I am addicted to reading. When I am in a good book I neglect just about everything. When I am in a good book I feel like I have a special secret. I also feel almost feverish about finishing. I love the way books smell and feel. I love to read books twice. I read a book the first time for plot- to get to the end of the story as fast as possible. (I also sometimes read the end first.) If it is a good book I will read it again to savor the writing style and character development. If it is a fabulous book then I will read it again and again- revisiting like an old friend. A few books that fit in the “fabulous” category are the following:
The Count of Monte Cristo
Jane Eyre
All Jane Austen books
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
George Eliot books – especially Silas Marner, but not Romola which I can’t seem to get through
Anne of Green Gables books and the Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery
Goose Girl series, Book of a Thousand Days and Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Narnia Series
Les Miserables
Anything by Charles Dickens, especially Our Mutual Friend, Hard Times, David Copperfield, Dombey & Sons and Nicholas Nickleby
Ida B
Oh, my, I can see that to start a fabulous book list is like trying to swallow the ocean. What is a fabulous book to me? It must have/do the following things:
It must hold me captive
It must inspire or uplift (one of the reasons I do not like Edith Wharton)
It is a book that makes me think about it for days/weeks afterward
It must change me in some way. Either my world view is broader because of it, or I see the world in a different way, or I may feel more grateful, happier, understanding of others…
It must have a happy ending (for this reason, I never feel quite satisfied after reading Henry James)
If it is a book about human suffering, the triumph of the suffering must be grater than the suffering.
I love to discuss books and to receive great book recommendations. I am part of a book club that meets monthly but would be very satisfied to meet weekly. I started attending a book club for two reasons. 1) Because I love talking about books so much and 2) I tend to gravitate toward classics and wanted to branch out. I have been so enriched by thirteen years of attending book club and getting great recommendations! Books are a gift and a blessing and except when I need to get things done (like laundry) I feel oh-so-grateful for them. And oh-so-grateful for parents who fostered in me a love of reading.