ELC has been reading to me since I was in the womb. I truly believe that's why I love books so very much. It was nearly impossible for us to come up with our Top Nine Favourites, but we gave it a shot!
Here, now, are mine:
1. The Twilight Series. Sparkly vampires. Need I say more?
2. The Mitford Series by Jan Karon. Charming. Heart-warming.
3. The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich. Rip-roaring fun! The Grandma Mazur character was always my favourite.
4. Water for Elephants. A colorful tale of life among a traveling circus set in the 30s. (Purely coincidental that Robert Pattinson also stars in this movie-version.)
5. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. Who can resist a love story?
6. The Help. Life changing. I tell My Sweet Little Leighton that she is kind, smart and important.
7. To Kill A Mockingbird. A timeless read.
8. P.S. I Love You. Yes, I'm a complete sucker for a love story.
9. Eat, Pray, Love. ELC and I share an adoration of this book. We were captivated!
ELC's Top Nine Favourite Books:
I've loved books since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. (See Soul Food for a picture of me at 3 years old--"reading" a book.)
I would have no idea how many books I've read in approximately 56 years. I decided my criteria for picking my Top 9 was simple: Think of those books I couldn't put down. That made me cry my eyes out. Laugh out loud. Or that scared the bajeebies me. Or those that touched my heart. Books I recommended to friends, as in: "You MUST read this book."
I'm not necessarily putting these in order!
1. The Nancy Drew books. Read at least 40. I would try to check them out at our public library. Or my school library. I'd beg friends to loan me theirs. I WAS Nancy Drew from the age of 8 until I was about 15. She had it all. Great Dad. Good looks. Courage.
2. The Thorn Birds. Simply amazing. Breathtaking. Beyond mesmerizing. Need to read it again. Soon.
3. Gone with the Wind. It's always been unbelievable to me--just how spectacular this book truly is...
4. The Joy Luck Club. Overwhelmingly depressing. I didn't just cry. I had an emotional breakdown. Probably couldn't read this one again.
5. The Horse Whisperer. Superb. Read it before I saw the movie. I do that 97% of the time. If I hear a best-selling book will be made into a movie, I make every possible effort to read the book first. (Consequently, I don't often see these movies in a theatre. I usually have to watch it at home on our TV.)
6. The Kite Runner. Sooo tough to read. Violent. Full of despair. But still AMAZING. Another one I doubt I could read again.
7. Tuesdays with Morrie. I fell in love with Mitch Albom's touching true story of friendship and wisdom and have enjoyed reading his subsequent books. Important lessons for all of us.
8. The Shack. Excruciatingly hard to read. Gut-wrenching. Powerful. Challenges your beliefs.
9. Beach Music. This was my first Pat Conroy novel to read--as fast as I could. And my favourite. He intrigues me. He causes me to anxiously and impatiently wait for his next novel.
Thank you, Lord God Almighty, for books.
