5 Books You Should Read in 2016

In keeping with my unintentional theme this week, here are five books you should read this year! I love to read, and I love book suggestions, so I thought I would put together a list of my own. These books here are just a few of my favorites.

1) For any Lord of the Rings fans out there, I would really recommend picking up a copy of the Silmarillion. It’s a tough read–in fact, there were times I didn’t think I would make it all the way through! In the end, however, I’m glad I did. The depth that Tolkien put into his world is absolutely breathtaking. For those of you who don’t know, the Silmarillion is basically a history of Middle Earth. The book starts with the creation of Middle Earth and runs all the way through to the end of the Lord of the Rings. The book itself is actually a collection of Tolkien’s work, put together, edited and published after his death by his son Christopher Tolkien. Find this book here.**

2) Aliens, space, war…what more could a person want? Interestingly enough, I am actually not usually a fan of science fiction, but Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is definitely an exception. Most people know about the movie Ender’s Game, which came out a couple years ago. It surprises me however how few people have actually read the book! This book is one of my all time favorites, and definitely worth the read. It is such a fascinating display of human character and is really one of the most intricately wrought stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. The sequel, Speaker for the Dead, is equally a worth while read. Speaker for the Dead is followed by Xenocide and Children of the Mind. The last two books of the series weren’t my favorites, but they were still pretty good. Find this book here.**

3) I know, I know. This book often gets a bad wrap–mostly because all people know about it is the movie. In all honesty though, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is so much more than what you see on the screen. As a whole, the book feels more like historical fiction than a romance novel. In the book, you can see why the heroine Scarlett O’ Hara does what she does, and this makes her a lot more likable. I even found myself rooting for the girl. The book is around 1,000 pages long–which I think deters most people. But don’t be intimidated! If you like history–especially Civil War era–or just want a bit of good romance, give this one a try! Find this book here.**

4) G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy is another hard read, but is very worth the ensuing headache. This book isn’t fiction, it’s Catholic Theology–but I would recommend it to non-Catholics as well. Even non-Christians might find this book interesting to chew on. Chesterton is a fascinating writer and anyone who uses fairytales as an analogy to describe Catholic Theology is gold in my book. Find this book here.**

5) I know I said I’m not a fan of Science Fiction, but I’m still adding C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy to the list. This series was recently loaned to me by a good friend. I haven’t finished the third book yet–I’m finding it a little hard to get into–but from what I’ve read of the series so far, it’s an absolute must read! The series has a slight Chronicles of Narnia feel to it…but in space! Does it get better than that? I also LOVE how deep these books are. C.S. Lewis really knows how to work an analogy. Find this book here.**

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Are there any books you would add to the list?

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