My Nine Favorite Books of All Time, So Far. And No, Not Even One Book from the Twilight Series Made My List.
Posted September 29th, 2011 at 10:37 am
There is really nothing better in life than finding a book that is so amazing that when it’s over, you’re sad to be parting ways. The first book for me that was like this was Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret. My fifth grade girlfriends and I modeled our own lives and conversations after those of Margaret, Gretchen, and Janie, and lied about getting our periods just like Nancy did.
I keep a very long list of books I plan to read, most of the books are finds from friends and blog recommendations. Either I am really picky or we just have different tastes in books, but so many of the books people recommend are sort of meh or they’re just plain TERRIBLE. I suffer from Reader’s Eternal Anticipation Disorder (R.E.A.D.) where if I’ve started a book that I’ve been told is a good read, then I feel compelled to read it all the way to the end for fear that I’ll miss the the good part. Just yesterday, I abandoned all responsibilities to finish The Paris Wife, a book that came with glowing reviews, that was due at the library THAT VERY DAY. Here’s my brief review: It sort of stunk.
Don’t even get me started on the Twilight series or any book by Jodi Picoult. There are several days of my life I’ll never get back thanks to these books. (I would love Jodi Picoult books if they didn’t all follow the same formula: great story until the end when a horrible, unexpected twist changes everything. DO NOT LIKE THAT.)
Yet, another symptom of R.E.A.D. is that no matter my pitiful track record of following book recommendations, I’m still hopelessly addicted to “Best of” lists and adding them to my own list of books to read.
Like Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, there are a select few books that are fantastic enough that I can read them over and over again and absorb the characters and their stories. These books truly captured my heart and imagination, the kind that when I find one of these books on the shelf unexpectedly at the library, it’s like rediscovering an old friend with whom you can’t wait to catch up.
So I present to you my list of my nine FAVORITE books, books that are practically family.
What are your favorite books? I’m always looking for recommendations. AHEM.
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11 Comments
Connie commented on Sep 29 11 at 10:51 amOh my goodness. I am so excited to see so many of my favorites on this list!!!
I mean-the Book Thief? Did you sob as hard as I did in the end? Jeesh. And the history of love has the most fantastic format. It’s a head scratcher in the best way.
LauraC commented on Sep 29 11 at 11:17 amI have a 100 page rule for reading books. If I still don’t like it by page 100, I put it down. Can I add the Picoult rule of “moral dilemma ripped from news headlines”?
I also keep an obsessive list, broken down by fiction, non-fiction, and what’s available in e-reader format from the library. So far this year, Divergent is the best book I’ve read. From my top books of all time, Catch-22 and most Vonnegut pop to mind.
Mr Lady commented on Sep 29 11 at 11:47 amI have read A Prayer for Owen Meany and H2G2 so may times, I don’t need the books anymore. Know what’s odd? I have not read ONE book on your list. I should fix that.
Sarahviz commented on Sep 29 11 at 12:08 pmThanks for the recommendations! Did you read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns? Also, anything by Chris Bojhalian (especially The Double Bind!)
Jennifer Doyle commented on Sep 29 11 at 12:19 pm@Connie, YES I did cry. Cry and cry.
@LauraC I’m going to work very hard on adopting your 100 page rule. It’s ridiculous the books I’ve read in hopes of finding a redeeming quality.
@Mr Lady. A Prayer for Owen Meany!!!!! I knew there was a book that was missing, but it wasn’t coming to me. That is definitely in my top 10.
@Sarah Yes, I love The Kite Runner and a Thousand Splendid Suns, they’re on my top 20 list. :) And Chris Bojhalian books are on my list to read.
Issa commented on Sep 29 11 at 12:59 pmI loved that besides Harry Potter and Time Travelers Wife…I haven’t read any of these. So I think I’ll go look them up. I’ve recently taken up reading again and I can’t seem to get enough.
I do tend to be like you. When everyone loves it…I a lot of times don’t. I can’t stand the Hunger Series…even though I’m supposed to read the first for my own book club.
I love HP books. You might also try Percy Jackson. I loved them as much as my girls did. Hell my mom even read and loved them. A few others that I can read over and over again are: Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen. Really I’d read anything by her. The Honk and Holler, Opening Soon by Billie Letts. The Probably Future by Alice Hoffman.
Brigid commented on Sep 29 11 at 1:34 pmI have only read 3 of these books, which means I just made a list in my phone. I thought I had read EVERYTHING written by Judy Blume. Must fix.
One of my all time favorites is Ann Patchett’s The Patron Saint of Liars.
Jennifer Doyle commented on Sep 29 11 at 5:10 pm@Issa I really enjoyed the Hunger Games, but the other books didn’t grab my interest the way the first book did. I have read The Honk and Holler, but I haven’t read your other suggestions!
@Brigid Adding it to my list now!
ccr in MA commented on Oct 05 11 at 6:57 pmI am so with you on Jodi Picoult! I enjoyed My Sister’s Keeper all the way to the end, which PISSED ME OFF! Never again. Life is too short to read a book when I can tell I’m not or I won’t enjoy it. Move on!
And no, the movie of Time Traveler’s Wife wasn’t as good as the book; it couldn’t be.
Have you read anything by Marcia Willett? Or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? What about The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square?
L.A. Stevens commented on Nov 17 11 at 9:01 pmThanks to all for the recommendations. May I chime in with The Pillars of the Earth as my #1. And I’ve recently discovered Jennifer Donnelly. She is a masterful storyteller weaving characters through and between The Tea Rose and then The Winter Rose until you just can’t bear to see the story end…!
Andrea B commented on Feb 21 12 at 4:59 pmYour post introduced me to Rosamund Pilcher, who I now LOVE. I’ve read the Shell Seekers, Coming Home and one or two others and I can’t put them down once I start. I’m also a huge fan of Maeve Binchy and I find their styles to be similar.
In this thread I am reminded to seek out more by Ann Patchett – Bel Canto and the Patron Saint of Liars is on my list – I’ve read ‘Run’ and enjoyed it – though not in the top 10 (I don’t actually have a top 10 list)!
Also, I’ve enjoyed many stories by Alice Hoffman over the years. Her books always have a bit of magic and fantasy woven through. The Red Garden was intriguing and unique; I’d recommend it. I’m also putting The Probably Future and The Dove Keepers on my list to read.
Another author I *usually* enjoy is Elizabeth Berg. Her stories are not necessarily ground breaking (not to say they aren’t good) but her prose is beautiful and inspiring.
Oh, and lastly, Jodi Piccoult. Ahem. I feel like her stories kind of have an expiration date (page) and she exceeds it by about 100. Not unlike this post, I suppose :)
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