I don’t know about you, but one of my pet peeves is getting into a book and having it sound familiar: I think I have read this before.
Therefore, I am very grateful to have Goodreads, where I can keep a list of books I have read. I have been keeping this list for several years, and when I started it, I found the books I knew I had read previously in my life (although I know I must have missed many of them) and put them on the list. So if I am reading a book that isn’t new, I often check to make sure I haven’t read it before. I really don’t like rereading books — even those I have loved — because there are so many unread books yet to read.
That said (that appears to be my new favorite trite phrase), I have compiled a list of my favorite books. Last week went to you and your favorites. This week it is my turn. Before I start, let me tell you that I rarely remember anything about books I have read, even the day after I finish them! I don’t know why I don’t. Occasionally, I like a book so much that I remember some snippet about it. Other times, I have to rely on my five-star rating to remember that I loved a book.
Here are some books (quite a few) that I have loved. I have put asterisks beside the ones that are so outstanding (to me) that I highly recommend them. Maybe you will find a new favorite here.
*The Library Book by Susan Orlean (nonfiction)
*The Ensemble by Aja Gabel
*Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
*Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
*Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
*The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
*Animal Farm by George Orwell
*Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence
Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth
*Girl with a Pearl Earring by tracy Chevalier
*The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Fifty Shades of Grey (sorry, but I liked it a lot) by EL James
*Our Southern Home by my friend Waights Taylor, Jr. (nonfiction)
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
*The Red Tent by Anita Diamont
*The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (nonfiction)
*Freakonomics by Steven Levitt (nonfiction)
*Still Alice by Lisa Genova
*Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
*The Mourning Parade by my friend Dawn Reno Langley
***A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
*The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (nonfiction)
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (nonfiction)
Tuesday Nights in 1980 (a random find in which I discovered I had synesthesia) by Molly Prentiss
The Making of Donald trump by David Cay Johnston (nonfiction)
*The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (nonfiction)
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Goodnight June by Sarah Jio
*The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
*The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
*The House of the Scorpian (YA) by Nancy Farmer
*11-22-63 by Stephen King
Mr. Poppins Penguins (children’s) by Richard Atwater
All Nancy Drew (middle grades) by Carolyn Keene
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (middle grades) by Betty Smith
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
*A Separate Peace by John Knowles
*Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
*Room by Emma Donoghue
*Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper
and I am sure I have missed some…
And include British versus American punctuation!
Yes! Those pesky commas and quotation marks!
I just requested The Library Book from our local library. Thanks for the suggestion.
I hadn’t heard of it until a Facebook friend said she was reading it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
A very interesting list Arlene. Thanks. A good number are on my list too. I’ve just started adding to my favourites on Goodreads. I’ll share with you there.
You’ll have noticed how I spell favourites (despite my iPhone fighting it). Did you ever have a piece on American and British (and Australian and South African etc.) English?
I have not had a post about British versus American spelling, but it is a great idea. Thanks!