Booking Through Thursday #13 - Only Five

This week' question is: If you had to pick only 5 books to read ever again, what would they be and why?

Wow, good question! *starts scanning her bookshelf desperately* If I could choose 5 books only, I would probably choose five different books from five different genres. Or at least I'd try to pick one from my favourite genres :) My top 5 picks in no particular order would be:

1. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I don't think it comes as a surprise to anyone who has been reading my blog for a while, tee hee. :) Let's just say I've read this book 3 times already and it's detective fiction at its best.

Ten...' Ten Strangers are lured to an isolated mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious 'U.N.Owen'. 

'Nine...' At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

'Eight...' Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by an ancient nursery rhyme counting down one by one... as one by one... they begin to die. 

'Seven...' Which amongst them is the killer and will any of them survive?

2. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

I know most people are familiar with this title because of the film version - but seriously, if you liked the film, read the book. It's a hundred times better and a lot different! It's one of my all time favourites.

A hilarious year in the life of a confused thirty-something Singleton who would have all the answers if she could just lose seven pounds, stop smoking and attain Inner Poise.

This laugh-out-loud chronicle charts a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a single girl on a permanent, doomed quest for self-improvement -- in which she resolves to: visit the gym three times a week not merely to buy a sandwich, form a functional relationship with a responsible adult, and not fall for any of the following: misogynists, megalomaniacs, adulterers, workaholics, chauvinists or perverts. And learn to program the VCR.

Caught between her Singleton friends, who are all convinced they will end up dying alone and found three weeks later half-eaten by an Alsatian, and the Smug Marrieds, whose dinner parties offer ever-new opportunities for humiliation, Bridget struggles to keep her life on an even keel (or at least afloat). Through it all, she will have her readers helpless with laughter and shouting, "Bridget Jones Is Me "

3. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

Pilcher has been one of my favourite authors for at least 4 or 5 years now and The Shell Seekers is simply breathtakingly beautiful. It's so well written, it's impossible not to be moved by the story. Loved it.

Set in London and Cornwall from World War II to present, The Shell Seekers tells the story of the Keeling family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The family centers around Penelope, and it is her love, courage, and sense of values that determine the course of all their lives, Deftly shifting back and forth in time, each chapter centers on one of the principal players in the family's history. the unifying thread is an oil painting entitled "The Shell Seekers," done by Penelope's father. It is this painting that symbolizes to Penelope the ties between the generations. But it is the fate of this painting that just may tear the family apart.

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K.Rowling

I'd pick the whole series, if I was allowed to pick more. Anyway, out of all the Harry Potter books I think this one was my ultimate favourite. Mainly because Snape has been my favourite character from the very beginning and this book was FULL of Snape related scenes. Ahem. Anyway, I just LOVE Harry Potter. It's a definite must!

J. K. Rowling continues to bewitch readers everywhere with the third book in her magical Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry's ongoing exploits, along with those of his contemporaries, teachers, and relatives, are as imaginative, entertaining, and mysterious as ever. For during Harry's third year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he must face his greatest challenge yet: a confrontation with Sirius Black, an escaped convict and madman who is rumored to be in cahoots with Harry's archenemy, the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort. This alone would be daunting enough, but Harry's task is made even more trying when he discovers that Sirius is suspected of being the one who killed Harry's parents.

5. The Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett

I read this one many many years ago but I know I loved everything about it. It's such a lovely story so if you haven't read it yet, please do!

When orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire Moors, she finds it full of mysterious secrets. There are nearly one hundred rooms, most of which are locked, and the house is filled with creepy old portraits and suits of armor. Mary rarely sees her uncle, and perhaps most unsettling of all is that at night she hears the sound of someone crying down one of the long corridors.

The gardens surrounding the odd property are Mary's escape and she explores every inch of them--all except for the mysterious walled-in, locked garden. Then one day, Mary discovers a key. Could it open the door to the garden?

Have you read any of these? What five books would you choose? :) Feel free to leave a comment below and share your thoughts! x x x