“This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”
This is a great question, and I’m looking forward to everyone else’s lists as well!
The Bible
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman (because of its similarity to my hometown)
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (combined with its sequel, Children of God)
Two books that I realized got left off the list because I did it so quickly:
The opposite of last week’s question: “What’s the best ‘worst’ book you’ve ever read — the one you like despite some negative reviews or features?”
I LOVED The Sister by Poppy Adams (read my review), which only has 3 stars on Amazon. Many people did not like it or felt like there was too much moth science in the book. I loved all that because it also described the characters of the book. I also much prefer the UK title, The Behaviour of Moths. I loved this book, and I’ll be looking out for more by Poppy Adams.
How about, “What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?”
I love almost all classics. Seriously. I loooooove them. The only classic that I can think of that I didn’t like was The Red Badge of Courage. Blech. I had to read it in high school, and so far it is the only one I can think of that I just had to force myself through. Yuck.
2. Have you read everything he or she has written?
No, but I’ve read the Chronicles of Narnia multiple (at least 6) times, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Till We Have Faces, Out of the Silent Planet, and Mere Christianity.
3. Did you LIKE everything?
I didn’t like everything, I LOVED everything!
4. How about a least favorite author?
Well, I really don’t like P hilip R oth or J ohn B anville. Sorry for the intentional breaks, but I don’t want hate mail from devotees.
5. An author you wanted to like, but didn’t?
Virginia Woolf. I couldn’t get into Mrs. Dalloway at all.
I’ve asked, in the past, about whether you more often buy your books, or get them from libraries. What I want to know today, is, WHY BUY?
Even if you are a die-hard fan of the public library system, I’m betting you have at least ONE permanent resident of your bookshelves in your house. I’m betting that no real book-lover can go through life without owning at least one book. So … why that one? What made you buy the books that you actually own, even though your usual preference is to borrow and return them?
If you usually buy your books, tell me why. Why buy instead of borrow? Why shell out your hard-earned dollars for something you could get for free?
My house is full of books — as anyone who knows me can attest; BUT, I have definitely curt-tailed my book buying over the years. I used to mostly buy books. Now, I first look to see if my library has a book I want. If they don’t, I look to pbs or bookmooch. If I can’t get it from either place, I’ll consider buying it.
I also used to keep all my books. When I moved, I realized I couldn’t do that anymore. It wasn’t fair to make my husband and sons move the amount of books a small library might have. I also much prefer trade paperbacks to hardbacks. Now, when I’m finished with a book, I usually put it on pbs or bookmooch if it’s wishlisted, and if not I’ll sometimes do a giveaway or take it to goodwill.
I reserve buying new for those books that I have a 90% certainty that I will like, and that I know I’ll want to keep. For example, some recent purchases have been:
And I only bought the Annotated Dracula after I’d already listened to the audio and knew that I would want to re-read it some day with the annotations. Marilynne Robinson and Neil Gaiman are two authors that I love so I was confident I would enjoy these purchases.
I still have A LOT of books in my house, but I’ve been smarter with my money about acquiring them.
“Name a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like–sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful. Or maybe that’s just me.”
I’m going to give 4 couples 5 couples (I forgot one of my absolute favorites!), from two three old books and two newer books. I just have to mention all of these!
Anne and Captain Wentworth
Well, of course my absolute favorite is Jane and Mr. Rochester. They have so many obstacles to overcome to be together, so it is oh-so-satisfying when they are both free to be with each other. This is one of my favorite books, if not THE favorite. Although I’ve seen many movie adaptations (including the newest one), my favorite is the one with Ciaran Hinds and Samantha Morton. I’ve probably watched this one at least 5 times.
Edit: I’ve added this one because I cannot believe I forgot them!!! I actually like Persuasion a bit more than Pride and Prejudice. Anne and Captain Wentworth wait so long to be together. And the wait is so worth it. My favorite movie adaptation is with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root. I’ve watched it multiple times!
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Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy
Another ‘old book’ mention is, how could you guess, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Why? They are both so so ‘prideful and prejudiced’ — ha ha — that it is a relief when they finally realize they are meant for each other. Another of my favorite books. My favorite movie adaptation is the one with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. And not just because of Colin Firth! I love the whole cast, and though it’s long, I’ve seen it at least three times. I love it! I didn’t care much for the Knightley version. . . . . .
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Clare and Henry
The first ‘newer book’ couple is Henry and Clare from The Time Traveler’s Wife. I can’t really tell you why on this one because I don’t want to spoil the book for you if you haven’t read it. Their love story really got to me. I cannot wait for this movie to come out. I am really happy with the casting for it. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are two of my favorite actors, and I’m anxious to see how they’re going to perform these roles.
I hesitate a bit to mention this next one because I haven’t actually read the The Notebook, but I’ve seen the movie several times and I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. Noah and Allie. Sigh. Just an awesome love story. What I love most about them is their deep love for each other even in old age. If you haven’t seen the movie (is there honestly someone who hasn’t?), you must do it this weekend. Or even tonight! I must read this some day.
There you have it. I know I probably missed some important ones, but those are at least four five of my favorites. Can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with!
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21, ESV)
I LOVED 
by Poppy Adams (
. Blech. I had to read it in high school, and so far it is the only one I can think of that I just had to force myself through. Yuck.
