I think I may have a problem. I seem to have a love of darkness and death. It’s been unearthed as I sat down to write what I thought was a quick, easy blog post about favourite books. As I began to compile my list the only criteria was they had to stick in my mind long after I had finished reading.

As the list started to come together there seemed to be a common theme of death, war and something missing (a father, a memory). I love to laugh, how did I come up with a collection so dark? Anyone want to have a go at pyschoanalysing the mind of someone who would choose these books as favourites?

A Good Man Is Hard To Find – Flannery O’Connor

I read this collection of short stories at Uni. Just fantastic writing. Dark themes and surprising twists which leave you stunned.

A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle

I adored this book as a child. Even today I still love a good time travelling story!  “It was a dark and stormy night.” So the adventure begins.  It had a feisty heroine, Meg, who courageously goes off to find her missing father,  leaping into the unknown with an assortment of mysterious characters appearing and disappearing. It fired my imagination.

The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold

I hated the thought of this book initially. It is told through the eyes of a teenage murder victim, watching the impact of her death on her family from the peace of heaven. However, when I did read it I found it, despite the dark subject matter, to be a surprisingly beautiful novel, suspenseful and hopeful.

What Alice Forgot – Liane Moriarty

Alice slips at an aerobics class and blacks out. When she comes too she is convinced she is a twenty-nine year old newly wed about to give birth to her first child. Unfortunately, she is actually a thirty-nine year old, mother of three, on the verge of divorcing her husband. As she attempts to piece together the decade she has lost the novel explores how our choices impact on ourselves and those around us.

Jasper Jones – Craig Silvey

A funny and heartbreaking story. This award-winning book explores concepts of truth and courage. Two teenagers discover a dead girl and attempt to find her murderer. “Part crime, part coming of age and part romance, Jasper Jones deals with racism in a way that many of us who have spent time in regional areas are familiar with. It also addresses the hotbed of political uncertainty that was prevalent in Australian society during the Vietnam War.” Cath Shaw.  For me, this book absolutely captured the tone of Australian country life and the uncertainties of growing up.

Tomorrow When the War Began – John Marsden

I absolutely loved this book when I read it at uni. I was using it to create a unit of work for Year 9 students as part of my teaching degree. There was so much to talk about in its themes of courage and resilience. Marsden had the idea for the book while watching an ANZAC Day parade, wondering how would today’s youth cope if they were called to war? The story of a group of teenagers who are on a camping trip when Australia is invaded. High up in the hills, they escape detection and go on to fight the enemy. It is the first in a series of books.

To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

It’s To Kill A Mockingbird what more needs to be said? Like everyone, I read it at school. It’s the perfect book for teenagers just discovering their sense of justice and exploring ideas outside of their own experience.

Worse Things Happen At Sea – William McInnes and Sarah Watt

Made me laugh, made me cry. It was just an awesome telling of ordinary lives lived well. I reviewed it here.

Do you have a favourite book? One that lingers long after you’ve reached “The End”?