5 nostalgic books that made Uzma Jalaluddin a writer

I’ve been captivated by Jane Austen for most of my life, but the beauty of “Persuasion” is the way it forces characters to take a meditative look at their past. Nostalgia is having a moment right now, so in honor of our collective penchant for reflection on our past selves, here are a few books that shaped the reader and writer I am today.

1. Anna of the Island, by LM Montgomery

This classic Canadiana is the third in Montgomery’s famous series – which I just realized after I was done reading! I was 11 or 12 years old, sick with the flu, when I reached for this book, bought at the Malvern Public Library book sale. As I read I was transported to Anne’s exciting college life; my heart raced as her friendship with the dreamy Gilbert Blythe turned into something more. Yes, Gilbert was my original book boyfriend. No, I’m not taking follow-up questions. I went on to read the entire “Anne of Green Gables” series, as well as everything else Lucy Maud wrote.

2. Our Man Weston, by Gordon Korman

Korman has written more than 100 books for teens and children, from comedies to spy thrillers to historical adventures. When I first discovered his books, I was in elementary school myself. This was another library book sales find (I love you, Toronto Public Library, take all my money!) and it was the first book that made me laugh out loud. The farcical plot, in which two identical twins worked in a hotel one summer, cracked me up. I continued to read most of Korman’s earlier works, including the Macdonald Hall series, as well as his books aimed at teenagers, but it was “Our Man Weston” that first sparked my interest in humor.

3. Stories of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume

With the release of the recent film adaptation of Blume’s bestseller “Are You There, God? It’s me, Margaret,” Judy Blume is having a well-deserved revival. But many decades ago, my 4th grade teacher read this hilarious story about Peter, his incorrigible little brother Fudge, and their family in New York to the whole class. We loved hearing about the adventures of a fourth-grade classmate; the quarrel between siblings was recognizable. The sequel, “Superfudge”, was also excellent.

4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

I found this book in my high school library and was immediately intrigued by the title. By then I was a certified book lover and read a lot in different genres, but this was my first taste of fantasy/sci fi comic. I didn’t know “Hitchhikers” was a cult classic, but the non-stop jokes, ridiculous stakes (Earth demolished to make way for another hyperspace bypass? Aliens torturing prisoners by reading them bad poetry?) kept me the all the time running the whole trilogy of four books. I will never remember the number “42” without thinking of Adams and the mysteries of existence.

5. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

The queen of crime and empress of the golden age of detective fiction kept me captive all through high school. I’ve consumed Agatha Christie’s mystery novels like they were candy, one after the other, but “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” remains my favorite. First, the ending shocked and surprised me, in the best way possible. The book also showed that when a master plotter breaks all the rules, he ends up redefining the genre. In my opinion, this book remains Christie’s definitive work… but I would recommend relaxing her canon. It shouldn’t be too hard – she’s written over 75 novels and short story collections.

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