The best books are the ones that never end, that the story
never really finishes, the characters never go away, and the reader never stops
thinking. I’m not talking about really
big books or endless series. In fact, I prefer shorter books and no longer than
a trilogy. The physical pages or spines can only mean so much. The story between
the front and back cover should be what never ends.
My favorite books are the ones that keep going in your mind
after your close it. I’m the kind of person that likes to analyze things and, many
times, over think. I enjoy books that challenge your thinking. I love stories
that cause you to replay the story and try to put together pieces that you didn’t
notice the first time. I delight over books that I can read over and over again
because of the sense of geniuses it produces. I will never forget the books
that teach me something every time I read their words.
If you’re thinking that I have high standards for a great
book, you’d be right. That’s why I hardly ever have a favorite book in mind,
but The Last Battle would be as close to that as it could get. C.S.
Lewis states in the last paragraph, “All their life in this world and all their
adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last
they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth as read:
which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” This
opens the reader to another story that extends off from this one that, sadly,
we will never get to see in print. But, the point is that whatever is left after
that last page sticks to the reader on a personal level.
What better example of a timeless book than the Bible itself.
It ends with a promise of Christ’s return. Every time I read it, something new
comes to light. The words never change, and I don’t twist them. But my life
changes and what didn’t impact me one day might change my life the next. Every
time I open it and start reading, I learn something new. So, I guess I do have
a favorite book after all. Because it’s more than just a book—it’s endless guidance,
a perfect promise, and an expression of permanent love.
Well said. The best books make me think.
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