We've had a wonderful response to the post soliciting our own "top reads" list (though I've had more fun seeing what people will never read again). Continue to leave your favorites (and the not-so-favorites) in the comments section, then try to decide what to read first.
Our Favorite Books
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Austin)
Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins (Austin)
The Tao of Willie by Willie Nelson and Turk Pipkin (Austin)
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (Jules)
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (Jules)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Jules)
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Jules)
The Gathering by Anne Enright (Molly C.)
Star of the Sea by Joseph OConner (Molly C.)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Molly C.)
The Secret River by Kate Greenville (Molly C.)
House of Spirits by Isabel Allende (Molly C.)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Rebecca)
Our Least-favorite Books
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Abbi)
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (Jules)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Jules)
Brick Lane by Monica Ali (Molly C.)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Molly C.)
5 comments:
I have read most of your best reads, so I feel pretty good about myself right now. Since I've always enjoyed your book recommendations, I will use this list for my next reads.
My friend Kristin highly recommends "Dreams From My Father" by Barak Obama. It was written pre-politican days, so it's a genuine book. There are no underlying intentions. It's next on my list.
"Kite Runner" didn't make the list?
I added it just for you, Rebecca. Do you have any others?
I have to concur with whoever said A People's History of the United States. I really enjoyed and admired that one.
Currently I am speeding through Angela's Ashes, a book I can't believe I hadn't read yet. (I thought this was on the 100 books list but now I'm not seeing it.) I'm in awe of how he can write in the voice of an adult yet we believe in the child narrator, who describes things in such a way that makes us (the editorial us) feel cold and miserable along with him.
Rachel, I would like to add to your list. You understand why I can't, don't you?
There is one "sleeper" that I rather enjoy. It is called Until They Bring the Streetcars Back. I found out that I know a relative of the author (a St. Paulite)but I'll be darned if I can remember who it is. If you want a feeling of older Twin Cities, it's wonderful. I, of course, can personally relate to some of the places now defunct, but he does a good job of re-creating the atmosphere.
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