A look at the reasons behind our favourite books

By: Sania Ali

Books have always been a means to learn, experience and be exposed to more outside knowledge. It can be easy to lose yourself in the world of fiction or non-fiction, characters and worlds to escape our own — after all, who knew books could be so impactful?

According to the Canadian Leisure and Reading Study, Canadians read more broadly in 2020. There are loads of reasons why books mean what they do to the people who love them. There’s no doubt about it, people have been reading and loving more books every day. So we decided to speak to students at TMU to ask them what they like about books, and what their favourite books may be.

There are often unexpected reasons why some books are desired by certain people more than others. My favourite book is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Although the book is extremely graphic and a difficult read, I try to reread the book once a year. The uncomfortable experiences delivered from the perspective of the characters are so intriguing to me, and I find the approach to conveying those characters and feelings extremely encapsulating.

While I like A Thousand Splendid Suns because of its unrelatable plot and approach to writing, other students may have different reasons for their favourite read.

Jed Kevin Perada, a second-year media production student, said that his favourite book, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, inspires bravery. “There's a part where Bilbo Baggins walks down this little quarter, and he carries a sword and he's shaking and he's about to approach the dragon,” said Perada. “That's just an inspiring scene for me. It motivated me to take more risks in my life.”

Oftentimes, books can act like reflections that encourage readers to question their life while also allowing readers to see themselves through the books. Second-year TMU fashion student, Samantha Gietl, feels a connection to her favourite book for that exact reason. Gietl’s favourite book is #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso. The story follows author Sophia Amoruso’s journey from dumpster diving to founding the fast-growing clothing business Nasty Gal. As a fashion student, Gietl feels inspired by Amoruso’s rise in the fashion industry. “It’s really empowering for females, especially in the creative world, just to go out and do something that wouldn't stereotypically be seen as a career option. She defied the odds and made it possible.”

Gietl isn’t the only one whose favourite book reflects her career aspirations. Audrey Persaud is a first-year photography student whose favourite book is actually a photo book that documents images around the world. Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wes Anderson is a #1 bestseller on Amazon, reflecting the filmmaker’s personal photography of real-life places that look like they belong in the director’s films. Persaud finds inspiration from Anderson’s works as a student of photography herself. “I draw a lot of inspiration from them, but I also really like travelling and it kind of combines the two,” she said.

At times, readers find that authors can put complicated feelings and situations into words and this draws them to indulge in books that cover difficult topics. Yousif Hassan’s favourite book is set in Egypt, a place where he’s also from. The second-year Media Production student finds the narrative of manifestation extremely insightful and finds the read an “underrated book.”

Although there are many reasons why a book may be your favourite, whether it may be connecting to a character, drawing career aspirations from the plot or falling in love with the storyline — we can all agree that books bring all sorts of people together in unexpected ways. The humanization of the characters we consume allows individuals to see themselves in novels while also sympathizing with emotions and unfamiliar characters.

So, what’s your favourite book?