Edited by Olivia Spahn-Vieira
I always find comfort in books — they hold universes within themselves that are fascinating to unravel and discover. Books have been my companions through the darkest and happiest times of my life. And authors are just like my trusted and lifelong friends who converse with me through their beautiful words.
I owe it to these 6 books, for making me fall in love with literature and writing, time and time again. And I hope that they will do the same for you, too.
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
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Part of Zafón’s collection of gothic narratives titled The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, The Shadow of the Wind narrates the story of Daniel Sempere, a young man who enters a reader’s labyrinthe of books, called “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books”, and choses a book by the same title. Set in the year 1945, in Barcelona, Spain, the story unravels the peculiar events that happen in Daniel’s adult life, as he guards his book and his life from curious folks who wish to steal it from him. With the beautiful translation of Lucia Graves, this novel takes you through the dark corridors, cobblestone calles (streets), the dimly-lit Ramblas and busy plazas of old Barcelona, where you are left in an inescapable literary trance. This book made me fall in love with literature and writing even more; Zafón’s writing style mimics the rise and crash of waves on shore — graceful, evocative and utterly majestic.
- Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
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Skim is a graphic novel that I had the honour of reading twice for two different Women and Gender studies courses. And, I say it with great fondness not only because of the late-night writing sessions I remember having whilst analyzing this book, but also of the emotional rollercoaster I went through with the novel’s main protagonist, Kimberly Keiko Cameron, or Skim. A novel that explores the idea of liminality in all forms, the novel complicates our notions of girlhood experiences, mental health, school systems, gender, and family. Without giving too much away, the story walks you through Skim’s life, as she tries to understand her sense of self, queerness, and adolescence, while navigating through school. Although Skim and I are not direct parallels of each other, I found comfort and validation in her story. It made me think of my own adolescence and girlhood experience in a new light.
- The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
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In Cherie Dimaline’s dystopian narrative, the book The Marrow Thieves imagines a future of environmental degradation, dreamlessness and social disparity. In this novel, Indigenous peoples’ marrow are being sought after because they are the only people who have the ability to dream. The novel’s speed parallels the constant motion of the group of Indigenous people who struggle to seek refuge while facing the violent forces of the “Recruiters”. This post-apocalyptic story highlights the resilience of Indigenous communities, the power of kinship and community in reimagining a future of hope and empowerment. This book has and will always hold a special place in my heart. As a non-Indigenous person of colour, reading this enlightened me, giving me ways of reimagining a more welcoming world, that amplifies Indigenous voices and narratives.
- The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje
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Michael Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid is a collection of poems and stories that chronicle the life of the outlaw William Bonney or Billy the Kid. The novel explores the tension between the ruthlessness of Bonney, and Ondaatje’s emotional storytelling voice. A powerful work filled with descriptive landscapes of the Old West and poetic writing that etches into your mind, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid combines history and myth with artistic brilliance. I remember parting with this book with lingering feelings of sadness and wonder.
- Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) by José Rizal
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A book dear to my heart, Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) by José Rizal is a novel that explores the inequities and oppression in the Philippines during Spanish colonization. A novel that is considered by many as the greatest book of Philippine literature, Rizal shares the socio-political conditions of the country during a time of systemic indoctrination and violence through the various intertwining characters that comprise the book’s thought-provoking storyline. This was a book that I had to read during my high school education in the Philippines, and in all honesty, reading this never felt laborious. This book reminded me that the revolutionary work that Rizal’s novel instigated continues to be felt in Philippine culture and society today.
- The Bone Mother by David Demchuk
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For those of you looking for a spooky book to read this Halloween season, David Demchuk’s The Bone Mother is a must-read. A collection of distinct yet intertwining mythical stories set in three villages of the Ukranian/Romanian border, the novel explores the idea of monstrosity and challenges our own preconceived notions of it. Demchuk’s brilliant writing style and vast knowledge of myth and folktales make this novel an eerie read that will keep you at the edge of your seat. This is one of the very few books that I finished reading whilst in transit — the eerie stories followed me into every subway station, library and street. I had the honour of meeting the author in my Fantasy and Horror literature class a few years ago, and his humility and love for storytelling in person is just as present and felt in his work.