Books, Books and more Books!

What’s Your Favorite Book?

My friend Roe was blogging about this not to long ago. She posted this very interesting poll which was conducted to discover what the favorite book of most Americans is. Here were the results:

Harris Interactive surveyed American adults to find out "What is your favorite book of all time?" The answers:

1. The Bible
2. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
3. Lord of the Rings (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
5. The Stand, by Stephen King
6. The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
7. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
8. Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown
9. Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
10. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

It’s an interesting list, isn’t it? I mean what a combination of topics and titles. I was surprised to see Angels and Demons by Dan Brown on the list, I certainly didn’t think it was nearly as good as The Da Vinci Code, but to each their own. I think that it is also interesting to note that according to Zogby, the average American reads four books in a year. Can you imagine that? I could read four books in a week! I think that is such a sad commentary on our society… I

So I sat and thought about my favorite books. Where to start?? There are SO many! I don’t think that I could possibly limit it to 10. Anyway, here goes, in no particular order except for the first:
1. Lord of the Rings – the only book that was so real to me that I actually had dreams about it. I will forever be thankful to JRR Tolkien for opening my heart to the wonder of magic and fantasy.
2. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It is a long book and detailed, but so worth the effort that it takes to read. It is particularly interesting to read Rand’s commentary on capitalism considering her own personal experiences and background.
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Smith’s lyric style and colorful story telling speak for themselves in this largely autobiographical work.
4. Anything by Charles Dickens, especially A Tale of Two Cities – what greater love can there be than the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the happiness of the one you love?
5. The Three Musketeers – because I love a great action/ adventure story and this one does it all. Who doesn’t love the visual of Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and Dartagnan as they cross their swords saying “ All for one and one for All!”?
6. Brave New World – I love Huxley’s story about finding humanity in the most surprising of places…
7. Harry Potter – because from start to finish the story of the “Boy Who Lived” captured me. Rowling’s story brought me into Harry’s world and I was so sorry to see it end, no matter how satisfyingly the story came to a close.
8. Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 – both offer a frightening glimpse of what the future could be if we for one instant lose sight of our precious freedom.
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns – I don’t typically like contemporary authors, but Khalid Hosseini had me at hello. Seriously, this book grips you from the first sentence and the story never stops.
10. Night by Elie Weisel – nothing can be said about this book except that every single person should read it so that we never forget.
11. Wuthering Heights – possibly the greatest love story ever told. I didn’t understand it the first time I read it. I didn’t understand why Heathcliff and Cathy couldn’t just figure it out – but sometimes, that’s the point isn’t it?

It was hard to compile this list and I’d be willing to bet that tomorrow, my choices may look very different. Again, aside from number one, these books really aren’t in any particular order, I love them all. I’d love for you to share your top 10 list, since I’m always look for the next great book to read.