I meant to post my list of favorite fiction over a year ago when I first posted my top five and next five favorites (books marked with an asterisk below). I may not be timely, but I usually get around to things at some point. Today is that moment for my Forty Favorite Fiction list.
It is an eclectic list and somewhat arbitrary, not meant (obviously) to be a ‘greatest fiction of all time’ list, but merely what books have sparked something inside of me as I was reading. Some of them entertained me, some informed me, some warned me, some allowed me to experience a new world. I am sure that I have forgotten several great titles that I haven’t read recently. A few of the books on my list are childhood favorites, or books that would have been childhood favorites had I read them before adulthood.
Forty Favorite Fiction
1. Adams, Richard. Watership Down. So much more than a book about rabbits, I was blown away by this story of exemplary leadership. Excellent reading for older children or adults.
2. Alcott, Louisa May. Eight Cousins. I adore this book and cannot wait to read it with Levi this next year!
3. Blackmore, R. D. Lorna Doone
4. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
5. Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre.
6. Bunyan, John. Pilgrim’s Progress.
7. Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. This book was completely out of my normal reading zone, but I thought it, also, was an excellent book on leadership.
8. Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
9. Clancy, Tom. (I can’t seem to decide which book to choose.) Is it a mortal sin to put Tom Clancy on a list with C. S. Lewis, John Bunyan, and Harriet Beecher Stowe? Well, since it is my list…. I haven’t read another modern author who is able to create an intricate plot as well as Tom Clancy (which is possibly not saying much, considering I’m not entirely fond of modern authors). His books are almost as satisfying (and arguably more relevant in today’s society) as The Count of Monte Cristo—which is saying a lot. Once I am in a few chapters, I cannot put the book down.
10. Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone (or The Woman in White). The Moonstone is a terrific blend of mystery, humor, character personality, and Gothic atmosphere. A classic that happens to be a great choice if you are looking for something highly entertaining.
11. Costain, Thomas B. The Silver Chalice.
12. Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe
13. DeJong, Meindert. The House of Sixty Fathers.
*14. Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield. Or A Tale of Two Cities. Must I choose?
15. Douglas, Lloyd. The Robe.
*16. Dumas, Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo. This is no light-weight book at 1243 pages, but it is (and will likely remain) my favorite book of all time. I first read it over 15 years ago and have read it several times since. Do not miss this one (and read the unabridged version…trust me).
17. Gaskell, Elizabeth. Ruth (North and South, Wives and Daughters)
18. Goudge, Elizabeth. The Dean’s Watch.
19. Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows.
20. Holme, Ann. I Am David. This book is a vivid memory from my childhood reading.
*21. Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables.
22. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.
23. Konigsburg, E. L. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
*24. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. As Sherry at Semicolon says, “Great book.. Great movie, but even better book. Lots of nuances and subplots are in the book, but couldn’t be included in the movie. And you can imagine Gregory Peck while you read about Atticus Finch.”
*25. Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia (I know it is cheating to list an entire series, but… I loved his Space Trilogy as well.)
*26. Lowry, Lois. The Giver.
27. MacDonald, George. At the Back of the North Wind
*28. Milne. A. A. Winnie the Pooh
29. Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables.
30. Moody, Ralph. Little Britches. Not technically fiction, but I don’t mind breaking the rules occasionally.
31. Nesbit, E. The Railway Children.
32. Roe, E. P. From Jest to Earnest
33. Saint Exupery, Antoine de. The Little Prince.
34. St. John, Patricia. Treasures of the Snow (Star of Light) Another vivid literary memory from my childhood, Levi and I will be reading Treasures of the Snow this Christmas.
*35. Sawyer, Ruth. Maggie Rose: Her Birthday Christmas.
*36. Otis Skinner, Cornelia and Kimbrough, Emily. Our Hearts Were Young And Gay: An Unforgettable Comic Chronicle of Innocents Abroad in the 1920s (I don’t know if it counts as fiction, but certainly a hilarious romp either way.)
37. Scott, Sir Walter. Ivanhoe.
*38. Sedgwick, Anne Douglas. The Little French Girl. (More about this one in a couple days.)
39. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
40. White, E. B. Charlotte’s Web
I have never been so glad that I have years and years of reading ahead of me! My list has glaring holes where classics should be that I have not yet had a chance to read.
What would you recommend that is absent from the above titles?
I’m making up my intentional reading list for 2009. Now’s the time to chime in!
(Whispering.) A give-away just might be coming up in the next few days…