Top 25 (my favorite books so far...)

I've always loved books and lists, so here is my list of favorite books. Of course, there are plenty of entertaining books out there, but this is a list of novels that I think have some real value and I could read over and over again. I am not the most widely read person, but I do try to continually choose good books...hoping to find a new "gem." (There is nothing quite so satisfying as finishing a really great book!) Here they are in no particular order:
1. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
I sat next to Chris in Mrs. Merrill's 7th Grade English class when I first read this book, so I have fond memories of Winnie and the Foster family. Brings up a great question: If you could choose to live forever, would you?
2. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Chris gave me this book for Christmas a few years back and it is one of my favorites. It's about a modest English butler who embarks on a country drive in which he ponders over his 30 year duty-filled existence. It won the Booker Prize.
3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Wonderful memoir of a boy growing up poverty-stricken in Ireland; proof that children can make it out of a miserable childhood and still become a success. It won the Pulitzer Prize for a Biography or Autobiography in 1997. It's hard to explain how a book this sad can make me laugh so hard. I would definitely suggest finding the audiobook, which is read by the author. Can't beat that Irish brogue! The sequel 'Tis is also worth your time.
4. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
This book came out the year I started teaching and was heaven-sent. McCourt was an English teacher, like myself, and his experiences and struggles in the classroom are very relatable and hilarious (those crazy teenagers!). This interview is also interesting.
5. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
I read this in 10th grade and remember being stunned by the ending. A masterpiece!
6. Persausion by Jane Austen
While I LOVE the Pride and Prejudice film starring Keira Knightley, I think Persausion is Jane Austen's finest novel.
7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
My bro-in-law gave me this book as a gift. As I was reading it, I kept telling Chris, "This book is crazy! You've got to read it." He eventually did.
8. Beauty by Robin McKinley
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, in which Beauty is really not that great looking. The story still captures the selflessness of a young girl and her gradual affection toward the Beast.
9. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
If you need a little get-up-and-go to assemble your year supply of food storage, this is the book for you! Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this post-apocalyptic story is totally dark and suspenseful but a great read. The movie is supposedly coming out next year but I don't know if I will have the emotional courage to see this "book come to life." Yikes!
10. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
My 11th-graders read this play. During the last scene with John Proctor and his wife, one of my students asked, "Mrs. Nielson, did you cry the first time you read this book?" Yes I did. Based on real events, Miller parallels the Salem witch trials to McCarthyism. I thought the film was pretty good, but it does leave out some of the dialogue.
11. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Missing May is a short, simple story of a young girl, Summer, who is passed among relatives until she ends up with her Uncle Ob and Aunt May. Summer is touched by her new parent's devotion to one another and May's sudden death leads Summer and her foster father on an insightful journey.
12. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This book is not so much a romance as a story about needing to be loved and valued...and to find equality in our relationships.
13. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Tells the story of Wang Lung, a poor farmer in twentieth century China, who deals with political and social upheavals. I found O-lan, Wang Lung's dignified, hardworking, resourceful (and marginalized) wife, to be a very memorable character for me. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. It is the first book in a trilogy that includes Sons and A House Divided (which I have not read, but should).
14. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia McLachlan
Newbery Award winning book about two children's anticipation over the possibility of a new mother when their widowed father invites a mail-order bride to their home.
15. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." -Atticus Finch

A Pulitzer Prize winning classic featuring one of literature's most virtuous characters.
16. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
About a religious zealot who drags his wife and four daughters into the Congo to embark on missionary work. The story is told from the point of view of the four daughters.
17. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
An inspired book that everyone should read. In this age of consume and waste, Thoreau reminds me to "simplify, simplify" to find more satisfaction in my life. Tons of great quotes! I also really enjoyed this talk during October 2008 General conference.
18. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
I am not one to sit down with a book of poetry, but I do love Emily Dickinson's work. You can find all 1,775 beautiful verses in this volume.
19. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The story of an odd friendship between two migrant workers. (I also really like East of Eden.)
20. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Had to add it to my list after reading it last month.
21. Atonement by Ian McEwan
A 13-year-old's imagination leads to demise in the lives of several characters. A tearjerker.
22. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
I recently read this book and loved it. Really loved the characters and found the story to be very spiritual. I also want to read Enger's new book, So Brave, Young and Handsome.
23. The Professor's House by Willa Cather
While Cather is known for O, Pioneers! and My Antonia (I also recommend), I still think this book is my favorite.
24. Hawthorne's Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This is not the easiest reading, but I still managed to enjoy Hawthorne's dramatic and "moody" short stories. My favorites are "The Birthmark" and "Rappaccini's Daughter." Hawthorne was born in Salem, Mass and one of his ancestors was a judge in the 1692 witch trials (Hawthorne actually added the "w" to his name to seperate himself from these relatives)...you can see his issues with religious intolerance and hypocrisy in his works.
25. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro is becoming my new favorite author. I read this book last year and thought it was a little creepy and very sad...I can't share too much or I will give away the "surprise." I plan on reading Artist of the Floating World this year.

This year, I have decided to reread some of these favorites. I also love suggestions!