What are some of your favorite books? (Or favorite writers?)
Favourite books… Huh. Well, these are the books that are not necessarily my favourite - but certainly ones that I’d pick up and read over and over again, for each and every one of them left a lasting impression.
To be really, devastatingly honest - I haven’t been reading much ever since I entered medical school. But before that, I really enjoyed Oliver Sacks’ works, which I highly recommend because he explores a vast range of neurological disorders and the impact they have on the sufferers, through a narrative - almost observational - tone; I found The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat intriguing, Musicophilia haunting. I also loved reading and rereading Max Pemberton’s Trust Me I’m a (Junior) Doctor series - it picks apart the glamorous image of being doctors, but with a humorous edge. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is also an eye-opening read; the unique style of writing, almost child-like, the apathetic tone - and yet, it tugs at your heartstrings; poignant.
I have read some of Haruki Murakami’s works - but I find that his works are more suitable to read when I’m in a pensive, reflective mood - which is, aha, rare. The way he writes is beautiful, beautiful beyond words; the way he phrases his description, the way he depicts his thoughts - it’s like reading a masterpiece, meticulously put together with nothing out of place. Complete. But I prefer not to read them as much, because the pensive emotional rollercoaster ride he puts me through is strictly for reflective days that I want to explore the meaning of life, or something along those lines.
As for other non-medical related fiction - I’m afraid, I stopped reading the fantasy or thriller fiction that I used to love so much since I was, what, fourteen? And sadly, most ‘literature’ I’ve read these days consist of a selection of vivid, fantastically written fan fiction, aha. My apologies.