1) Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
I stumbled on this book while I was searching for one of Paulo Coelho’s books in the bookshop. The novel is set in 1930s Alabama, USA. Atticus Finch is an upright, almost Godlike, white lawyer defending a black man who has been accused of raping a white girl. Atticus's belief in his client’s innocence doesn’t impress the townspeople however. In the face of their hostility, he remains resolute and stands up to all the threats and bullying. He knows his client will be convicted irrespective of the truth but he knows he won't be able to live with himself if he doesn't defend him to the best of his ability. The story is told through the eyes of Atticus’s daughter, Scout.
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2) Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
Scarlet O'Hara, a beautiful spoilt brat wanted Ashley Wilkes, a man who wanted someone else. She wanted him so much, she didn't see Rhett Butler, the man who did want her and was more suited to her until it was too late. Talk about a love triangle. Throw in a war heralded by a bunch of lazy asses who didn’t want to farm their own land themselves, hunger, death and all other levels of suffering and what do you get? An ingenious book that has fascinated readers for over 50 years. I don't think I will ever forget the words "Fiddle-dee-dee!" and "Great balls of fire" as long as I live. 3) Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds
Colleen McCullough did a very good job capturing the essence of the Australian outback. I think I was 17 the first time I read it. Though it was a riveting read, I found it absolutely and overwhelmingly maddening, which I suppose is part of the emotions the book is supposed to evoke in the reader. Central theme – A woman loves a priest who loves her back but he won’t give up his ambition for her and won’t give her up for his ambition either. I wanted to get into the book and smack Father Ralph de Bricassart for most of it. I felt he was greedy and selfish, yet Maggie wouldn't stop loving him and eventually submitted to her fate like a "thorn bird". Constant emotional torture in perpetuity. He finally died in her arms without ever really belonging to her. How maddening is that? 4) Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Up until I read this book, the only thing I knew about Malcolm X was he was the man who invented the phrases “By any means necessary” and "The only thing I like integrated is my coffee". I knew he was also a thorn in the flesh of lots of people back in the 60s. The book had a profound effect on me. It made me realise just how much people are afraid of something different and unfamiliar, and would rather try to grind it into the ground than embrace and celebrate it. Malcolm X was an embodiment of the power of knowledge and how the human spirit can rise above and triumph over anything. He was an amazing man and would have achieved great things had he not being assassinated. 5) Alice Walker, The Colour Purple
Alice Walker’s tale is set in the American south of the 1930s and told in letters addressed to God and her sister through Celie, the central character. It shows the bleak outlook of life for African-American women back then. She touches on domestic violence, racism, sexism, lesbianism, rape and the almighty ignorance the world cannot seem to shake itself from to this day. I was irritated for most of the book and didn't know whom I wanted to shoot more – Mister, Celie’s "father" or Miss Millie. However, the end provides wonderful restitution for Celie.
6) Mario Puzo, The Godfather
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7) Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County
I’m not a big fan of chick lit stuff but there was something about this book that made me extraordinarily sad. It made me feel so helpless after reading it. You meet the love of your life while alone at home over a couple of days and you know he is the love of your life but you have two kids and a husband who loves you dearly. What do you do? Abandon your family and follow the love of your life? Or watch the love of your life walk away while you sacrifice your happiness for your family?
8) Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code
I am quite the conspiracy theorist and reading Dan Brown’s offering 3 times over 2 weeks pushed me into somewhat certifiable territory. The very idea that Jesus Christ sired a bloodline that might still have descendants today was a fantastic concoction, and one of the many other fantastic concoctions in the book. The million-dollar question is “Is it true?” The first time I read it, I was convinced of this and began a frenzy of research that eventually led to the author saying it wasn’t true. Is it possible to come up with all that from your imagination only? It’s hard to tell but there are quite a few people who believe there is some truth in it. 9) Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
This book is about Eddie, a maintenance man at an amusement park who people rarely pay attention to. On his eighty-third birthday, he dies in a freak accident while trying to save a little girl. Afterwards, he finds himself in heaven and goes on to meet 5 people. Through these 5 people, he learns the lessons of sacrifice, anger and eternal love among others. Eddie learns that we are all connected in some way whether we realise it or not and we all have a purpose on earth. Everyone’s life has a meaning and a reason. 10) Jack Canfeld, Mark Victor Hansen & Bud Gardner, Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul
This is a surprise inclusion as it isn't on any greatest list anywhere but to me it is a great book. I bought it during a period in my life when I was so discouraged about my writing. There is an amazing chapter in the book entitled “The Power of Perseverance”. The chapter comprises of bullet points of the struggles several renowned writers went through on their path to success. Reading what these people went through on the way to success was like a new lease of life for me at the time. I still go back to the book from time to time for a boost to remind myself that I have to be determined and relentless if I am going to fulfil my writing dreams. 
