Monday 15 July 2013

Top 5 Book Titles :)


Hey there, 
How are you? I hope you are well. 
Ever had a situation where the title of a book just drew you in? And it never leaves your mind? And you want to read that book just because the title sounds cool? Well I've had a few situations like those so I thought I would compile a list of my 5 favourite book titles. Enjoy!

-This list is not in order of my favourites or least favourites- 


1) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This book is definitely one of my all time favourites! I can honestly say nothing negative about it, it was pretty close to perfection even down to the title. The title comes from a line from a poem entitled "Kabul" by a Persian poet named Said-e-Tabrizi and translated by Josephine Davis into english. The poem reads:
     
      "Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye
Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass
One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls"

The poem is actually mentioned in the novel by Laila's father when they were leaving the war torn city. The words evoke a beauty which stands as a contrast to the war ravaged city with rubble and blood which the backdrop of the novel is set against.


2) The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

If you've read a previous post of mine which was a review of Sarah Dessen's work (click here to view it), you may have guessed that this title would be on here. The Truth About Forever was the first Sarah Dessen book I read, I couldn't help it as it was just sitting there staring at me on my cousin's bookshelf, saying "Read Me! You know you want to" so I caved. The book was great, the best Sarah Dessen novel I have read. 


3) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

"Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird"..."Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy...but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" 
I'm not really sure why but that line really stood out to me when I was reading it and I haven't since forgotten it. This was one of the prominent metaphors used in the book; mockingbirds were used to symbolise innocent and good people who are destroyed by evil. In the case of this book it was Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. 



4) The Fault In Our Stars- John Green

Recently, I have been seeing this book all over the place and quite rightly so. It's wonderfully written and the story just pulls at your heart strings. 

Once again, the title is also mentioned in the novel when Peter Van Houten said to Augustus in his letter:

"Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves"

It is a really nice way of saying you can't control fate and sometimes you have really bad luck. Essentially, what happened to Augustus and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the novel could not be controlled and is no one's fault. It's all in the stars. 
This title really sums up the essence of the novel and also sounds so poetic. 

5)  One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The title of this book is pretty clear cut. It's set in a fictional town which is isolated from the rest of Colombia. Technology eventually gets to this place, in about a hundred years. 

What is striking about the title though is the use of the word 'solitude'. Other words, such as isolation, convey the same meaning and could have been used. Solitude makes it seem more personal and so the title could also refer to the Buendia family who all seem emotionally disconnected. 


I hope you enjoyed reading this list. If you have any others you would like to add, feel free to leave a comment or message me. Don't forget to follow for more ;)



And until next time, toodles :) xoxo

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