Now, since tomorrow I have classes I should've also read a law. I managed to print it out, but hell if I had the time and inclination to read it. Tomorrow I'll have a long day again, I guess. I'll have to get up early to see what the law is about, than classes, than back to work. At least I'm never bored nowadays... and I'm usually so tired by the time I lie down in my bed I fall asleep even before my head hits the pillows. (So much for meditating)
Anyways, since I was writing about Christmas books and since Emő told me I should write about my favorite books, I think it's finally time I listen to her. I'll have to warn you guys, that some of these are not from English writers, tho I'm sure if you really wanted to read them you would be able to find a translation.
1. Molnár Ferenc- A Pál utcai fiúk (The Paul Street Boys)
I always liked to read, but to tell you the truth, I hated reading books for school. The books I had to read for it were mostly boring, and probably not for my age either. I remember reading a book i could barely finish back then, it was so boring, but later on, when I picked it up again on my own, it was quite interesting, and I finished it in a day. This wasn't the case with The Paul Street Boys, though. This book, is amazing, and it's not too long either. You could probably finish it in a couple of hours in fact, depending on how fast you read. There was a movie made from it too (If you are new on my blog, here is a link to that post), which is almost as worth seeing as was worth to read the book.2. Szabó Magda: Abigél (Abigail)
I read this book when I was around 18. Imola lent it to me for a few days, actually. Also, If you clicked on the link I gave you you have probably seen that this one was made into a movie too. Classics, all of them. Although Abigail wasn't something we learned in school about, in my opinion it was very entertaining. Totally believable, and full of charm. And excitement too, since I found myself almost unable to put down the book on a few occasions. If you can get your hands on a copy of this one, please read it!
3. Jókai Mór - Az arany ember (The Man with the Golden Touch)
I had to read this one for literature classes too, and I have to admit, the first few pages of it bored me to death... until the action actually starts, that is. The book starts off with a really in-depth describing of the part of the Danube river, that lies between the Ottoman empire and the Hungarian part of the Habsburg Empire. (Yes, you might need a little bit of geography and history for this book, just so you could place the action in time and space). Also, Jókai has a bunch of other great books too. If you like this one, though, you would probably also love The Heartless Man's Sons.4. Selma Lagerlöf - The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
I remember having a huge red book as a kid, with a bunch of illustrations, and even a cartoon on the T.V. about a boy called Nils Holgersson. It's about a little boy, who's favorite past time was to hurt the farm animals. Once he captures a magical being, and because he refuses to let it go he is punished. He is shrunk, and he is given the ability to talk to animals. During this time some wild geese flow over the farm, and a white farm goose tries to join them in their flight to south. Nils tries to stop him, but because of his shrunken state he is dragged along with the birds on their amazing journey. The book is actually Swedish, but there are many translations of it...5. Mark Twain - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Well, I guess everyone knows these two books. If nothing else, I'm sure you've seen at least one movie adaptation of it. If not, you seriously lack some knowledge about your history and culture. No use to fret tho, here is the time to get to know it better. These two books are about a couple of boys trying to live a better life, they have at the moment. Probably one of the best works that came off of America. The book takes place along the Mississippi, and has a bunch of parts that were criticized, because it speaks about racism, and often uses the term "nigger".6. Dan Brown- The Da Vinci Code
Actually, I love pretty much every novel from Dan Brown. Not that there are too many... Besides the Digital Fortress I loved them all, tho the Da Vinci Code was probably the best. Also, I think Deception point was awesome too, in my opinion way better than Angels and Demons. (And maybe even The Lost Symbol... It seemed a little bit forced, but it was quite enjoyable anyway.) The Da Vinci Code I think was a masterpiece, because it got so many people riled up. I don't really know why people were so inclined to believe everything he wrote in that book is true, but it really speaks about the state Christianity is in.7. Jules Verne - The Begum's Fortune
I love the books of Jules Verne - he's one of the greatest writers out there. Tho now I have to admit, I haven't read some of his most well known books yet, I have heard about them and have seen them in movies an t.v. series so many times I'm pretty sure I'm familiar with them. Probably that's why I didn't choose something everyone knows about. Here I have to add, that I only vaguely remembered the plot of the book, not even the title. I had to ask mom about it, but since she admitted she doesn't know what I'm talking about, I had to search it up on the internet. It was quite a long time ago, and I don't even remember if I have the book in my "library", or if someone just lent it to me. The book is actually about two people who inherit a fortune and while one of them starts off on making a utopian city based on health and... if I remember correctly, some kind of futuristic place where everything is "green", (Holy crap, Verne WAS a prophet) the other makes a town based on mining.8. J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
You didn't think I will leave this one out, did you? I grew up on the Harry Potter series, and besides the last book I absolutely loved them all. Since my favorite was the 6th book, I thought it would be better to only post that one as the sub-title. Why was THIS my favorite, you might ask. Well, it's because it focuses on my favorite character, without you actually knowing it focuses on him, till the end. I always loved Snape. I remember, that back when the who Harry Potter craze started I went to see the first movie with a bunch of class mates who were in love with the books. I've never even heard about them till then, so of course I was sucked into the story in a jiffy. After the movie was over I tried to convince my classmates that Snape was actually a hero, but no one wanted to believe me. Of course they already read the first four books by then, so I thought they were probably right. I'm sure they don't even remember those times, but fu*k it if I'm not pleased with my instincts.9. Stephen King - The Eyes of the Dragon
So you guys already know I like Stephen King. Sadly, his books are too damn expensive around here for me to be actually able to by them. I have read only a few of his stories and I have seen a few movie adaptations too. This book tho is quite different. The book can be read by its own, and it can be understood without a problem. It's pure fantasy, with a little bit of a fairytale side to it too. Not something you might want to read to your children, though. It's a story for grown ups. As I informed myself about the book tho, it appears the main evil character is supposed to be a character that turns up in quite a few more books from King. If you read our movie blog, you probably know that we already watched The Stand. Now, Randall, the personification of evil apparently has a bunch of other sides as well. In this story Flagg is his name, and he is a wizard. Also, he plays a part of the Dark Tower series too (I always wanted to read the series but never could put my hands on the books). Coincidentally or purposefully, the initials R.F. are used randomly in the names of antagonistic characters in a number of other Stephen King works.
10. Jaroslav Hasek - The Good Soldier Svejk
If you want a good laugh, this is probably one of the best books out there to give it to you. It's hilarious. Truly. Tho Hasek wanted to write six volumes he only managed four before he died. The book is about a Czech man, who joins the army. The story actually starts with the news of the assassination in Sarajevo, that precipitates the first World War. Svejk is so excited about joining the army, that no one can decide whether he is merely an imbecile or is craftily undermining the war effort. However, he is arrested by a member of the secret police, Bretschneider, after making some politically sensitive remarks, and is sent to prison. After being certified insane he is transferred to a madhouse, before being ejected.And I guess, that's it. My top 10 favorite books. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I did.
