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- Hi, everyone, it's your girl Jenn
and today I am finally filming
my favorite books of all time video.
This is actually one of my most requested videos
and I thought I would just buckle down,
film it today and it was just,
the problem was that it was really hard
to narrow it down to only 10 books
but I tried to make it as well-rounded as possible,
just kinda genres for everybody.
Also, if you are not subscribed by now,
what are you waiting for?
The button's down below.
Come join the family.
Stay up to date and with that said,
let's get cracking with the books.
The first book I'm gonna recommend is East of Eden
by John Steinbeck.
This book is a classic.
It's just like a piece of literature
that I feel like everyone needs to read before they die.
I mean, there's a reason
why this is assigned reading in school
but I know it's not fun when you're forced to read it
and you're getting graded on it
but I swear, with fresh eyes and reading recreationally,
this book is gonna take you on a journey.
It's about two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons
and there's just a whole lot of drama.
The tea has been spilt and it goes on generations.
I feel like this book has everything you need in a story.
It's got guilt, it's got rivalry,
it's got the struggle to be loved and finding acceptance
and also, I feel like this book
has the best villain of all time, Cathy.
She is psycho, she's crazy and just raunchy
and she does like the craziest stuff
and she just kept me thoroughly entertained.
Every time she was in a chapter, I was like,
ah, my girl is back.
It's very clear, easy to understand
and it's just a masterpiece.
Moving on to book number two.
I have Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.
I have read a number of Murakami books
like Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood
but Kafka on the Shore will always remain my favorite.
It's about a boy, a teenager.
He runs away from home and he tries to find his lost mom
and his lost sister
and he ends up spending some time in this little town
and he works at a library
and that's where things start to get a little twisted,
a little dark and very, very surreal.
One of the main reasons why I love Murakami
is that he really takes you on psychological mind-benders.
You really don't know where he's gonna take you
and he creates such vivid scenes
that I would have never imagined
and I love the fact that he just takes you from point A
to B to C to Z, just everywhere.
I remember when I was reading this,
I was really trying to learn how to lucid dream.
I was drinking all these teas and all this stuff
and reading a Murakami
just made me feel like I was dreaming.
That was the closest I've ever come to lucid dreaming.
I've never met an author or I've never read an author
like Murakami and so I think it's so cool
that he has his own distinct way
of writing and storytelling.
If you're the type of person
that needs all the buttons buttoned
and all the ends tied in a pretty bow,
I'm not sure if you'll like this
because this is more about the journey and the experience
than a clear explanation.
My next book is The Five People You Meet in Heaven
by Mitch Albom.
This is one of those books
that you can just smash out in a day or read on vacation.
It's one of those nice, happy books.
It's about an old man named Eddie
and he just kinda lived a dull, meaningless life
and on his 83rd birthday, he dies
and that's not a spoiler alert.
It happens within the first chapter
and also clearly he dies because heaven is in the title
but each one of these people he meets,
they explain his connection with him
and how they changed his life or vice versa
knowingly or unknowingly.
Some people might think it's corny or cheesy
but I love this book.
It left me feeling all happy and warm inside
and so if you're looking just for a quick, happy read,
this is the one for you.
Alright, gonna keep cracking on.
My next book is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
and this was actually recommended by a bunch of you guys
so thank you.
You know me so well.
This is one of my favorites now.
This is a sci-fi dystopian novel
which is right up my alley.
I love books like this
and it is in a world where just everything is in shambles.
Pretty much everyone's living in poverty
because global warming has just taken a toll
and a lot of people just escape this world
by going into this virtual reality called the OASIS.
It's kinda like The Matrix and internet.
The main character is a teen named Wade
and he spends all his time in the OASIS
and he is dying to play this scavenger hunt game
because the winner of that game,
it's kinda like winning the lottery
so a lot of people see that as their way out of poverty
and Wade just has to go through all these crazy adventures
and there's so many 80s references and I love it.
It really takes you on thrilling adventure.
Definitely recommend it if you're looking for
just a fun adventurous read.
Moving on to more dystopias.
Had to feature 1984 by George Orwell.
This is another literary classic.
Highly recommend.
It's about a world where the government
controls absolutely everything even the way people think
and there's no sense of individuality.
There's no speaking up.
It's like a tyranny where just the government
is constantly watching.
Big brother's watching.
And it follows a man named Winston and his job is an editor
so he rewrites documents and just Photoshops photos
so these historical documents follow the government story.
From an outside perspective, Winston's a good man
following and showing face but in actuality,
he is just freaking miserable
and he's trying to find a way to rebel and resist.
This is a very bleak read but I just,
I find these stories so fascinating
because this could have easily happened to where we live now
and there are places in the world
where this is a reality and not just a story.
Also, Marzia is the one who got me this copy for Christmas
a few years ago so thanks babe.
So this is my last book on dystopias I promise.
I could honestly film an entire separate video
of my favorite sci-fi slash dystopian novels
but maybe I'll save that for another time.
Had to mention Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
and I'll like you five times more
if you have read this book.
In this world, women have absolutely no rights.
They can't have a job, they can't have money,
they can't read, they can't write.
They're all assigned to these roles
and some women are wives.
Those are the better off women
and then some of them are aunts
which are kinda like the maids, facilitators
and then there are handmaids
and the handmaids are the ones
that literally just have to give birth
and I mean, it's not a good role.
These women get raped every month
and this is also a TV show on Hulu
so if you are not gonna read this book,
I highly recommend the TV show.
It's the best, every Wednesday.
So yeah, check out the book or check out the show.
So my next book is The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Unfortunately, I don't have a physical copy
because I bought it on my Kindle
but this is me holding my imaginary copy.
It is a story of a group of students
in this really prestigious elite university
and it's a murder mystery.
The main character is named Richard
and he doesn't come from money
so he's just kind of plopped into this world where just,
where everyone's just wealthy and everyone's super posh
and he's in a class, a very small class
that studies ancient history and one of the students dies
but you don't know who did it or why
so that's where the story just kinda takes off.
This kinda reminds me of And Then There Were None
but the teenage version.
I mentioned this book not too long ago in my favorites
but it's The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
I love this book.
Quick summary, it's about a man named Dorian.
He's very attractive, young and he gets his portrait painted
and he meets this man named Lord Henry Wotton
and he lived just a super hedonistic lifestyle.
He gives zero for anyone but himself.
So Dorian gets very inspired by that
and he ends up selling his soul so he can look young forever
and he just lives this very materialistic life
and he's just living for himself,
just selfish and he's just a big dick.
I read this book when I was 18 or 19
and it taught me just to balance, not go overboard.
It taught me the importance of not being so decadent
and knowing my limit.
My next book recommendation
has such sentimental value to me.
It is the Perks of Being a Wallflower.
I read this book when I was 15
and it just left such a huge impact on my life
because this was one of the first books
that I read outside of my assigned reading.
So when I read a book like this and I followed the story,
it was a storyline that I was just genuinely interested in
and there were a lot of characteristics
of the main character, Charlie that just,
that I felt like he just got me.
He was sensitive and introverted
and those were the personality traits that defined me
especially when I was younger
and when I reread it as an adult,
there was just this huge overwhelming wave of nostalgia.
It's crazy that when you revisit something
from your past that you love you so much,
to be transported and feel that same way
is just, it's insane.
It's like a time machine.
So this book will always have a special place in my heart
and it's very interesting
and an unconventional coming of age story
but I feel like I understand why
this has affected so many teens.
My last book is my first non-fiction on the list.
It is the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen Covey.
I have also mentioned this in my monthly favorites
but I had to mention it again because this is,
this has changed my life in such a positive way.
I feel like I'm always trying to find ways
to increase my productivity,
my efficiency and my self-growth
and this book just hit all those targets for me.
Obviously, this book is about seven habits
that make you more effective
but I feel like it's beyond just that.
This book has taught me to be more self-aware
and to be a better person
and I could easily just tell you what the seven habits are
but they're not gonna make sense until you read the book,
read each of the stories attached with the lessons
and then you'll really absorb it.
I'm actually on my second time reading this book
because it's not one of those books
that you just read once and you're like ah.
I just wanna remember these lessons for the rest of my life
and apply 'em that way.
Alrighty, guys, those were my top 10
favorite books of all time
and honestly, I had so much fun filming this video,
explaining all the books and I would love to,
I mean, I don't know if you guys would be interested
in me doing another book countdown.
I have so many other recommendations.
I could just do another 10 more favorite books
or I can do books on just self-help or just sci-fi
or just fiction.
I don't know, there's so many possibilities.
Also, I would absolutely love it
if you would tell me your favorite book recommendations
along with a little summary and why you like it.
I would love to read what you guys read.
It's crazy how much I love reading recreationally
because it really just broadens my horizons
and it brings light to so many stories
that I otherwise would have never known
and I think it's an art form that everyone
or not an art form but a skill that everyone should utilize
because the brain is such a powerful tool
and it needs to be worked out and I feel like reading
just really keeps your brain stimulated in a good way.
I'm not a scientist but I just feel like it does that
but anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this video,
hope you have a beautiful day
and I'll see you guys in the next one.
Bye.
Muah.
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