Insomnia or a list of favourite books 👓

Disclaimer: last night I could not sleep and came up with this list of books I truly enjoyed reading at different points in my life. This list is not exhaustive and I am sure I missed a lot of great books simply because I could not remember them at the time of writing. Perhaps, some of you might find it interesting. Would love to hear about your favourite books and if you have any recommendations.

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The Sorrows of Satan

I have a strong belief that my favourite book can reveal a lot about me as a person. As such, I won’t share my favourite book, but I will share my second favourite book. It is The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli.

[Wikipedia] Widely ignored in literary circles, it is increasingly regarded as an influential fin de siècle text. The book is occasionally subtitled “Or the Strange Experience of One Geoffrey Tempest, Millionaire”.

There is a funny story tied to my first interaction with this book. Since getting a copy in English was close to impossible, I first read it in Russian. In the Soviet Union, it was falsely sold under the name of Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula. Apparently, this was done intentionally by the publishing house to sell more copies as Bram Stoker was more widely known. As a result, for a long time, I was falsely convinced that my favourite book was written by Bram Stoker.

[Translation into English] Bram Stoker, The Sorrows of Satan

In two words, the book is about how excessive riches and manly pleasures can have a negative effect on motivation and talent. The moral of the book can be expressed with the wise words of Steve Jobs: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish”.

As a child, I started reading it at least three times but could not finish. I assume I was simply not ready for it. Only a couple of years later was I able to read it to the end. This is when I fell in love with it.

H. Rider Haggard

As a child, I was also fascinated with the books of Sir Henry Rider Haggard.

A cartoon of Henry Rider Haggard, author of adventure novels, created by Leslie Ward and signed with his pseudonym, ‘Spy’ on the lower left hand side. The drawing is dated (May 21 1887) in the upper right corner. In the upper left corner is ‘Vanity Fair’ as it was commissioned for the British magazine which was published from 1868 to 1914. At the bottom it says, “She,” which is the title of a novel written by Rider Haggard that was published in 1887.

The most favourite ones being Cleopatra and King Solomon’s Mines.

[Wikipedia] The story is set in the Ptolemaic era of Ancient Egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the Priesthood of Isis. The main character Harmachis (the living descendant of the pharaoh’s bloodline) is charged by the Priesthood to overthrow the supposed impostor Cleopatra, drive out the Greeks and Romans and restore Egypt to its golden era.

As a vivid admirer of history and specifically Ancient Egypt, I was blown away by visiting the Great Pyramid of Giza for the first time in 2006. Yes, many people say that they got disappointed by the size of the internal chambers, but I would disagree on the account that the high degree of uncertainty and thus the mystery is what makes it magical. Just need to use your imagination.

This interest of mine culminated with a Diploma in Historical Studies from Oxford University and multiple trips to Jordan to explore Petra and Jerash, my two favourite historic places in the world.

The Stainless Steel Rat

At one time, I got carried away by the books of Harry Max Harrison about “The Stainless Steel Rat”, a futuristic con man, thief, and all-round rascal.

[Wikipedia] James Bolivar diGriz goes by many aliases, including “Slippery Jim” and “The Stainless Steel Rat”. He is a futuristic con man, thief, and all-round rascal. He is charming and quick-witted. He is also a master of disguise and martial arts, an accomplished bank robber, a criminal mastermind, an expert on breaking and entering, and (perhaps most usefully) a skilled liar. Master of self-rationalization, the Rat frequently justifies his crimes by arguing that he is providing society with entertainment; and besides which, he only steals from institutions that have insurance coverage. He displays a strong sense of morality, albeit in a much more restricted sense than is traditional. For example, diGriz will steal without compunction, but deplores killing.

Sherlock Holmes

Undisputedly, my favourite writing style in English is by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his series of books about Sherlock Holmes.

Incidentally, knowing that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attended Edinburgh University, added to my decision to choose Edinburgh over other universities that gave me offers.

Harry Potter

Regardless how childish it might be, I am a big fan of Harry Potter.

Perhaps because it reminds me of my own story, when at an early age I was taken out of the familiar environment and sent for studies to the UK, which later became my second home.

Theodore Dreiser

About 5 years ago, I discovered a new fascination — the books of Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser. The favourite ones being The Financier and An American Tragedy.

[allreaders.com] Set in eighteenth century Philadelphia, “The Financier” is the story of the early life of Frank Cowperwood, the son of a low level banker who realizes his skill at finances and business. He is able to grow a rather large fortune through stock speculation and purchases of shares in the growing street railway industry.

I don’t know what makes these books so interesting, perhaps the fact that they both demonstrate certain personality transformations once the main characters start getting what they so much wanted. Might even read them again.

Dan Brown

During my holiday in 2017, I greatly enjoyed reading the Origin by Dan Brown. I personally thought it was very well written.

[bookrags.com] In the novel Origin by Dan Brown, when billionaire researcher Edmond Kirsch is killed it is up to Robert Langdon and Ambra Vidal to honor his memory by making public his findings concerning the origin of human life and its destiny.

But even more fascinating than the Origin was his book Deception Point.

[danbrown.fandom.com] Deception Point. Deception Point is Dan Brown’s third novel, released in 2001. The novel centers around Rachel Sexton, a worker for the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office), who is sent by the President to the Arctic, in order to examine a meteorite found by NASA.

Interesting enough, sometimes COVID-19 seems to have similar traits to the plot of another one of his book s— Inferno.

[bookrags.com] Harvard professor Robert Langdon is recruited by the World Health Organization (WHO) to help locate a deadly pathogen. The virus is believed to have been created by Bertrand Zobrist, a Transhumanist who thought that the world was in danger of collapse because of overpopulation.

Bogomil Raynov

At university, I also truly enjoyed reading the books of a Bulgarian author Bogomil Raynov, the founding father of “spy novel” as a literary genre in Bulgaria. His most famous character — special agent Emil Boev — was no less “ charming” than James Bond. Very realistic and truly fascinating.

Bogomil Raynov in Paris

I have the privilege of reading books in five different languages, but most often I read them in English or Russian. I have only read this one in Russian. Not sure if it has ever got translated into English.

Arch of Triumph

When I started writing this, my original plan was to only write about one book. But once I started, it was hard not to mention some of the other great ones. There are thousands of books I truly love. As such, I will finish this list with one more favourite of mine — Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque. A collection of his books was given to me as a present for my birthday by a couple of colleagues at Google. Thank you for this wonderful present.

Calvados! (insider joke for those of you who’ve read it)

[enotes.com] Arch of Triumph focuses upon the experiences of a German political refugee, known by his pseudonym, Ravic. … Having fled to Paris, Ravic illegally employed his medical skills as a “ghost” surgeon for two French doctors.