My favorite books are listed here in no specific order. I love them all so much that listing them from greatest to least is impossible.
1. The Hobbit, by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. (Published 1937.) This is the book that I read every Christmas. Don't ask me why. (Even I don't know.) But I read it each Christmas with coffee and hot chocolate and tea. I love the characters: brave and curious Bilbo Baggins, who is quite content with a quiet pipe-smoking home life but is thrust into the world of adventure; tall, old Gandalf, with his bushy eyebrows and pointy hat, is my favorite wizard character; and with all of the elves, dwarves, and one gigantic dragon... what more can you ask for? This book is witty and the story of Middle Earth before The Lord of the Rings is epic.
2. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. (Published 1847.) This book bothers me to no end. That said, it is one of my favorites, probably, because it puts me in such a stir. A book must be good to make me feel anxious, angry, curious, and happy all at once. Heathcliff, oh Heathcliff... such a brooding character, and then Catherine... so selfish, but still worthy of sympathy! Just read it. Get past the first few chapters and muddle through the impossible-to-read speeches of the Joseph character and then enjoy the turbulent, heart breaking, but incredible ending.
3. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. (Published 2005.) This book is about a young girl named Liesel Meminger as she lives through Germany during the time of Hitler and the Nazis. She lives with foster parents who hide Max, a Jewish fist-fighter. Liesel loves books and does steal a few, but one of the most important books is a black book that she writes in as a diary. This black book is dropped in the street when Liesel's town is bombed. (This is the part of the book that I cried my eyes out in.) The black book is picked up by the narrator of the book: Death. Death is a character, and he talks through the whole book. That is one of the reasons this book is so interesting. You must read this book! It is so beautiful and realistic, even with its quirks, like having a narrator that is Death. It is such a powerful story.
Needless to say, if you know me, that these aren't my only favorite books. Here are a few more.
The Harry Potter Series, by J. K. Rowling.
Dracula, by Bram Stoker.
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens.
A Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger.
Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech.
And many more!
Good descriptions of books. Do you ever think you'd like to do book reviews someday? I guess then you would have to read the assigned books, not ones that you choose. "The Book Thief" sounds interesting. I just bought it for my Kindle. Thanks for the recommendation!
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