- Hi, everyone, it's your girl Jenn

and today I am finally filming

my favorite books of all time video.

This is actually one of my most requested videos

and I thought I would just buckle down,

film it today and it was just,

the problem was that it was really hard

to narrow it down to only 10 books

but I tried to make it as well-rounded as possible,

just kinda genres for everybody.

Also, if you are not subscribed by now,

what are you waiting for?

The button's down below.

Come join the family.

Stay up to date and with that said,

let's get cracking with the books.

The first book I'm gonna recommend is East of Eden

by John Steinbeck.

This book is a classic.

It's just like a piece of literature

that I feel like everyone needs to read before they die.

I mean, there's a reason

why this is assigned reading in school

but I know it's not fun when you're forced to read it

and you're getting graded on it

but I swear, with fresh eyes and reading recreationally,

this book is gonna take you on a journey.

It's about two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons

and there's just a whole lot of drama.

The tea has been spilt and it goes on generations.

I feel like this book has everything you need in a story.

It's got guilt, it's got rivalry,

it's got the struggle to be loved and finding acceptance

and also, I feel like this book

has the best villain of all time, Cathy.

She is psycho, she's crazy and just raunchy

and she does like the craziest stuff

and she just kept me thoroughly entertained.

Every time she was in a chapter, I was like,

ah, my girl is back.

It's very clear, easy to understand

and it's just a masterpiece.

Moving on to book number two.

I have Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.

I have read a number of Murakami books

like Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood

but Kafka on the Shore will always remain my favorite.

It's about a boy, a teenager.

He runs away from home and he tries to find his lost mom

and his lost sister

and he ends up spending some time in this little town

and he works at a library

and that's where things start to get a little twisted,

a little dark and very, very surreal.

One of the main reasons why I love Murakami

is that he really takes you on psychological mind-benders.

You really don't know where he's gonna take you

and he creates such vivid scenes

that I would have never imagined

and I love the fact that he just takes you from point A

to B to C to Z, just everywhere.

I remember when I was reading this,

I was really trying to learn how to lucid dream.

I was drinking all these teas and all this stuff

and reading a Murakami

just made me feel like I was dreaming.

That was the closest I've ever come to lucid dreaming.

I've never met an author or I've never read an author

like Murakami and so I think it's so cool

that he has his own distinct way

of writing and storytelling.

If you're the type of person

that needs all the buttons buttoned

and all the ends tied in a pretty bow,

I'm not sure if you'll like this

because this is more about the journey and the experience

than a clear explanation.

My next book is The Five People You Meet in Heaven

by Mitch Albom.

This is one of those books

that you can just smash out in a day or read on vacation.

It's one of those nice, happy books.

It's about an old man named Eddie

and he just kinda lived a dull, meaningless life

and on his 83rd birthday, he dies

and that's not a spoiler alert.

It happens within the first chapter

and also clearly he dies because heaven is in the title

but each one of these people he meets,

they explain his connection with him

and how they changed his life or vice versa

knowingly or unknowingly.

Some people might think it's corny or cheesy

but I love this book.

It left me feeling all happy and warm inside

and so if you're looking just for a quick, happy read,

this is the one for you.

Alright, gonna keep cracking on.

My next book is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

and this was actually recommended by a bunch of you guys

so thank you.

You know me so well.

This is one of my favorites now.

This is a sci-fi dystopian novel

which is right up my alley.

I love books like this

and it is in a world where just everything is in shambles.

Pretty much everyone's living in poverty

because global warming has just taken a toll

and a lot of people just escape this world

by going into this virtual reality called the OASIS.

It's kinda like The Matrix and internet.

The main character is a teen named Wade

and he spends all his time in the OASIS

and he is dying to play this scavenger hunt game

because the winner of that game,

it's kinda like winning the lottery

so a lot of people see that as their way out of poverty

and Wade just has to go through all these crazy adventures

and there's so many 80s references and I love it.

It really takes you on thrilling adventure.

Definitely recommend it if you're looking for

just a fun adventurous read.

Moving on to more dystopias.

Had to feature 1984 by George Orwell.

This is another literary classic.

Highly recommend.

It's about a world where the government

controls absolutely everything even the way people think

and there's no sense of individuality.

There's no speaking up.

It's like a tyranny where just the government

is constantly watching.

Big brother's watching.

And it follows a man named Winston and his job is an editor

so he rewrites documents and just Photoshops photos

so these historical documents follow the government story.

From an outside perspective, Winston's a good man

following and showing face but in actuality,

he is just freaking miserable

and he's trying to find a way to rebel and resist.

This is a very bleak read but I just,

I find these stories so fascinating

because this could have easily happened to where we live now

and there are places in the world

where this is a reality and not just a story.

Also, Marzia is the one who got me this copy for Christmas

a few years ago so thanks babe.

So this is my last book on dystopias I promise.

I could honestly film an entire separate video

of my favorite sci-fi slash dystopian novels

but maybe I'll save that for another time.

Had to mention Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

and I'll like you five times more

if you have read this book.

In this world, women have absolutely no rights.

They can't have a job, they can't have money,

they can't read, they can't write.

They're all assigned to these roles

and some women are wives.

Those are the better off women

and then some of them are aunts

which are kinda like the maids, facilitators

and then there are handmaids

and the handmaids are the ones

that literally just have to give birth

and I mean, it's not a good role.

These women get raped every month

and this is also a TV show on Hulu

so if you are not gonna read this book,

I highly recommend the TV show.

It's the best, every Wednesday.

So yeah, check out the book or check out the show.

So my next book is The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Unfortunately, I don't have a physical copy

because I bought it on my Kindle

but this is me holding my imaginary copy.

It is a story of a group of students

in this really prestigious elite university

and it's a murder mystery.

The main character is named Richard

and he doesn't come from money

so he's just kind of plopped into this world where just,

where everyone's just wealthy and everyone's super posh

and he's in a class, a very small class

that studies ancient history and one of the students dies

but you don't know who did it or why

so that's where the story just kinda takes off.

This kinda reminds me of And Then There Were None

but the teenage version.

I mentioned this book not too long ago in my favorites

but it's The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

I love this book.

Quick summary, it's about a man named Dorian.

He's very attractive, young and he gets his portrait painted

and he meets this man named Lord Henry Wotton

and he lived just a super hedonistic lifestyle.

He gives zero for anyone but himself.

So Dorian gets very inspired by that

and he ends up selling his soul so he can look young forever

and he just lives this very materialistic life

and he's just living for himself,

just selfish and he's just a big dick.

I read this book when I was 18 or 19

and it taught me just to balance, not go overboard.

It taught me the importance of not being so decadent

and knowing my limit.

My next book recommendation

has such sentimental value to me.

It is the Perks of Being a Wallflower.

I read this book when I was 15

and it just left such a huge impact on my life

because this was one of the first books

that I read outside of my assigned reading.

So when I read a book like this and I followed the story,

it was a storyline that I was just genuinely interested in

and there were a lot of characteristics

of the main character, Charlie that just,

that I felt like he just got me.

He was sensitive and introverted

and those were the personality traits that defined me

especially when I was younger

and when I reread it as an adult,

there was just this huge overwhelming wave of nostalgia.

It's crazy that when you revisit something

from your past that you love you so much,

to be transported and feel that same way

is just, it's insane.

It's like a time machine.

So this book will always have a special place in my heart

and it's very interesting

and an unconventional coming of age story

but I feel like I understand why

this has affected so many teens.

My last book is my first non-fiction on the list.

It is the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

by Stephen Covey.

I have also mentioned this in my monthly favorites

but I had to mention it again because this is,

this has changed my life in such a positive way.

I feel like I'm always trying to find ways

to increase my productivity,

my efficiency and my self-growth

and this book just hit all those targets for me.

Obviously, this book is about seven habits

that make you more effective

but I feel like it's beyond just that.

This book has taught me to be more self-aware