldwide, and was adapted into a film in 2008. This book is destined to become a classic of this 21st century. If you’re looking for something light and meaningful at the same time, this is your book to start.
4 – Bonjour Tristesse (1954)
By Françoise Sagan
A cover for Bonjour Tristesse. (Via: goodreads.com)
It’s the early 1950s and the young seventeen-years-old Cécile spends the summer in a rented villa in the Mediterranean. Since she’s motherless, she has formed a special bond with her father, the handsome and successful owner of an advertising agency in Paris. Parties, dinners, shows, friends, are part of their carefree lifestyle. Cécile also has a romance with a young boy from another villa, named Cyril, while her father amuses himself with the frivolous Elsa. The ocean, sun, sand, romance… the summer couldn’t be better for the young Cécile.
But one day, a former mistress of her father, an elegant and poised woman named Anne, will arrive at the villa with the intention of marrying Cécile’s father. Scared that this woman will put an end to the carefree lifestyle she and her father enjoy, Cécile, together with Cyril and Elsa, will conceive a plan to stop Anne from getting what she wants. But Cécile’s plan will have terrible consequences for her and all of those involved.
A poster of the film version of Bonjour tristesse (1958) directed by Otto Preminger. (Via: theconversation.com)
Born in 1935, Françoise Sagan began writing Bonjour tristesse, her first novel, at the age of eighteen after failing at La Sorbonne and being chided by her mother. Published in 1954, this short novel with a teenage girl as a protagonist, became an immediate success. It is Sagan’s best known work, and although she went to write several other novels, none of them reached the success of Bonjour tristesse. Her real name was Françoise Quoirez and her pseudonym was derived from the fictitional Princess of Sagan in Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu. Her life was always surrounded by controversies. She died in 2004.
I’m glad I discovered this short book back in the days where I was young man starting his reading habit. I used to visit a big local bookstore that sold second hand books, and this one grabbed my attention immediately. It’s light, funny, bittersweet, and even has its dose of reflections about life and philosophy. It proves that good literature doesn’t have to be “long” or “boring”. The movie version, directed by the tyrannical Otto Preminger, is also very well-made, but you do better sticking with the book. It is the ideal book for a trip or a summer reading list, and probably the best novel ever written by a teenager.
3 – Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (1985)
By Patrick Süskind
A cover of The Perfume. (Via: goodreads.com)
Born in the filthy fish market of 18th century Paris, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille has an extraordinary gift: a formidable sense of smell. After being nearly killed, sold, and working as a slave, one night Grenouille follows a smell that fascinates him, the smell of a young redhead woman, and an accident will occur. Later, he will catch the attention of the famous perfumer Baldini who will teach him the art of making perfumes.
After leaving Paris and having many adventures in the south of France, Grenouille will arrive in Grasse to learn the secrets of the enfleurage. There, another young beautiful redhead woman will capture his attention. Suddenly, Grenouille has a purpose in life: to create the greatest of all fragrances ever known, and so be accepted by the world that has always rejected him. But to carry out his purpose he will have to become a murderer.
The 2006 movie adaptation. (Via: google.com)
A novel I discovered in 2006 after seeing a copy at the desk of a receptionist woman, and blew my mind the first time I read it. I liked how the gothic eerie atmosphere of 18th century’s France is depicted here. Customs, clothes, places and cities, the smells, and even the prices of objects, are all described in a superb way almost never seen in contemporary literature. This book was an immediate success, it has sold more than 20 million copies, and has been translated into 49 languages, including Latin. If you’re looking to start reading the good literature, you can start right here with this amazing novel.
A German writer born in 1949, Patrick Süskind is mostly known for his only novel, The Perfume. After taking the world by storm with this magnificent fantastic novel in 1985, he wrote a couple of books that didn’t make it. He retired to live as recluse in Munich and in a little town in France, and has been described as Germany's most mysterious author. The Pefume was adapted into a very good film in 2006, directed by Tom Tykwer. A warning: this book has something hypnotic in its pages, once you start reading it you won’t be able to put it down; when you finish it, you will start reading it all over again.
2 – Postman (1971)
By Charles Bukowski
The Spanish edition of Postman by Anagrama. (Via: google.com)
After years of rejections, odd jobs, troubles with the law, and wandering in a country that doesn’t give a fuck about him, the cantankerous, alcoholic Henry Chinaski finds out through another drunk guy that they are always hiring people at the local Post Office. Next thing, Chinaski has a sack of mail on his back to deliver throughout the city of Los Angeles. The job is tiresome the hours are long, the city is a hell, so Chinaski tries to cope with it with alcohol and sex with the random women he encounters in his daily life.
Chinaski will spend twelve years working at the Post Office. In that period he will have all kinds of misadventures, some really funny, while others so sad and pathetic. He will get married, get divorced, have a relationship with an alcoholic woman, and will father an illegitimate daughter. After twelve years of a miserable life he’s poorer than when he started. Then, he will have to decide what will he do with what is left of his life.
Charles Bukowski. (Via: threeroomspress.com)
Born in Germany in 1920, Charles Bukowski was the only son of an American soldier and a German mother; later, he migrated with his family to Los Angeles, California. In his teenage years he had a bad relationship with his father and developed a strange case of acne that left permanent scars on his face. A heavy drinker who had trouble keeping jobs, he began writing poetry at the age of thirty five. In 1970 a publisher offered him the chance to become a full time writer. He wrote dozens of poetry books, several short story collections and six novels. Many of his works tell the misadventures of the alcoholic, self-obsessed Henry Chinaski, Bukowski’s magnificent alter ego. Bukowski died in Los Angeles of Leukemia in 1994.
I have a special debt to Charles Bukowski, and that’s why I included one of his books here: he was the one who took me to the good literature. It was through Bukowski that I discovered other great writers like Henry Miller, John Fante, and Louis-Ferdinand Céline. Previously, I used to read stupid best-seller novels about who is the murderer; but that went away after I discovered Bukowski. His prose is light, concise, ironic, devoid of all unnecessary flourishes, and you always want to know what’s going to happen next to Henry Chinaski, Bukowski’s alter ego and greatest contribution. Post Office was the first of Bukowski’s six novels and for some it’s his best. Some of the Chinaski’s adventures are so outrageous that you can’t stop laughing, while others will make you feel sorry for his hard life. Give it a try, you won’t regret it.
1 – Siddhartha (1922)
By Hermann Hesse
A Cover of Siddhartha. (Via: goodreads.com)
All good stories are about a journey, and should leave you with something to reflect upon. This is the story of a young man in ancient India named Siddhartha, the son of a rich Brahman. One day, Siddhartha decides to leave his comfortable and rich life to wander around in a spiritual journey.
After a few adventures and even a romance with a beautiful princess, Siddhartha will retire to live a peaceful and contemplative life in a cabin, next to a river. But no matter how much a man tries to get away from the world, the world will always find a way back to him.
Hermann Hesse in 1956. (Via: theguardian.com)
Born in 1877, Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist, the son of devout parents who exposed him to a broad range of religious and philosophical doctrines. He began his career as a lyric poet and, like Goethe, saw himself as a wanderer and a seeker. He wrote some of the most celebrated novels of the 20th century. In 1946 he was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died in Switzerland in 1962.
I discovered Hermann Hesse, my favorite German writer, in the early 2000s when I saw a copy of Demian at a local library. I didn’t like Steppenwolf very much, and I think Beneath the Wheel could have been better. The Glass Bead Game is his masterpiece, but my favorite book from him was and still is Siddhartha. This wonderful short novel was the fruit of a trip Hesse took to India in 1911, and is one of the most influential works of the 20th century. It is a light and lyrical novel that describes a path to internal harmony via asceticism. It is the best book for you to start your reading and spiritual journey into the world of good literature. It will touch your heart and make you reflect upon life itself.
Conclusion
(Via: unsplash.com)
There you have it, guys, five easy and great works of fiction to start your way around the good literature. I have stressed before some of the reasons why reading (especially fiction) it’s good for you: is good for your emotional and mental health, it relaxes you, and you will find some inner peace no other media can give you.
The reading of these five books will also take you to discover other books and authors and will help you develop a reading habit, and if you’re a reader already they will liberate you from other stupid nonsense books. If you have to choose something to read, always choose the best you can.
Now I want to know about you, which of these wonderful books caught your attention the most? Have you ever read any of them? Which one do you plan to read fist? If you have other recommendations about short but great books to read leave them in the comment section.
This will be my last book post of this year; now check five great books for your classical education right here:
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Until Next Time
Take care
Orlando Caine.