DAY 19: BOOKSSS

I did not read much last year but here are two or so books that I really enjoyed the past year.

• The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis

As a big fan of the movies, I didn't think the books would be that interesting. I read it because I was curious and had just found out that there were seven books in total compared to the three movies available. Coupled with the fact that C.S Lewis, the author was a well known christian, I felt that was enough reason to give it a try and it did not disappoint.

My favourite in the series has to be “The horse and his boy”, “the magician’s nephew", a close second.

“The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe” didn't really excite me maybe because the scenes from the movie  were already imprinted in my imagination, so it seems I was comparing everything in the book to it. 

I loved C.S Lewis's wit and humor, so many incidents had be bursting into laughter.

Many comparisons have been made about the characters with christian culture, eg Aslan representing Christ. And while C. S. Lewis states that that wasn't the intention, I can see semblance too.  The ending was bittersweet but if you look at it from a christian perspective, that was a very happy ending, too bad Susan couldn't get to enjoy it too.

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Is he—quite safe?” I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion” – Susan

“If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.” – Mrs. Beaver

“Then he isn’t safe?” – Lucy

“Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.” – Mr. Beaver”

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Overall, reading the books in this series is one of the best things I did in 2025.

Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.” – Mr. Beaver

• Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen 

Honestly, I can't remember how I ended up reading this book. I looked up the genre and it said “romance”, that scared me a little bit. Because romance can mean a lot of things to different people. But I figured since this book was written in Protestant England in the 1800s, the closest to inappropriate thing I would get would be them talking about ankles or something 😂.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”

Starting a novel with this statement that has become world famous is enough to get people interested.

It tells the story of a man and a woman who later fell in love and got married but had to overcome personal obstacles; the man's pride and the woman's prejudices. The side characters here are very important too, they add more depth and humanity to the plot.

I got into it with no spoilers, no expectations and was pleasantly surprised at how the title was woven into the story. The title confused me a bit at the beginning but after reading a substantial portion of the book, it made so much sense.

The story is funny and relatable even though it was written in a context far different from ours. 

A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment. - From Pride and prejudice

The only downside is that the English is a bit tough if you're reading the unrevised version but I believe there are simplified versions available.

As someone who hardly rereads a book, these are ones I feel I would be able to reread.

Tell us your favorite read in the comments.