My favorite fiction

1. No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Probably one of my favorite stories of all time. I immediately fell in love with the movie before I had even read the book or realized the message behind the story. It took me a while to get it at first, as I was intrigued by the direction and production of the film. However, once I understood the idea behind the story, I grew to love it even more. It speaks of the evolution of evil, and the realism that society will always be one step behind it. McCarthy creates characters that intrigued me (Llewelyn Moss) and scared the crap out of me (Anton Chigurh). Overall, it is a great story.

2. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess I enjoyed this story mostly for the way that it was written. I did think it was a great story, plot wise, but the language Burgess used was incredible. He chose to write the novel using a Russian slang that the teenagers used. It was known as nasdat and was a bit confusing at first. Luckily, the novel I read had a small preface at the beginning that went over some of the slang used and helped a bit in the deciphering of this novel. The main character in the novel, Alex, is a terribly troubled teen who relishes in the violent acts that he commits. Burgess does a wonderful job at questioning the path society is taking into the future.

3. Slumdog Millionaire directed by Danny Boyle This is definitely one of the best "feel-good" stories I have ever experienced. I loved every single moment of this movie and I have already seen it three times. It tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai, India, who has found himself on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He has no knowledge, can hardly read, but has somehow managed to get himself to the final question on the show, much to the surprise of the host and all of India for that matter. The secret behind his success is the memories he has stored from his childhood that help him answer the questions. One of the best movies I have ever seen, and a great story overall.

4. The Pursuit Of Happyness directed by Gabriele Muccino

Another "feel-good" story that I extremely enjoyed. The success of this movie relied heavily on the acting abilities of Will Smith. He managed to convey the story of Chris Gardner, a down and out single father, extremely well on screen. The story takes place in San Francisco and follows him in his every day life trying to make it in a world that has no room for him or his son. Phenomenal story and has a ending that would make anyone smile. I love this movie.

5. The Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger

A great American novel, it follows the life of the young protagonist Holden Caulfield as he tries to find himself in his disfunctional life. He has moved from school to school and can never seem to settle down anywhere. The story is told with him as the narrator and the reader gets a good insight into his troubled life. He travels through New York City over the period of a few days, meeting up with old accomplices and strangers he has never seen before. Salinger maneged to create an extremely provocative young character that has inspired many over the years. Another great novel and one of my favorites.