Aside from the general appeal of a great list or two, who doesn’t love a good list for books?
Here’s one for all you book lovers – Amazon’s 100 book bucket list, chosen by their own book editors as the 100 books everyone should read in their lifetime. Although mostly adult books, they aren’t all for grown-ups, but a bunch for children and the child in all of us. Among their choices are Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, and yes … Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. The list is packed with classics and more recently published books.
And here’s the variation on a theme – Goodreads readers have chosen their own top 100 books they feel everyone should read. There is a great deal of overlap in the two lists, but I loved seeing some wonderful books here and on Amazon that are so worthwhile. I was very happy to see the highly deserving The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak as well as The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, Watership Down by Richard Adams, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine Engle, and many, many more.
I was also quietly happy to see how many of these books I have already read, those in the past thanks to a good education along the way, and how many I have already read or have right here waiting to be read. But best of all, I see some new titles that I look forward to getting and reading. And the good news about that? Next month is the Friends of the Hunterdon County Library’s huge annual book sale!! Woo hoo! That’s April 26th and 27th, details here.
If you are in driving distance of southern Hunterdon County, make the trip, fellow readers. This year it’s at the South County Park Fairgrounds on Rte. 179 in Lambertville, and on Saturday it’s hardcover $2, softcover $1, and in Sunday it’s all half that! I have books on my list for friends, some for the silent auction of the equine rescue I work with, and some just for me. I seem to be the only person left on the planet who has not read To Kill a Mockingbird, so that’s on my list as well as some others on these top 100 lists that intrigue me.
Feel like curling up with a good book? These lists may point you in the right direction. Me? Watching my list go off the paper. It’s easy to go overboard at this sale, but I’ll only bring 2 canvas bags, promise. Okay, mayyyybe 3.
Still A Dreamer 
Okay maybe four bags but THAT’s IT, right? Oh I love great fiction reads, and seeing Charlotte’s Web reminded me of another White treasure, The Trumpet Of The Swan. That book still resonates even though I haven’t read it since the many times I did as a kid. Maybe it’s time to dust it off and rediscover the joys through new eyes. A fiction author I cherish (and devour everything of his as soon as it is released) is a talented Canadian (woohoo!) by the name of Guy Gavriel Kay. Have you heard of him? Delightful voyages into wonderful worlds, always with strong female characters – as heroic (or more) than the males. Here’s to great reads, and another great post from you (and another big comment from me.. oops). Cheers, Gina
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I’m really, really, really going to only bring 3 bags. 🙂 I never read Trumpet of the Swan, but I’m making note of it. I am also taking note of the second author you mention. I’ve never heard of him, but for $1 or $2 a book, I sure can afford to check him out. If not at the sale, I can check my library, and what they don’t have they get from the main county library. Thanks for the tips – what would life be without wonderful books? Post as much as you want – always happy to have you stop by, Gina.
Jeanne
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What I’m curious about is YOUR own personal list of the books you’d like most to share with people. If you’ve already done that somewhere here, please direct me to that post.
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I never did my own list, but more in my reply to your next comment ….
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Now having taken a gander at both lists–yes, there is a great deal of overlap–but also a number of items I refuse to read. Some of my refusal is based on a sort of backlash reaction from being “told” to read things by others–Like the Harry Potter books without being given any reason to do so other than “You should because everyone else is reading them.” Aside from the “classics” and a few modern titles there is not much representation of non-English writers. Why would I ever bother with Harry Potter when Zafron’s The Shadow of the Wind is available in a wonderful translation? But that’s just my personal biasis.
Hmm, now I’m thinking about which twelve books I’d take along to a cabin in the woods for a year. How about you?
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OK – here’s a thought. Remember first that Harry Potter is aimed at middle grade readers, but also, J.K. Rowling is an excellent writer. That’s one reason to read the series. I’ve seen all the Harry Potter movies, but read only one of the books, not because it’s not good writing, just that somehow it wasn’t what I’d wanted to read. (I liked the movies better.) Each his own.
I think when they make a list of the 100 books everyone should know because we’re in America, it’s going to be predominantly American and some English writers. If we were in France, I’m sure their top 100 would be predominantly French!
Hmmm … some of my top choices and these are for adult fiction only – The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, The Blue Diary, Local Girls, or The Dovekeeper by Alice Hoffman, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Paradise by Toni Morrison, Cry to Heaven or the witch trilogy by Anne Rice – The Witching Hour, Lasher and Taltos, The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs, White Oleander by Janet Fitch, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd .. oh and there’s more– I just can’t think at this hour. And these are mostly in the last decade. If I really go back …. 🙂
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Hi.Jeanne.
Tell you what I’ll go back because at the moment not a lot of the very recent is coming forward. I will stick to just to 12 prose books though.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
Himalayan Dhaba by Craig Joseph Dannery
Declare by Tim Powers
Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
Tracks by Louise Erdrich
The Crock of Gold by James Stephens
The Hamlet by William Faulkner
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Out by Natsuo Kirino
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
This list is subject to change due to whims at any point. 🙂
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Thanks for the list, Eva. You’d mentioned the two by Charles Lint and Emma Bull along the way and I already added them to my search list when I go to the big library sale! And I always love Jane Yolen. :o) Haven’t read Faulkner in ages, but he was always a keeper, too. OK, I’ll make note of these and also see what I may find. Thanks! 🙂 And yes, our lists may change, especially as our memories burp up what we’ve forgotten. LOL
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