Top 10 Books To Read Before You Die (Books 1-5)

In my last blog I talked about AOL’s Top 10 Books To Read Before You Die. I thought that the 6th through 10th books included some definite hits (Atlas Shrugged and To Kill A Mockingbird), a questionable (Catcher in the Rye) and what I would consider to be two misses (Angels and Demons and The DiVinci Code) particularly in light of the fact that no Dickens, Austen, Twain or Alcott books made the list. Now for a look at the top 5 books according to a survey of their favorite book by 2400 adults.

Surprisingly books 3-5 are all about the fundamental theme of good versus evil. They each tell wonderful stories that will transport you to another time and another world. Of the three, book 5 is my favorite. Written in 1978, The Stand is considered by both critics and fans to be Stephen Kings best work ever. It tells the gripping story of an apocalyptic world dealing with the ultimate struggle between God with strong overtones of Christianity versus evil and what you assume is the devil. Yes it has the later trademark touches of horror when he is dealing with the post apocalyptic world but King also knows how to tell a great story, creating believable characters of all ages and backgrounds, catching your imagination from the first pages and making it difficult to put down. I loved The Stand when it first came out and it remains my favorite King novel and one of my personal top books of all time.

OK, I also loved book 4, which isn’t one book but a series of books about good versus evil but this time under the guise of wizards and one young boy. Of course I am talking about the Harry Potter series which took the world by storm with the very first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone right through the last of the seven book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. These well written stories captured the imagination of children which encouraged them to actually read. Although childrens and teens will love these books, adults will also easily be entranced by Harry’s world as he and his friends come of age while dealing with the surrounding threat of the dark wizard.

The 3rd book recommended to read before you die is perhaps the ultimate fantasy novel of good versus evil; The Lord of the Rings. AOL explains it best: “The Lord of the Rings is regarded by many to be the most important and influential work of fantasy of the 20th century. It generated the fantasy novel industry practically single-handedly, inspiring a multitude of novels concerning elves and dwarves on quests to conquer ultimate evil despite overwhelming odds. Although intended to be published as a single volume, its division into a trilogy created the iconic format for epic fantasy literature.”

I have read and enjoyed all three of these books. Would I say you had to read them before you die? Actually, no, not all of them. Harry Potter is a very good read but other than missing out on words it has added to our vocabulary (muggles, quidditch) it is not necessarily a must read. If you enjoy fantasy novels then yes, you must read the father of them all, The Lord of the Rings, but I realize that elves, dwarves and hobbits are not everyone’s cup of tea and therefore they should skip this trilogy. However, I would recommend The Stand to everyone. When King tries to gross you out with a bit of horror simply skim that part but his epic struggle of these wonderful characters dealing with the fight between good and evil is not to be missed. And for nonreaders, all three have had very good movies based on these books.

Surprisingly, Gone with the Wind was listed as the 2nd favorite book to read before you die. I didn’t know people still read it and even more amazed that they named it as their favorite book. But they definitely got it right with this one. The epic story of Scarlett and Rhett set in Georgia during the Civil War not only accurately depicts our history but the book and subsequent movie has become an integral part of our culture. I am not sure if I would have thought of this book but I am glad that everyone else has!

I started to write that there should be no surprise that the number one book to read before you die is The Holy Bible. And yet perhaps it is surprising that in this day and age when atheism is the fastest growing religion that the people polled still named The Holy Bible as their favorite book. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but be in turn first outraged, then astounded and finally bemused by how AOL tried to describe the Bible in secular terms and without ever mentioning religion, Christianity or even Judaism: “The most popular and best-selling book of all time is The Holy Bible. No book has had more influence on the world. Its pages tell the story of the creation, fall, and redemption of mankind. Relive the story of creation and the fall of man in Genesis. Cross the wilderness with Moses in Exodus. Welcome the coming of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. The Holy Bible contains epic stories of history, heroism, and hope”.

Unbelievable, isn’t it? I am almost surprised that they didn’t call it a fantasy novel of good vs. evil just like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Good thing that people still can make up their own mind against the constant battering on religion. And I hope that The Holy Bible continues to be the number one book for decades to come….