Are you looking for a new book to read or wanting to become a writer? Here are my top five favorite books that helped me find my writing style and love for literature.
1.) Hawaii written by James A. Michener
The first book on the list is titled Hawaii and was my first book from Michener. After reading this book, it made me want to read just about every one of them. His vivid telling of the story of European settlers traveling to Hawaii, infecting it, and then settling there is riveting.
A synopsis of the book, brought to you by GoodReads, is “Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener vividly brings Hawaii’s epic history to life in a classic saga that has captivated readers since its initial publication in 1959. As the volcanic Hawaiian Islands sprout from the ocean floor, the land remains untouched for centuries—until, little more than a thousand years ago, Polynesian seafarers make the perilous journey across the Pacific, flourishing in this tropical paradise according to their ancient traditions. Then, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrive, bringing with them a new creed and a new way of life. Based on exhaustive research and told in Michener’s immersive prose, Hawaii is the story of disparate peoples struggling to keep their identity, live in harmony, and, ultimately, join together”.
2.) Red Storm Rising written by Tom Clancy
I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN once I began reading Red Storm Rising. I remember reading this on a flight from California to Atlanta, and the boy sitting next to me, couldn’t believe all I wanted to do was read this book. “Hey, mister, is that book any good? That’s all you’ve done for the whole flight.” I wish they would make this into a movie.
Synopsis:
When fundamentalists destroy an essential Soviet oil complex, the Russians initiate a plan of diplomatic trickery and military build-up in preparation for their seizure of Persian Gulf oil.
3.) Hunt for Red October written by Tom Clancy
Hunt for Red October was made into a movie with Sean Connery, I’ve seen the movie a handful of times, but the book is much better. Clancy’s writing has a way to keep you on the edge of your seat and each of them are great in their own way.
Synopsis:
Here is the runaway bestseller that launched Tom Clancy’s phenomenal career. It was a military thriller, so gripping in its action and so convincing in its accuracy that the author was rumored to have been debriefed by the White House. Its theme: the most significant espionage coup in history. Its story: the chase for a top-secret Russian missile sub. Lauded by the Washington Post as “breathlessly exciting.” The Hunt for Red October remains a masterpiece of military fiction by one of the world’s most popular authors, a man whose shockingly realistic scenarios continue to hold us in thrall.
A Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision somewhere under the Atlantic. The Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back.
4.) Freakonomics written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
I love this book because it is a great business book told in a way that a fiction reader would enjoy. Tom Friedman delivered many clear concepts about how human behavior affects how marketers go to market and build their brands.
Synopsis:
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime? Freakonomics will redefine the way we view the modern world.
These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life — from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing — and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: Freakonomics.
5.) The Tipping Point written by Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell, like Friedman, has a way of telling stories relating to human behavior. Just like Freakonomics, this book affected how marketers build and grow their brands. I especially liked his theories on how things go viral. Definitely worth reading.
Synopsis:
The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, a small but precisely targeted push can cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people worldwide think about selling products and disseminating ideas.
Gladwell introduces us to the particular personality types who are natural pollinators of new ideas and trends, the people who create the phenomenon of word of mouth. He analyzes fashion trends, smoking, children’s television, direct mail, and the early days of the American Revolution for clues about making ideas infectious. He visits a religious commune, a successful high-tech company, and one of the world’s most excellent salesmen to show how to start and sustain social epidemics.
Have you read any of these books? If so, comment down below.
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