Have you ever watched the Tour Down Under, the Tour de France, or any cycling race and thought what it would be like to be amongst them? To be riding side by side by other sweaty, gritted teeth riders pushing themselves to the absolute limit? You might even go a step further and want to know what the riders are thinking about or how they’re feeling. Either way, this might just be the book for you.
 
I suppose the same can be said for a lot of professional sports. I’m quite interested in most sports although I don’t play a lot myself. I enjoy them because of the intricate skills these people have that put them above others who play the same sport. What journey did they go on to get to where they are now? That might be the storyteller in me curious to know more about the people and their life story, but nonetheless it is something I think quite a few people might feel the same way about. The Rider by Tim Krabbé does exactly that—it puts you into the mind of a cyclist (Tim Krabbé himself) and answers the question about what it is that runs through their heads when they are riding.

We all dream about what it would be like if all the stars aligned and we were able to work and live doing the things we love. We may enjoy the job that we’re in or the life that we are living, but if we had to sit ourselves down and think about what it is we want the most, would it be what we have now? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho really brings this into perspective by sitting us down and getting us to think ‘what is my Personal Legend?’.
 
I had never heard of this book until I heard it in a Macklemore song. Then, after hearing that, people around me were talking about this amazing little story that was inspiring them. Then, I was recommended to read it from someone at work. Now, here we are, and I am one of those people saying how inspiring it is. It is such a simple story. There are no extravagant passages of fancy descriptions. There are just simple, straight to the point paragraphs that tell an inspiring story about listening to our hearts and doing what we love.

A story of self-discovery and major characterisation, This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a rollercoaster ride of emotions written in beautiful, poetic language. It follows the protagonist, Amory Blaine, who is born into a wealthy family and goes through his life experiencing how unpredictable it really is. It’s not your average story. It almost seems like a character profile from beginning to end, where we learn about one person and how they become who they turn out to be, which I suppose we could say for a lot of creative works. However, this one is a little more prominent in that regards.
 
I’ll be honest, this isn’t a book you pick up and expect obvious twists, turns, rises and falls. If you do expect that then you might be a little disappointed. This book has its climax by evoking emotion and thought by delivering deep philosophy, intense heartbreak and interesting advice that we can all follow. Although it didn’t have the action or intense scenes as other books I have read recently, I was still drawn into the story by the beautiful and artistic words that painted such extraordinary images in my mind and had me thinking of how much I related to the story of Amory Blaine.

If you're looking for a long series that will take you on an emotional ride of a life time, then look no further. The Tomorrow series by John Marsden is a young adult series that hits home for anyone who reads it, kicking off in the first book Tomorrow, When the War Began. As you can guess by that title, it is a series about war. However, if you're not into reading about war, guns and action, you may still like this series due to the emotional depth it has.

Imagine you're in high school and you're just about to finish or about to head into your final year. You're full of excitement (I know I was) and all you want to do is celebrate with your friends and show off your new independence now that you're totally a fully-fledged adult at the age of 17 or 18. Maybe you go out to clubs and party more often, or maybe you catch up on weekends more to talk about future work or university. For Ellie and her friends, they go camping. Not just with the girls either. Yep, you heard right, they get to bring the boys along too. It becomes a fantastic getaway to hang out, relax and enjoy the Australian outback... until the planes come.