My Favorite Books
Classics
Anna Karenina Tolstoy This and many of the classics I adored were about unhappy women* Portrait of a Lady James * Great Expectations Dickens The only Dickens I've actually read - and I was surprised at how funny he was Madame Bovary Flaubert * Sense and Sensibility Austen Love most all of Austen but this is my favorite Brideshead Revisited Waugh Read loads of Waugh but this one stands out as one of my top reads To Kill a Mockingbird Lee Deservedly on most all top book lists in my opinion Siddhartha Hesse Right place-right time and ergo loved it Of Human Bondage Maugham Great Gatsby Fitzgerald I worry that I may have only seen the movie - but hopefully I read the book too… Human Factor Greene All the Greene's I read in my 30's seem to blend together but I chose this title Orley Farm Trollope Not your typical Trollope but by far the one I most related to Vanity Fair Thackeray How can you not feel for this heroine? Contemporary The Brief and Wondrous life… Diaz A bi-lingual wonder that spans 3 generations of Dominicans Handmaid's Tale Atwood has written so many great books but if I had to choose one it would be this one Slaughterhouse Five Vonnegut My real fave of his is Galapagos - I concede that this should be regarded as his best One Flew Over the … Kesey Patchwork Planet Tyler Again I have read a lot of Anne Tyler but this one is currently my top choice Sophie's Choice Styron I remember being in awe of his sentence construction The History of Love Krauss My fave books from the 'life as a geriatric' genre - as well as one of my fave books. Life of Pi Martel Though I found a big chunk of this book too "Animal Planet" I think it is amazing Unless Shields Another Canadian - this was her final novel and I found it very poignant Olive Kitteridge Strout Won the Pulitzer a few years ago - really a collection of short stories On Beauty Smith Love both this book and White Teeth - one of many books on life in academia Ragtime Doctorow Clever 'faction' story which includes real people in fictitious scenarios Atonement McEwan Truly think he might be best living novel writer in English language A Visit from the Goon Squad Egan Another recent Pulitzer winner - this book's setting is the music industry Any Human Heart Boyd I could not help but think of my father when I read this, and On Human Bondage too. Never Let Me Go Ishiguro Big fan of this writer - but chose this one because of his use of voice Lonesome Dove McMurtry Love McMurtry but - even though it is a cowboy western - it's probably his best. When we were Bad Mendelson Cynical and quite tragic story about a modern Jewish British family. Touching. Bonfire of the Vanities Wolf A Thousand Splendid Suns Hosseini This one helped me understand the plight of 3rd world women Elegance of the Hedgehog Barbery Only 'bookclub' book to make this list. Starting out in the Evening Morton Add this to the 'geriatric genre' list. Very poignant. Thinks Lodge Clever tale of adultry in the world of academia Long Way Down Hornby There was a quote for my Book Journal on almost every page of this book. Because I grew up in South America Love in the time of Cholera Garcia M. My No. 1 best book ever if I had to choose only one The House of Spirits Allende Another great example of magical realism Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter Vargas Llosa Light, hilarious, semi-autobiographical Gabriela Clove and Cinnamon Amado Brazilian writer who writes very sensually Like Water for Chocolate Esquivel Not the best written ever but certainly a great story about passion Mexican style The Alchemist Coelho A little simplistic but again I read it at the right time in my life Shadow of the Wind Ruiz Zafon Magnificent in its own right but a must read for anyone coming to Barcelona Non-Fiction and/or memoirs Dry Burroughs Famous for his book Running with Scissors - but I read this one first and fell in love Truth and Beauty Patchett A story of a friendship but also a biography of a writer News of a Kidnapping Garcia M. Harrowing, beautifully written story of the kidnappings in Colombia Reading Lolita in Teheran Nafisi A sneak-peek into life in Teheran through the eyes of a university professor A Heartbreaking Work of … Eggers A must-read, amazingly well-written autobiography The Diving Bell and the Butter… Bauby Surprisingly uplifting story of a dying man with locked in syndrome Last Chance to See Adams Douglas Adams and a BBC film crew go in the search of endangered animals Bird by Bird Lamott Often hilarious account of the process of writing a book Freakonomics Levitt Along with Superfreakonomics, popular non-fiction at its easiest to love The Orchid Thief Orlean Who knew orchids could inspire so much craziness? Midnight in the Garden of Good… Berendt Case of author being in the right place at the right time Million Little Pieces Frey James Frey got a lot of flack for this book, but I still think it is commendable The Right Stuff Wolf The story of early space travel and the men who made it possible My Stroke of Insight Taylor Good insight into what happens to your brain when you have a stroke. Playing Tennis with the Moldovans Hawks Though he has written a few funny books, the tennis bit makes it my favorite Neither Here Nor There Bryson Bryson at his most cynical as he describes travel in continental Europe Young Adult - After all I am a school librarian The Curious Incident of the… Haddon Clever mystery written in the voice of a young boy with Aspergers Absolutely True Diary of… Alexie Heartbreaking story of a native American teen boy taking on challenges. Brilliant Al Capone does my Shirts Choldenko Coming of age story that takes place on the Island of Alcatraz Framed Cottrel Boyce I admit I'm partial to this as it takes place in a fictional village in Wales The Giver Lowry The ending is universally acknowledged to be unsatisfactory, this is a classic Love that Dog Creech The journal of a boy who hates poetry. Very touching Watership Down Adams Political commentary through the eyes of talking rabbits Holes Sacchar If by some chance you have not heard about this book, just trust me on this one. Flowers for Algernon Keyes A unique book when it was written - now a classic Are you Experienced Sutcliffe A real eye-opener for how teen boys think. Hilarious. Short Stories and/or novellas A Christmas Memory Capote A beautifully written Xmas story based on Capote's real life experience. A Child's Christmas in Wales Thomas If can, have someone with a Welsh accent read this aloud to you... Dress your Family in Cor… Sedaris Surely considered one of the best contemporary short story writers. Very raw Magical Thinking Burroughs Even more raw insight into the life of a gay, ex-addict. Incredibly funny 30 Songs Hornby Hornby's love affair with music is captured in his tribute to 30 songs The Stories of John Cheever Cheever Easy pick as it is surely on every top short story list. Collected Short Stories Maugham I particularly remember Mr. Know-All. Possibly it is politically incorrect? Miguel Street Naipaul A great way to savor this prolific Trinidadian writer. New Kings of Non-Fiction Glass Who knew there was an anthology of popular non-fiction writing? Love in a Cold Climate… Mitford Charming. Encapsulates life for women in the mid-1900's with subtle sarcasm On Chessil Beach McEwan Haunting story of love gone very wrong |