I am revisiting most of my favourite books at the moment.
Am not really sure why. Maybe it\'s because of the chill in the air, setting of some deep-seated yearning. Or it could be that I feel like I am at a bit of a crossroads in my life.
But either way I am re-reading the books that have the greates impact on me (and some I know, I should have grown out of, but haven\'t!).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Oh Mr Rochester! That brooding, intelligent, slightly cantakerous, intense man. I love the play between Rochester and Jane - both standing their ground, independent thinkers - pushing against each other, testing the limits, seeking their equal. Oh! And the delightful.delicious characters like Blanche Ingram and her horrid mother. Characters like these only intensify the drama and longing of the situation at Thornfield.
But I read this of course because of the epic relationship and romance of Jane and Rochester. The strength of an almost elemental relationship - that they are equals and dependant on one another. It is a little bit of what I seek in a relationship. And for those of you who have seen the recent BBC version of Jane Eyre starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson - the scene after Jane finds out about Rochester\'s still-living wife - on the bed - oh bestill my beating heart!
But for all the strength of character and self-discovery and intelligence of the characters, my favourite line is still the simplicity of: \'Reader, I married him\'.
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Melina Marchetta, the Sydney author, followed \'Looking for Alibrandi\' with \'Saving Francesca\'. For those of my generation, most of us have read or studied Looking for Alibrandi. And I must confess, it is still one of my favourite books, and I still cry when John Barton dies. But it has been beaten in my list by Saving Francesca.
This is a very frank look at a family stricken, with depression at its heart, and the familiar Marchetta themes of family, the trials and discovery of being a teenager and that magical boy/girl relationship. One line that sits with me, and resonates with me is \' in a good year, you kind of look as if you\'d be fearless\'. I like that. I want to be that. I want not be consumed by worry and fear.
Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani
Almost 8 years after September 11, I had assumed that the shock and desolation I felt then would have abated.
But reading the prologue of Giuliani\'s book \'Leadership\', it still hits me, and I still shed a few tears. I think at the fruitlessness of it all, and the total lack of understanding of the motives. I don\'t get it, and honestly I hope I don\'t ever \'get it\', because if I do, does that mean I can become a monster? And yes, they were monstrous acts.
The rest of the book is both a fabulous guide and motivation. I am an eldest child and have an alpha/type a personality and the drive that goes with. Combine that with my Gen Y background and I believe I can conquer the world!
But for me it has never been enough just to conquer the wold. I have to do it in a way that builds people up, brings them along for the ride. Not like some shocking of greed lately.
And this book is the guide to doing just that. The great balance beween the principles and the illustratrions; the hows and the whys. You may never be the leader of a company or an organisation, but this book shows you how to be the best leader of your life.
Twelve by Nick McDonell
A seemingly innocuous book from a precocious 18 year old (albeit one whose godfather is Hunter S. Thompson), it packs a punch.
Only 212 pages long, it\'s 98 chapters traverse the 5 days before New Year\'s Ever through the eyes of the beautiful and the damned - 17 year olds whose focus is beauty and partying, narrated by the ever cool White Mike, drug dealer. The ease with which McDonell writes is frightening and cool - like a teenage, comfortable and slouching in their hoodie, but with that pervading air of menace.
And honestly, I don\'t know what posessed me, but traditionally I read the last five to six pages of a book when I start (I know, I know!). This time I only read the very last page - and I am pleased I didn\'t. The denouement is so close the end, and it rocked me back on my heels.
Chapter 58: \'Fuckin\' Forty-fifth Street? What in the damn shiz fo a niz?\'.
That\'s it. That\'s Chapter 58. One sentence.
So what about you?
My list could of course keep growing because I devour books like they are lollies. But these are the books that still rock my world every time I read them.
So what about you? What are your \'must-reads\' that you revisit each year?
