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My Favorite Things

In order to understand the significance of the list included further below, you must first understand one very important fact about me. I have an absolutely terrible memory, and nowhere is this more obvious than when it comes to books. While reading I remember what is happening and all the details, but once I am done I am left with almost no recollection of the story, or the fact I read the book at all after a short time.

The reason I bring this up is to highlight just how special these two books are. They are the few that have lasted through the 14 years of my reading career and firmly cemented themselves a place in my brain. Both of these books are a masterpiece of their respective genera, a touchstone to inspire writing for many, many decades to come.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

To begin the list, we start with a children's book, or at least what appears to be a children's book. See the this book is written in a style for children, with bright colorful pictures and a short length, however the real messages of this book are carried through this style to the adults narrating the story to their children. It is a book that is unassuming, yet carries so many lessons on how to live a happy life, how to deal with grief, and everything in between in its mere 96 pages. It is no wonder the story is the second most translated work of all time, sitting only behind The Bible. It is a story that every single person on this earth can connect to and learn from, and that is what I love about it.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

This is a book that is complete unique in the quality and scope of its storytelling, and I firmly believe it has never, and will never be surpassed. It is a book that carries a complex story of outlawed superheros, with each one now coping and living life in different ways. As the story unfolds both through striking illustrations that maintain simplicity of form and through incredible written interludes, we see how each character still harbors their core value of good, and the many different forms it takes on. It pulls no punches, it softens no blows, and while the entire story is riving and wonderfully presented, the entire book boils down to that simple question, what really is good?

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