Top 10: Books You’ll ALWAYS Remember

Here at BKMRK, we’re all about those books that you’ll never forget. And so, we thought it would only be appropriate, and necessary, to write a TOP 10 on the TOP 10 books you’ll always remember. Whether you read these at school, in your spare time, or even if they’re still on your TBR, these are the books we think will stay with you for a LOOOONG time.

1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

It’s still that book that everybody talks about because it so effortlessly describes what it’s like to have a mental breakdown. It’s the book that people say is their favourite read because it will always stay with you.

Favourite quote: “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” 

2. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

A story of sisterly love and grief. This book was also on the first Zoella Book Club. It’s such a poignant book and perfectly captures and understands grief.

Favourite quote: “grief is a house where the chairs have forgotten how to hold us, the mirrors how to reflect us, the walls how to contain us”

3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The writing will hold you captive. The words will always stay with you. The metaphors are absolutely stunning.

Favourite quote: “How to Commit the Perfect Murder” was an old game in heaven. I always chose the icicle: the weapon melts away.”

4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A simple but genuine coming-of-age story about a boy who doesn’t quite fit into any group, hence he is named: wallflower. It’s really sad and moving but in a way that stays with you and also features plenty of Rocky Horror references.

Favourite quote: “So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.”

5. Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson

Jacqueline Wilson’s novels were our childhood sweethearts, but this book broke us all (don’t lie because you know it’s true). Vicky Angel is about two best friends, one of whom is killed in a car accident, and how the other copes with her loss.  This is on our list because we stayed up until 2am reading this one whilst crying. No joke.

Favourite quote: “Of course she’s not dying. Vicky is the most alive person I’ve ever known.”

6. Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Zoe’s one (and only) pick for her Summer 2017 Zoella Book Club. Moxie is memorable for so many reasons. It’s empowering, it’s kick-ass and it makes you want to fight for what you believe in. The message is so relatable and applicable to so many people from teens through to adults, which is why it stubbornly stays rooted in you long after you finish it.

Favourite quote: Moxie girls fight back!

7. The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak

Oh boy. THIS ONE. The whole World War Two, young girl who becomes enthralled in the world of books at first seems like your average annual war novel, but Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief is a masterpiece, namely because it features Death as a narrator, and also because the writing is breathtaking (excuse the pun).

Favourite quote: “One was a book thief. The other stole the sky.”

8. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Yes there are A LOT of tear jerkers on this list. But you do remember the ones that make you cry. THIS was one of them. The Kite Runner is a story of friendship, of war and suffering but also redemption. When reading, have tissues ready and probably a hot drink.

Favourite quote: “There is only one sin. and that is theft… when you tell a lie, you steal someones right to the truth.”

9. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

We love this universal classic because it’s a frank coming-of-age story with warmth. Holden Caulfield is a character you simultaneously love and hate but it’s also a dissection of society for someone who is always on the outside.

Favourite quote: “What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.”

10. The Bone Sparrow by Zara Fraillon

If you cried and couldn’t stop thinking about The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas, then you will feel the same way about this tear-jerker. A deeply moving story about a refugee boy who has spent his entire life living in a detention centre.

Favourite quote: One day everything will be covered in one gigantic blanket big enough to warm everyone. A blanket full of every story there ever was, and strong enough for every single person.

Do you agree with our list? What are the books that’ll always stay with you?