Favorite Books List

I love to read. I'm fairly particular about what I read. A book snob, some may say. My sister and mom go to the library and pick books off the shelf that look interesting. For me, I need a recommendation, or I need to have already read something else by the author, or it needs to be a classic.

Today's list is all about books. My top 10 favorite books of fiction.

A small caveat. I didn't think long and hard about this list or do research of books I've read. These are the first ones that came to mind when I thought about what books I loved. I'm sure I could easily come up with a list of 50 or more. Maybe I'll add to the list at a later time. 

Top 10 Favorite Fictional Books (in no particular order)

1| The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2| Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3| My Antonia by Willa Cather
4| Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
5| The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
6| Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
7| The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
8| East of Eden by John Steinbeck
9| The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
10| Empire Falls by Richard Russo

What are some of your favorite books?

See other lists I've created here. 

On The Nightstand

Here's what on my nightstand these days.

The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally and Online by Kari Chapin: I'm contemplating my next steps professionally and thinking about taking my creativity to the next level and this book has been great in laying out all the steps you need to take. I love that there are numerous contributors sharing their personal experiences. Hearing how other's have started their creative businesses has been very helpful.

Mess: The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes by Keri Smith: I got this book for my birthday. It's a great book to stretch your creativity. I'm not someone who likes to make a mess. I always color inside the lines. But this book requires you to make a mess and to stop thinking so much. Just create.

The Good Fight by Walter Mondale: Getting this book is a good story. I volunteered at the Jimmy Carter Habitat Work Project in October and Mr. Mondale was there and we shook hands. A very cool moment. A couple days later my parents saw him speak and stayed afterwards to buy his book and have it autographed for me. Mr. Mondale wrote, "Thanks for helping Habitat." Also very cool. My parent's planned to give it to me as a Christmas gift, but since it's been a bit of a rough time for me lately, they gave it to me a bit early to brighten my spirits. This was such a wonderful surprise. It's Mr. Mondale's autobiography and I'm learning so much about Minnesota politics starting back in the 60s.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett: I haven't started this book yet, but I've heard wonderful things about it. My Mom said it's excellent and when I picked it up at the book store and was continuing to browse several people commented what a great book it is. Looking forward to getting into this one.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Highlights of mine coming later this week.

What's In My Reading Pile

1) John Irving's, "A Prayer to Owen Meany." A recommendation from my Mom. I've started to read it and I don't know why I haven't read him before. Excellent.

2) Uwen Akpan's, "Say You're One of Them." This is an Oprah Book Club recommendation. Looking forward to diving into this one.

3) "Kids' Letters to President Obama." This is a delightful book. Whenever I'm having a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day," I take out this book and I'm immediately in a better mood. Hope is restored. My current favorite is from a child who asked, "Do you think you could pass a law making chocolate a vegetable in our country?"

4) Donald Miller's, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." This was recommended by my favorite life artist and blogger, Ali Edwards. This book explores life and the importance of one's own story. It's a book of reflection, which I'm doing a lot of lately.

5) Barbara's Kingsolver's, "The Lacuna." I enjoyed "The Poisonwood Bible," and I have high expectations that this one is just as good.

6) Bill Clinton's "Giving." I'm rereading this one. This book gives detailed information about numerous organizations that are changing the world. One of my resolutions is to give more to organizations doing good work for women and children.

What are you reading?