I recently read a book that was so good I had to add a sixth star to my rating system – and it made me think about my very favourite books. These are the ones that leave a lasting impression on me, the ones that, for whatever reason, I simply love, in an enduring way.

Perhaps the quality of the writing has blown me away, as is the case for Anthony Doerr’s All the Light we Cannot See. What a stunning book. I still think about many of the scenes in this book with vivid clarity: when Werner fixes that first radio; his parting conversation with his sister; the brutality of the school; that journey of Marie-Laure and her father, and their hidden sheltering in the barn; the attic and the radio; the barnacles on the wall of the grotto; the final scenes in Paris… This book is epic, beautiful, sad and so very human. It holds everything up to the light, especially the tragedy of war. It is full of love.

Then there are the books whose settings are magnetic, like Lorna Doone, by R. D. Blackmoor, and The Outrun, by Amy Liptrot. I read the classic, Lorna Doone, when I was young and already in love with Exmoor. The Outrun is just so brilliantly written, about the wild places that helped Amy Liptrot find her way back to freedom and sobriety. Kate Morton’s books also have settings that remain with me. Of hers, I especially loved The Distant Hours and Homecoming.

There are books with characters that are tenacious, eccentric and compelling, like The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, Sarah Winman’s Still Life and the gentle but brilliant Poppy Denby series by Fiona Veitch Smith. All of these are also notable for their fierce, nuanced relationships, as is another of Sarah Winman’s novels, When God Was a Rabbit, about a sibling relationship, which is just so tender.

Many of my favourite books contain friendships: the Harry Potter series, Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White, and The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, to name a few. Charlotte’s Web, in particular, is a story of friendship, simply told, but deeply moving.

Sometimes, I love books for the plot: whether it is simply a wild adventure, like The Assassin’s Blade, by Sarah J. Maas, or an epic like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien, or Cloud Atlas, by David Nicholls.

There are a few “coming of age” books I love, in which the characters are young and figuring life out, searching for freedom or empowerment or self expression. Books like Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, Treasures of the Snow, by Patricia St John, I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith, Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and the Girl with the Louding Voice, by Abi Dare, all do this so well.

Some books simply haunt me, like Beloved, by Toni Morrison, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, and The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Some books make me smile, especially Gerald Durrell’s eccentric, affectionate, humorous account of his family’s move to Corfu, My Family and Other Animals.

Then there are the books that have inspired me or made a difference to how I live my life, like The Irresistable Revolution, which regularly stops me from giving up on the Christian faith altogether. If you need an antidote to the likes of Donald Trump and his hateful, misogynistic nonsense, read Shane Claibourne! Thank God for people like him, who actually have the wherewithal to live out the compassion that Jesus preached. Similarly, Sarah Bessey’s writing has shown me that I can be a feminist, have an open mind and ask questions and still be a Christian.

Another book that changed me was Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts, which taught me to live with gratitude, and in doing so, to find a profound sense of fullness in life. Some of her other books have also left a lasting impression on me: namely, The Broken Way and Be the Gift. Similarly, Shauna Niequist’s Present Over Perfect has helped me live with more joy.

And I have not yet even mentioned the book that broke my rating system yet: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Narrated by death, this is the perfect depiction of humanity. And it is also a completely absorbing story.

Obviously, I have a lot of favourite books, and there are so many more that I could have mentioned, but if I had to pick only five, to read and read again, my current choices would be:

1. My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell: for its warmth, its humour and its dreamy setting.
2. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak: because I love the characters so much, because there is so much to explore within it, and because it feels so very important. Now, more than ever, we must remember the dangers of hateful rhetoric and the power of love and friendship.
3. Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White: simple, sweet, comforting.
4. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins: because Katniss inspires me to live with courage and love.
5. One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp: because there is so much in this to return to, profundity on every page and a lot of joy to be found in it.

What are your favourite books?