Lists, lists, lists!

This is where I’ll be posting some of my favorite books – past and present – sometimes according to genre, sometimes not. I hope these titles will be of use.

Ten novels to lose yourself in …

A friend asked for recommendations of something good to read recently. From that conversation, and thinking about it a bit more, the following books came to mind … not only because of the stories, but also because of the language that each author uses to imagine their story, which is astounding. The lyricism, the imagery, the beauty of the words, more than anything, is what spoke to me about these novels. They are truly amazing. I hope you will enjoy them as much I have, and continue to with each re-read, and re-read.

1. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

2. Possession by A.S. Byatt

3. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

4. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

5. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

6. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

7. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

8. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

9. Persuasion by Jane Austen

10. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Fantastic Crime/Mystery Novels!

So, I’ve been in the middle of a crime novel phase, and have found the following authors, and these novels in particular, compelling:

1. The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver

2. The Avenger by Frederick Forsyth

3. Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais

4. The Veteran by Frederick Forsyth

5. The Hanged Man’s Song by John Sandford

6. The Prey Series by John Sandford

7. Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby Series by Caroline Graham

Extraordinary Reads …

These novels have made an impression, thus making them difficult to forget …

1. Q & A by Vikas Swarup

2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

3. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Husseini

5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Husseini

6. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

7. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

8. A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif

9. The Ballad of West Tenth Street by Marjorie Kernan

10. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

11. Sold by Patricia McCormick

12. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

13. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

14. The Veteran by Frederick Forsyth

15. The House of the Spirits by Isabella Allende

16. Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima

17. The City and the City by China Mieville

18. So.B.It by Sarah Weeks

Some of my favourite books …

My reading career began in 5th grade when my English teacher handed me a copy of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It has been, and continues to be, an incredible journey of discovery – of new worlds, of  new people, and of learning, and re-learning, life lessons.

So, here are a few novels that have entertained, shocked, frightened, guided, and followed me …

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

2. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein

4. Persuasion by Jane Austen

5. Animal Farm by George Orwell

6. 1984 by George Orwell

7. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

8. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

9. Light in August by William Faulkner

10. The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

11. Hercule Poirot Mysteries by Agatha Christie