Five books to read before you die

Bethany Anderson (author of the Words, Words, Words Blog) recommends five books toread before you die.

Tess of the d’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Still my favourite book of all time, and the one I will always recommend (if I can only recommend one). It’s a beautifully written story with all the true traits of tragedy - rape, betrayal, madness, murder. Tess is a book I have studied inside and out, and it still continues to amaze me. I first read this nine years ago, and it still holds an unrivalled top spot. For the non-Hardy readers, this is the place to start. For Hardy fans, there’s no need to say it twice.

American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Go on - why not? So murdering yuppies might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you only live once. If gore is outside of your comfort zone, delve into the deep end. If sick and twisted with a dash of humour is just what you want, then relish this book. It’s just too clever to miss out on.

Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels
Such a beautiful portrait of what it means to be human, and a humbling insight into the frailty of life. This novel is through and through a work of beauty. Simply put, it offers the most stunning accounts of falling in love that I have ever read. Even just thinking about this book makes me melt.

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Yes, this book might be a bit of an epic, but that’s because it includes every aspect of life possible: politics, religion, philosophy, aesthetics, history, society, men, women, love, hate, war, romance. There is no reason for anyone not to gain something substantial from this book. Tolstoy offers so much between one and eight hundred and odd pages, and it’s all so eloquently written. A hilarious read too, so it’s definitely worth a shot.

Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen
Five things to read before you die - say you’re on your death bed and you’ve got time for just one more story, pick up something by Andersen or the Grimms. One, it’ll give you that warm, cosy, happy nostalgic feel that comes from reading a fairy tale (no matters how grim it may be) and two, every fairy tale will remind you of hundreds of books that you’ve read. So, in your last moments, you’ll feel like you’ve reread all your favourite stories.

This article originally appeared in Word Up

Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death by Giles Brandreth

Historically accurate and great fun. Brandreth used lot’s of Wilde quotes in the text (apparently Wilde did ‘try out’ phrases with friends prior to their appearing in his work). Wilde has Sherlock Holmes-esque observational skills and uses these to the full to solve the murder and like all good crimes I got to the end amazed by the solution but sure that if I read it again all the clues would be staring me in the face.

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Try some Manga!

Manga = comics and print cartoons in the style developed in Japan

Bleach by Tite Kubo
Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, but this ability doesn't change his life nearly as much as his close encounter with Rukia Kuchiki, a shinigami and member of the mysterious Soul Society. Now a full-fledged shinigami himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits.

Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba
Light Yagami is a bored high school student when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rougue shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light now vows to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil.

I.N.V.U. by Kim Kang Won
The title of this Korean manga stands for "I envy you." It’s a hip, moving, topsy turvy look at the lives and loves, trials and travails of four teenage girls.

In the Bath by Tim Fitzhingham

Tim Fitzhingham (a stand up comedian and Flanders and Swann peformer) decided to row across the channel for Sports Relief in a bath tub.

However the silly bit of the bet was where a friend bet him a pint that he could row the bath from Dover to Tower Bridge. As you might guess it turned out to be a very big challenge – albeit eventually worth it.

The book is great very funny and full of interesting people, events and bath facts at the end. It’s an eccentric Englishman at his best!

Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick.

Blood Red Snow White drew me in as it mixed fairy tales and Russian history. It’s printed on paper that’s off white and designed to look old and is written as part fairy tale, part history and part biography. Done using Arthur Ransome (author of 'Amazon and Swallows') as the link between the events it cover the period just before the Russian revolution until the Bolshevists are set in place. Easy to read but very interesting and exciting.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I loved this book. At no point did I fall for our leading man but I did find myself caring a great deal too much for the nameless female narrator. I could see how the events of the ball would unfold but I still found myself wishing it could be otherwise. However, the big revelation when it came, came as a complete shock. The final third was a brilliant – tense and very much ‘edge of seat’ stuff. A really excellent read.