Favorite Books List
I thought it'd be a great idea to share some of my favorite books with you! I'm sure I'll have to do several lists because I have too many to mention in one post. So I asked myself what books would I recommend right off the top of my head, and here's what I came up with. I think there's a good mix of classic, modern, young adult and a little international...
In no particular order:
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Why: IT'S SO TWISTED! I first read this my senior year of high school, and I've reread it almost once every year since then! (I graduated in '04 for reference). I love how dark Heathcliff is, especially his twisted love with Catherine, his "sister". It's a haunting novel that depicts life on the moor in a family that takes a serious beating for underestimating a supposed "gypsy child". Read it if you haven't; it's a classic.
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Why: To be honest, I don't know. My first memory of Alice is when I watched a made for TV version one evening and was completely freaked out by the jabberwocky. I read the books as a teenager, and my obsession with all things Alice began. I have shirts, bags, dolls, clothes for my kids, several different versions of the novel, bookmarks, earrings, necklaces, and rings...it's probably a problem. The book is EXCELLENT. I plan on reading it with/to my girls once we finish HP and the Sorcerer's Stone.
3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Why: Dickens has a way with words. He can make you love and hate a character with the turn of a phrase. You'll feel sorry for the main character Pip because of his poor "bringing up by hand", but then dislike him for the pompous young adult he becomes only to then feel sorry again for the way things end. It doesn't end terribly sad or depressing; it just leaves you thinking...man, that was one strange turn of events after another. Also, does Pip ever really learn his lesson about what it means to be a true gentleman?
4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Why: This was the best introduction I had to African literature. Okonkwo is pretty famous around his town, but a series of some seriously unfortunate events leads him to be exiled. Once he comes back, white men have basically taken over, changed local customs and things just fall apart. I was left upset for days over Okonkwo. This book may be a work of fiction, but knowing the author wrote it because he witnessed just how damaging colonization can be just depressed me. It also made me research A LOT about Africa and the effects of what the European colonization/missions really were. When a book makes me want to learn more about things I was clearly ignorant about, I count them as my favorite. I've read several other Achebe books and I recommend them all!!
5. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Why: It's freaking Harry Potter. This one is my favorite because you find out so much more back story to everything. If you just watch the movies, you basically know nothing about Voldemort. You also find out along with Harry that it's either kill or be killed-there will be no peaceful means to an end with Voldemort. Harry must have been scared out of his mind (because he's totally real, right?)
6. Wool by Hugh Howey
Why: Why is this not more famous? Where's the movie version?!?! This is a dystopian novel that is just so much more different than the young adult stuff being pushed recently. First of all, this isn't about teenagers saving the world. Second of all, no one has special unknown capabilities or powers. I don't know how much I can or can't give away. Read a summary on Goodreads...there's plenty. Here's what to think about: Silos. Undergound living. People can't go outside. People get punished by being let outside. There's sketchy things going on with the authority...
7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Why: I hated mystery novels before I read this. Now, I can't get enough Agatha Christie. I've blown through her novels like crazy this summer! And Then There Were None is an amazing mystery novel that will leave you guessing who did it until the very end; cliche, yes, true, also yes. Synopsis: People are invited to an island, one by one they start dying. No one is left alive, maybe?
8. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Why: Erik Larson takes nonfiction to an entirely different realm. While reading, you completely forget that you're reading something that actually took place. It's amazing. He weaves the story of one of the world's first serial killers (at least by modern standards.) with the construction and opening of the Chicago Worlds Fair. Again, any book that makes me want to learn more is a book I want to read. My other favorite of Larson's is Dead Wake which I'll probably talk about on a later post. (Also, there's a movie version of this book comings out; let's hope they do it justice)
9. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
Why: It's classic literature that depicts a woman who leaves her comfortable life to marry a poor man. She has two sons, the first of which she loves dearly. There's two parts to this novel. The first focuses on William, the first born son; the second focuses on Paul, the second child. The sons are pretty stunted when it comes to relationships and love and it's all because of dear old mom. Oh and the dad is basically a low life who you kind of feel sorry for, but not really. I also didn't really feel terrible for the mother other because she's way to into her children.
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Why: Teenage angst to the MAX. Holden is the poster child for every rebel, every disenfranchised youth walking around America. He drops the F bomb. He has no time for phonies. And there's a run in with a prostitute. BUT he's super sweet with his little sister while roaming around trying to figure out what to do with his life now that he's kicked out of school. I was in love with Holden and all he represented for a long time; I think most teenagers are.
11. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Why: Where do I even begin? Janie: light skinned African-American. Her grandmother was raped by her previous master (she's now free); her mother was raped by her teacher and after giving birth to Janie starts a slow decline until she runs away. Janie wants to experience love, passion, and sexual awakening but she's married off to a boring man. She leaves him, then leaves the new guy for Tea Cake. They have a pretty decent life until a hurricane hits.
It's beautifully written and depicts a life and culture that I was never exposed to until an adult which is a damn shame. (While I don't think it's specifically supposed to be about race, it does speak to light skin versus dark skin a bit. Since Janie is light skin, some characters do comment upon it.)
12. Beloved by Toni Morrison
Why: The first line of the novel is this: "124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom." Who wouldn't want to read that? Sethe escapes from slavery with her children, but the youngest doesn't make it, the two boys run away and only Denver is left. The house is then haunted by the ghost of the baby until Beloved shows back up one day. Someone from Sethe's past also shows up to try and create a life with her, but Beloved gets in the way and the townspeople warn him to be wary of Sethe. The character development Morrison creates in this novel is insane. It also makes you think about the effects of slavery, death, love, and familial relationships had on the lives of so many Americans after the Civil War.
Writing about all these makes me realize that I need to read them again because there are a ton of nuances I'm remembering or wanting to remember more clearly.
What are you favorite novels? Comment here or on my Insta or Facebook!
In no particular order:
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Why: IT'S SO TWISTED! I first read this my senior year of high school, and I've reread it almost once every year since then! (I graduated in '04 for reference). I love how dark Heathcliff is, especially his twisted love with Catherine, his "sister". It's a haunting novel that depicts life on the moor in a family that takes a serious beating for underestimating a supposed "gypsy child". Read it if you haven't; it's a classic.
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Why: To be honest, I don't know. My first memory of Alice is when I watched a made for TV version one evening and was completely freaked out by the jabberwocky. I read the books as a teenager, and my obsession with all things Alice began. I have shirts, bags, dolls, clothes for my kids, several different versions of the novel, bookmarks, earrings, necklaces, and rings...it's probably a problem. The book is EXCELLENT. I plan on reading it with/to my girls once we finish HP and the Sorcerer's Stone.
3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Why: Dickens has a way with words. He can make you love and hate a character with the turn of a phrase. You'll feel sorry for the main character Pip because of his poor "bringing up by hand", but then dislike him for the pompous young adult he becomes only to then feel sorry again for the way things end. It doesn't end terribly sad or depressing; it just leaves you thinking...man, that was one strange turn of events after another. Also, does Pip ever really learn his lesson about what it means to be a true gentleman?
4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Why: This was the best introduction I had to African literature. Okonkwo is pretty famous around his town, but a series of some seriously unfortunate events leads him to be exiled. Once he comes back, white men have basically taken over, changed local customs and things just fall apart. I was left upset for days over Okonkwo. This book may be a work of fiction, but knowing the author wrote it because he witnessed just how damaging colonization can be just depressed me. It also made me research A LOT about Africa and the effects of what the European colonization/missions really were. When a book makes me want to learn more about things I was clearly ignorant about, I count them as my favorite. I've read several other Achebe books and I recommend them all!!
5. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Why: It's freaking Harry Potter. This one is my favorite because you find out so much more back story to everything. If you just watch the movies, you basically know nothing about Voldemort. You also find out along with Harry that it's either kill or be killed-there will be no peaceful means to an end with Voldemort. Harry must have been scared out of his mind (because he's totally real, right?)
6. Wool by Hugh Howey
Why: Why is this not more famous? Where's the movie version?!?! This is a dystopian novel that is just so much more different than the young adult stuff being pushed recently. First of all, this isn't about teenagers saving the world. Second of all, no one has special unknown capabilities or powers. I don't know how much I can or can't give away. Read a summary on Goodreads...there's plenty. Here's what to think about: Silos. Undergound living. People can't go outside. People get punished by being let outside. There's sketchy things going on with the authority...
7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Why: I hated mystery novels before I read this. Now, I can't get enough Agatha Christie. I've blown through her novels like crazy this summer! And Then There Were None is an amazing mystery novel that will leave you guessing who did it until the very end; cliche, yes, true, also yes. Synopsis: People are invited to an island, one by one they start dying. No one is left alive, maybe?
8. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Why: Erik Larson takes nonfiction to an entirely different realm. While reading, you completely forget that you're reading something that actually took place. It's amazing. He weaves the story of one of the world's first serial killers (at least by modern standards.) with the construction and opening of the Chicago Worlds Fair. Again, any book that makes me want to learn more is a book I want to read. My other favorite of Larson's is Dead Wake which I'll probably talk about on a later post. (Also, there's a movie version of this book comings out; let's hope they do it justice)
9. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
Why: It's classic literature that depicts a woman who leaves her comfortable life to marry a poor man. She has two sons, the first of which she loves dearly. There's two parts to this novel. The first focuses on William, the first born son; the second focuses on Paul, the second child. The sons are pretty stunted when it comes to relationships and love and it's all because of dear old mom. Oh and the dad is basically a low life who you kind of feel sorry for, but not really. I also didn't really feel terrible for the mother other because she's way to into her children.
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Why: Teenage angst to the MAX. Holden is the poster child for every rebel, every disenfranchised youth walking around America. He drops the F bomb. He has no time for phonies. And there's a run in with a prostitute. BUT he's super sweet with his little sister while roaming around trying to figure out what to do with his life now that he's kicked out of school. I was in love with Holden and all he represented for a long time; I think most teenagers are.
11. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Why: Where do I even begin? Janie: light skinned African-American. Her grandmother was raped by her previous master (she's now free); her mother was raped by her teacher and after giving birth to Janie starts a slow decline until she runs away. Janie wants to experience love, passion, and sexual awakening but she's married off to a boring man. She leaves him, then leaves the new guy for Tea Cake. They have a pretty decent life until a hurricane hits.It's beautifully written and depicts a life and culture that I was never exposed to until an adult which is a damn shame. (While I don't think it's specifically supposed to be about race, it does speak to light skin versus dark skin a bit. Since Janie is light skin, some characters do comment upon it.)
12. Beloved by Toni Morrison
Why: The first line of the novel is this: "124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom." Who wouldn't want to read that? Sethe escapes from slavery with her children, but the youngest doesn't make it, the two boys run away and only Denver is left. The house is then haunted by the ghost of the baby until Beloved shows back up one day. Someone from Sethe's past also shows up to try and create a life with her, but Beloved gets in the way and the townspeople warn him to be wary of Sethe. The character development Morrison creates in this novel is insane. It also makes you think about the effects of slavery, death, love, and familial relationships had on the lives of so many Americans after the Civil War. Writing about all these makes me realize that I need to read them again because there are a ton of nuances I'm remembering or wanting to remember more clearly.
What are you favorite novels? Comment here or on my Insta or Facebook!
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