books

Believe it: seven of the best books of all time.

Sometimes, all you want to do if curl up on the sofa with a bloody good book and a cup of tea (or a glass of wine, no-one’s judging here).

But if you’re like me, the endless options available when it comes to deciding just what book to pick up and open can be completely and utterly overwhelming.

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I often find myself roaming the aisles of bookstores endlessly, judging books by their covers even though I am 100 per cent sure that’s a definite no-no.

So sometimes, I just want someone to THROW A BOOK in my lap, yell ‘This will change your life forever’ and leave me to it.

woman reading book in grass
THIS is the dream, right? Image via Getty.
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So, if you're looking for a good read that just may change your entire way of thinking, look no further than these seven handy suggestions.

1. A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara.

Everything I'd heard and read about this book told me it would leave me devastated, changed and wanting to start from page one all over again. I put off reading it for months, thinking, 'How can a book about four male college friends growing old possibly have anything to do with me or my life?'

How wrong I was...

Never before has a book so completely enthralled me. The story tackles addiction, abuse, love and friendship and is one I will certainly never, ever forget.

It's pretty hard to make me react so physically while reading, but throughout the novel's 720 (yes, 720) pages, I cried, laughed and even threw the book across the room more than once (sorry...).

2. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom.

A book that many Mamamia team members return to again and again, Tuesdays with Morrie recounts the meetings between a newspaper sports writer and his sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, who is dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The book tackles an issue many of us have experienced: the guilt of letting a relationship fall apart.

As one Mamamia writer says, "Morrie is just someone you can't not totally and utterly fall in love with and even in his final moments, he is clear-headed, honest, kind and cheeky. He is my life coach...I cry every time I read it."

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3. Dirt Music - Tim Winton.

Sometimes, when you are enjoying a break on a white stretch of Aussie beach, or hanging with family in your outback home town over Christmas, you just want a read that will make you fall in love with the Australian landscape all over again.

Enter, Dirt Music, which transports readers to an Australia they have always heard of but may know little about.

4. Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult.

The author behind My Sister's Keeper and The Pact, Picoult describes Small Great Things as "the most important novel" she has ever written.

Tackling issues like prejudice, race, and justice, one Mamamia team member said the read taught her "more about race relations in the US than anything else has in my life."

LISTEN: Mia Freedman reveals the one book that totally blew her mind.

5. Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl.

After his release from Aushwitz Concentration Camp in 1945, Frankl set out to write Man's Search for Meaning which is part memoir, part analysis. It took him a total of nine days.

Mamamia writer Jessie Stephens says, "Every person I've spoken to who has read it, says that the book changed their life. It is the perfect book for anyone struggling to find meaning or grappling with feelings of hopelessness."

"Anyone in the midst of an existential crisis can draw on his unparalleled wisdom: 'Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how''".

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Gallery: the best-ever book to movie adaptions. Post continues below... 

6. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn.

If you haven't read this 2012 New York Times Bestseller already, it's time to put it on the top of your pile.

Not only did the twisted tale of a woman's disappearance inspired a Hollywood movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, it's also credited with bringing about a new golden age of crime fiction.

Almost every notable crime bestseller since - think Paula Hawkins' The Girl On The Train or The Good Girl by Mary Kubica - is reminiscent of Flynn's signature twists and turns.

7. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood.

I know what you're thinking. Why would you read the book when you can watch the (admittedly excellent) TV series for free?

Because you're obsessed, that's why.

The Emmy-nominated series has no doubt become the standout hit of 2017, so why not go back to where it all began and re-visit Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel?

There's a reason the show still resonates so closely with audiences - especially women - more than 30 years after the book was written.

There are also a number of crucial differences between the original book and the series, so get reading to learn all there is about Gilead.

What's the best book you've ever read? Tell us in the comments below!