My Top Six Favorite Books of All-Time (2024)

My Top Six Favorite Books of All-Time (2024)

Fun fact: I am an English Education major. An even more fun fact: nobody could pay me to pick up a book and read it willingly until my senior year of college in 2022.

The truth is, I have always had a passion for education, writing and journalism, hence the reason I chose an English-orientated major. I knew that I would have to read books in college, but never did I think I would end up as an avid reader by my own volition. It was not until I got the chance to teach literature as a student-teacher that I fell in love with reading lengthy texts. The novel that started it all was F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Teaching that book made me realize how fun it is to absorb words on a page, dissect figurative language, and apply the main themes of a text to my own life.

Since having the chance to teach high school students that American classic, I have read over 30 books in a year and a half. The complete list of books that I have read are organized on my Goodreads profile; however, among that pool of books, my six most favorited are as follows.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (5)

I have always enjoyed and appreciated fictional thrillers, but non-fiction has generally been my cup of tea. First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, though, is a work of literature that I can say hooked me from beginning to end.

The way that the plot escalated felt like the type of journey that I go on while watching a box office hit. The character development that Evie Porter goes through, largely thanks to the twists and turns of the story, is something that replicated the universal archetype of the hero's journey flawlessly. The most enjoyable part of the story for me, though, was watching the grittiness of Porter be put on full display. It felt like she was an underdog throughout the entirety of the novel; this made her a character that I could relate to on a personal level.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (4)

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a science fiction novel that was recently adapted into a television series exclusive to Apple TV subscribers. When I found out that it would be made into a work of cinema, I was ecstatic because of how much I enjoyed the book.

While I credited The Great Gatsby as being the story that kickstarted my love for reading, Dark Matter hooked me in for good. I felt like I learned so much about physics while being taken on a roller-coaster of a ride with a character that desperately just wanted his family back. Grief is the central theme of this book, and while I do not enjoy grieving for things myself, it is among the most universal of themes that a reader can relate to. 

Night by Elie Wiesel (3)

Reading about real-life traumas can be a challenge for many people, but I have the deepest appreciation for authors willing to open themselves up in such a public manner. Night by Elie Wiesel is bone-chilling, educational, and emotional all at the same time.

I had the opportunity to teach this text to high school students my first-year teaching, and I felt like no other text that I taught that year had as much of an impact on the students as this did. On one hand, it is a shame that this memoir exists because a human being should never have to endure what the victims of the Holocaust did; on the other, it is a miracle that this exists because it teaches the reader about the truths of history that should not be forgotten. Furthermore, it demonstrates to the reader what true courage is in ways that not many other texts can.

Of Mice and Men by Jon Steinbeck (2)

Of Mice and Men by Jon Steinbeck is the only text that has ever made me cry, and I have no shame in admitting that. This novella comes from Social Realism period of American literature, and it still stands the test of time today. That is in large part due to the fact that anybody who has ever had to make a difficult decision that directly affects another living being, which most people will do multiple times in their lives, will be able to relate to this piece.

The language may be dated, and the text itself may be short, but the story is everlastingly powerful. If I were to recommend any book that is considered an "American classic" to a new reader, it would be this one.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth & Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosh (T-1)

I initially wanted to limit this list to five books, but Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth and Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosh are two texts that equally impacted my life in ways that no other books have yet to do.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance breaks down how grit is scientifically proven to be more of a factor for individuals achieving success than talent. It explains to the reader how they can become more gritty, and it provides examples of how grit has helped significant figures achieve their versions of success. This book is partially responsible for pushing me to create this website.

The same year I started teaching, I also got involved with coaching high school basketball. A mentor recommended that I read Letters to a Young Athlete to help me better understand the psychology of young athletes, as well as the required entities it takes to be successful in a sport. This book ended up teaching me more about life than I would have ever guessed. The references the book makes, the language it uses to convey messages, and the mini stories it tells changed my perspective on what hard work truly is.

Conclusion

These are my top six favorite books of all-time as of June of 2024. As I continue to read more books, this list may change; feel free to comment your thoughts as well as any book suggestions you may have on this post.