Ten Novels: A Reflection in Three Parts

Image by Claudia Wolff - Unsplash

Blog No. 29

By Marcus Coates, @homeinriyadh, 13th July 2024

Hashtags: #writersroom, #greatnovels, #writerslife, #marcuscoates, #mcmindfulcontent, #creativewriting, #lifestylechoices, #writingcommunity, #toptennovels, #bookstochangeyourlife

Part 1: Ten Novels  

Most of us live in societies that consume not just social media - Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, etc - at an alarming rate but also more traditional media - novels, TV box sets, magazines, films, and the like.

Having realized that I am as guilty as the next when it comes to casual media consumption, I like to try and apply some mindful techniques from time to time to reflect on what I love about, have been impacted from, or even changed by - the media I consume.

To reflect on my favourite media, I have fallen back on the tried, tested, and comforting technique of listing a ‘top ten’; in this instance, my top ten favourite novels. Also, to further narrow down my selection, I have set myself the following parameters:

The novel should be:

·      A work of fiction,

·      A novel, as opposed to short story, collection or book of poetry,

·      One novel per author selected,

·      A novel that often returns to my thoughts over the years,

Here are my top ten recommendations:

Selection Dilemma!

As soon as I started selecting, I felt inclined to increase the list to a ‘top fifty’ or at least a ‘top twenty’; however, after brief consideration, I felt this would amount to reeling off titles and authors and dilute a focused reflection. Even keeping to this format, while listing the ten cited authors and novels, I changed my mind several times and edited the list. My first reflection is that choosing a definitive selection from a loved medium is hard to do!   

Part 2: Summary & Themes

Having selected my top ten impactful novels, I have attempted to summarise the storyline in the shortest space possible and get at some key themes.

Part 3: Getting at the ‘Why’

After taking one pass at each novel to get at the essence of the storyline and locate critical themes, I took a second pass and asked myself, ‘Why do I often think of these particular novels?’ … and ‘Is there a common thread that appeals to me?’

When I look at the novels I’ve chosen, I can’t see an obvious link – they belong to different genres – romance, dystopia, bildungsroman, etc., and are not grouped by literary movements, such as post-colonialism, modernism, postmodernism, magic realism; nor categorized by era: they range from the 1930s to the 1990s. So, what is compelling? For me, it is all about the distinctness of the characters, the freshness of the dialogue, the clarity of the story arc, and the willingness to take on big themes.

I hope I make time to reread all of these novels, as they enriched my life and remind me of the power and value of good writing. After all, what I consume intellectually is as much a part of me as the nutrients (or lack thereof) from what I consume in food and drink. 

Image by Robin Jonathan Deutsch - Unsplash

Guided Reflection

I hope you found this article interesting. I’d like to ask you what novels have impacted your life. Are you willing to put time aside to reflect? If so, feel free to use the provided templates on my website to unpack the substance of your favourite novels.

www.mc-mindful-content.com