Top 9 (ish) Favorite Novels

My Top 9--because Top 10 lists are over-rated--favorite books of all time:

I have read hundreds of books over the years and I have enjoyed almost every book I've read, with very few exceptions (*cough*Eragon*cough*). This tendency to enjoy every book I pick up does not lend itself to making a list of favorites. I have too many "favorites" for that word to be properly used in conjunction with my list. Therefore, though I have compiled a list of books that I love, it is by far not every book I would call a favorite and certainly not in any sort of hierarchical order.

Also, after compiling my list, I noticed a distinct pattern. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but all things considered, I love Fantasy and Classics more than anything else.

So, without further ado, my Top 9 (ish) Favorite Novels:


#1 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: This is a book I have probably reread more than any other. I first read Jane Eyre around the age of 12 and fell in love, though at the time I didn't really understand half of it. And I reread it at least once a year, sometimes more. I love everything about it. The characters, the writing, the humor, the angst...everything.

#2 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: These three--ahem, six--books will always be on my favorites list when it comes to books that I have loved. Tolkien's writing is by far my favorite and the one I look up to the most. He is the pinnacle of all things great, in my humble opinion, when it comes to writing. And everything about these books makes me fall in love every time I crack them open. It's a rich world, with remarkable characters, and it's fantasy--which is my favorite genre. Plus, it's Tolkien.

#3 Jane Austen: I couldn't name just one because I reread all of them annually--or even more often than that. I love every word she ever wrote. To be fair, I haven't completed reading all her unfinished works, but I'm sure I'll love those, too, when I get to them.

#4 North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell: I love historical fiction, but especially when it was written in that time period. Classics are so much richer than modern day historical fiction; probably because they didn't have to do research, they simply wrote about their lives. However that may be, I absolutely adored this book on the first read and I love it more every time I pick it up.

#5 The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: This series of books has to go on my list because they are probably the most worn out books in my entire collection. As a child/teenager, I reread them almost every month or so, and even in adulthood I still read them over and over again. The best way I could describe sitting down to read The Chronicles of Narnia is simply the feeling of coming home.

#6 The Princess by Lori Wick: My favorite work by this author, definitely, and the only one I reread consistently. A modern-day royally arranged marriage...what could possibly go wrong? Nothing. Because this book is amazing.

#7 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: I only very recently read these for the first time and I instantly fell in love. The characters, the writing, the whole deal. I love it all.

#8 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: and once again, what could compete with a classic? This is just one of those books that make me happy no matter when I read it, any time of the year.

#9 Everything Ted Dekker ever wrote: Actually, if I'm honest, I haven't read all of his books yet. But I have been working my way through his long list of titles and have not yet come across a book that I could put down. Ted Dekker is the modern-day author version of Tolkien to me--the pinnacle of all things great.

So there you have it. My Top 9--or 30--favorite books. Who's counting? Obviously not me.

Happy Writing--and Reading--, everybody!