reading is one of my favourite things to do. in august 2017 i decided that i wanted to move away from the books i was reading most at the time which was young adult and chick lit books and move onto books that were largely renown and recommended worldwide. and seeing as it was world book day yesterday, here’s four of my favourite books that i would tell everyone to read at some point in their life.

the handmaid’s tale by maragret atwood. 

before i properly started reading this i did a bit of research about it as from the first chapter i was a bit confused because it was one of the first dystopian novels i’d read. after that i understood what was happening so if you struggle at first with this i recommend doing that! this book is dark and can be very disturbing to read in parts but that only adds to the message it’s trying to give. although this book is by no means new, the points it makes about gender inequality and women’s oppression are still just as valid today. i’d highly recommend this book if you enjoy books with feminist themes in them.

‘better never means better for everyone. it always means worse, for some.’ commander fred

the diary of a young girl by anne frank.

this book was written in such a way that it’s hard to believe it’s a true story. when reading this i occasionally had to take a moment to process that what i was reading was by no means fiction and that anne frank was real and all her feelings she documented were actually felt. the idea of her, her family and her family friends being in hiding for as long as they were still blows my mind and it broke my heart to read how it ended. even as a fiction book it would be upsetting to read but as a true story, it’s even more devastating. however, no matter how sad, i think it’s important for people to read this to be able to understand just a small amount of how much suffering families involved in world war two felt.

'i’ve found that there is always some beauty left- in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.’ anne frank

to kill a mockingbird by harper lee. 

i studied this book for my gcse english literature exam and honestly at the time it felt like a drag and i didn’t enjoy it that much. however, going back to it now being older and dare i say wiser it’s really grown on me and i can now appreciate the deeper themes of racism and inequality. scout’s naivety about the world creates a heart-warming way to narrate a story full of such dark issues from 1950’s american society. reading her journey of growing up and understanding how cruel the world is can be very bittersweet but also moving and i think everyone should experience it.

‘watch carefully, the magic occurs, when you give a person just enough comfort to be themselves.’ atticus finch.

murder on the orient express by agatha christie. 

i never thought i’d be one to read and actually enjoy an agatha christie book as the idea never really appealed to me before. my grandad wanted to buy me a book and the tesco i was at had limited choice but i saw the book and decided i may as well give it a try. i ended up loving it and hardly put it down until i’d finished it. as it’s a murder mystery there’s constantly twists and turns which made it so easy to want to keep reading. the number of characters included was a bit overwhelming to start with but eventually, i got used to it and started making my own predictions of who the murderer was.  

‘if you confront anyone who has lied with the truth, he will usually admit it – often out of sheer surprise.’ hercule poirot