5 All-time Fave Books
This post has nothing to do with food or fitness, but it’s fun to step out of the box every now and again 😉
I have this weird book thing going on lately. I’ll start a book, finish half of it, and be done. It’s been a little while since I’ve finished an entire book, but to do so, I have to really love it. I think it’s because my days are full and at night, when I have a little time to read, I’ve been trying to study NASM note cards… or end up watching Downton Abbey instead. As far as my book slump goes, I have a remedy: just read something by Sarah Jio. Looks like I’ll have to download her latest book on the ol’ Kindle to light my fire again.
This morning, I thought I’d share my top 5 favorite books of all time. Instead of sharing synopses, here are also some little blips about why I love them, and where I was when I read each one:
1) Wicked
I first read Wicked in high school and have re-read it at least 4 times since then. Every time, I’ll notice something I didn’t realize before, and each time it’s just as magical and beautiful as the first. I’ve always had an obsession with The Wizard of Oz; I knew the entire movie by the time I was 4 and would watch it over and over again… hiding whenever the wicked witch would come onscreen. We had the taped-from-TV version, with awesome old-school commercials in there from Teddy Ruxspin, Milano cookies and McDonald’s.
In middle school, when I got really into musical theatre, I would spend a lot of time watching old musicals – Judy Garland was always my favorite. (If you haven’t seen Meet Me in St. Louis, you must.) Wizard of Oz has always had a special place in my heart , which is why I instantly picked up a copy of Wicked when it first came out. This book was a fantastic introduction to Gregory Maguire’s work, and I’ve gone on to read almost all of his books since then. Wicked is by far the best, but I also really enjoyed Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
This is another book that was rare enough for me to read more than once. I cry each time I read it and take it as a necessary reminder to enjoy everything that I have at that very moment. It’s easy to take those you love or even things you’ve been blessed with for granted, and time passes by SO quickly. It’s important to enjoy moments and people as they are, at that particular place in time.
The first time I read The Time Traveler’s Wife, I was in Valdosta and the Pilot was deployed. During deployments, you experience a complex mix of emotions. For me, the sad, missing, achy feeling in my heart is sometimes accompanied by a tinge a resentment. As much as I try to push it away, it can be unavoidable, feeling like I’ve been deserted in addition to the stress from managing everything while they’re away. (Not to mention the Murphy’s Law of deployments that everything must go wrong while the squadron is gone.) The book was a reality check for me to hang in there, and a reminder that while I didn’t get to physically see the Pilot as much as I’d like, I’m lucky to have found the other half of my heart. <— sappy but true.
3) Harry Potter
(#4 was my favorite!)
With Harry Potter, I avoided reading it until the hype had significantly died down. I randomly decided to give it a whirl and of course, fell in love. As much as I enjoyed the books, I still haven’t seen all of the movies! I’ve seen the first 4, some of the 5th, and the last one. The books were a fun little pick-me-up in the drab text books I read throughout college -like a reward- and I can’t wait to read them again with Livi when she’s older.
While this wasn’t a warm fuzzy book by any means -much of it is tragically sad- it deeply affected me. I tried to read A Thousand Splendid Suns (by the same author), but couldn’t finish it — it was too heartbreaking.
This book dramatically impacted my opinions on food science, the sources of our food, and the relationship (romance?) between the government and food industry. While it’s not in the same category as many of my other favorites (umm.. lots of fluffy fiction…), it’s a fascinating read.
What are your 5 all-time favorite books? I love when you share ideas with me.. maybe it will get me out of this “finish half and call it quits” slump 😉
Happy almost-Friday!
xoxo
Gina
***Today is steady state day per this week’s calendar. What’s your workout look like today??
You might also like:
158 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
The Road, The Lovely Bones, She’s Come Undone, 11/22/63, and Unbroken (in no particular order!)
I read 11/22/63 & Unbroken & enjoyed both very much, too. Don’t let the fact that 11/22/63 is by Stephen King sway you 1 way or the other; it’s very different from most of his other books.
I agree, The Lovely Bones is SUCH a great book! Definitely sad, but a great read!
i loved that one too, but same, it made me so sad
I’m terrible with watching a movie and then not reading the book. I managed to read the first Hunger Games before seeing the movie and that was a major feat for me!
I wish I had read Wicked before seeing the play though. I bet the book is amazing. Lately I’ve been reading more school books than leisure books but now that spring sunshine and warmth is here I need to see what’s on the top seller lists and get cracking!
I’m reading In Defense of Food right now, and I also recently watched Food Inc. which has completely opened my eyes to the importance of knowing where our food comes from. Harry Potter is one of my all time favorite books/series, I read it for the first time over the summer after avoiding the hype for so many years!
As a pilot wife, I strangely related to The Time Traveler’s Wife. I love that book! And it’s a book that was made into a movie that didn’t suck too bad. 🙂 Another favorite is Judy Blum’s Summer Sisters. I read it every summer….13 years and counting. 🙂
Thanks for this post! i feel the same way about books! i’ll start them and not finish. thanks for this post and for new ideas for books to read! my fave books are:
1. crazy sexy diet by kris carr (she got me into juicing!)
2. mountains beyond mountains by tracy kidder (about medicine, since i’m an md, it touched me!)
3. hunger games!
4. harry potter esp the last book!
5. little women 🙂
love kris carr, too! 🙂
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume is a favorite of mine. I’ve bought copies for my sisters and sent one to my best friend from elementary school when she was deployed in Afghanistan.
Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King is a book I’ve read over and over since I was 13.
All of the Harry Potter books–I’ve missed a few nights of sleep reading these and went to my first (and only) midnight run to get the 7th book.
Little House on the Prairie books were my favorite as a child and still reminisce reading them while sitting on the porch at my grandma’s house, who waited patiently for me to finish them so we could share our thoughts.
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda…wonderful stories for both kids and adults 🙂
These awesome of my favorites, too! Have you been stalking my bookshelf 😉
For fluffy fiction, I enjoy Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin, etc. Just discovered Mary Kay Edwards (same genre) and enjoyed her latest, Spring Fever, quite a bit.
Anna Quindlen’s fiction works (well, I like all her books) are really good. I couldn’t forget Every Last One for a long, long time. I still think about it sometimes.
My absolute favorite non-fiction reads are by Gretchen Rubin. The Happiness Project, and Happier At Home. HIGHLY recommended. So accessible and practical, yet super enjoyable reading! It’s like a real-life, practical guide for putting into motion that “I want to cherish and enjoy my day to day life more” feeling.
Can you tell I love to read?! It’s my fave.
Actually, I would highly encourage you to finish A Thousand Splendid Suns. I understand what you’re saying about how emotionally difficult it is to push through the really dark parts, but it was so worthwhile to make it to the ending… which I promise you will appreciate 😉 My two cents: allow the story to redeem itself in your eyes by following it all the way through!
good to know. i read it while the pilot was deployed and was already extremely sad, so i think it would be easier for me to read with him home
Sherlock Holmes is without a doubt my favorite set of stories of all time! I have redhead them over and over and always discover something new!
1. ALL TIME FAVE “The Book Thief” by Markus Zuzak, a WWII story written from the point of view of Death. BEAUTIFULLY written, surprisingly funny in the story; the ending will make you cry in both happy and sad ways. LOVE this book.
2. Anything by Barbara Kingsolver, my favorite is “The Lacuna,” about an American who was raised in Mexico and ends up living with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Great historical fiction with a surprise twist ending!
3. “The Westing Game” by Ellen Raskin, I read it in middle school, but I still love it as an adult! An easy, quick read, a great little mystery with really fun quriky characters.
4. “The Dark is Rising” sequence by Susan Cooper. If you like the Narnia chronicles, you’ll love these books. Written for kids, but great high suspense fantasy.
5. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris. Don’t bring this anywhere to read in public, you’ll pee yourself from laughing so hard.
I also love The Westing Game!! I first discovered it in 4th grade, and I’ve re-read it many times since… generally as a fun, quick read around the 4th of July 😉
Harry Potter! I loveee that series more than anything. I miss them hah.
You should try A Song of Fire and Ice series. They are really good, kind of like that series, well not really but it’s sort of one of those mythical series.
I also loved In Defence of Food. Great read.
A song of ice and fire* series oops
My recommendations are Pride and Prejudice and The Hunger Games. Both are fabulous. As for a book when Livi is older, Ella Enchanted. It is my favorite kids book by far. I still like to read it as an adult.
Goblet of Fire was my favorite Harry Potter book too! Harry totally should have ended up with Hermione. :p
I love that quote on the front of In Defense of Food. Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants. I kind of want to make that my motto.
good to know, thank you!!
and i totally agree about harry and hermoine 😉
UGH! SOOOOO agree on Ella Enchanted…. it was my FAVORITE book as a kid
I loved Ella Enchanted as a child!
I loved Wicked! I should try to get my hands on the others.
Michael Pollen is definitely a favorite of mine!
And would you believe I call myself an avid Harry Potter fan but have never read the books? So pathetic, right? I hope to remedy that soon!
ahhh you have to! they’re amazing 🙂
I LOVE The Time-Traveler’s Wife. It is definitely on my favorite books list. I read it for the first time in college when I was single and care-free, then re-read it in the weeks leading up to my wedding. It had such a different impact on me the second time since I was in love and understood the emotional impact more. I sat in the whirlpool tub in my wedding suite the night before my wedding sobbing my guts out as I finished it. 🙂
Have you ever read Reading Lolita in Tehran? Non-fiction but amazing. I’ve read it at least 5 times and always learn something new. Plus it makes me grateful for the freedoms I have in the US.
i’ve been wanting to read that one- i’ll definitely check it out!
I LOVE Harry Potter.
The Violets of March by Sarah Jio is also one of my favorites. I read it in one sitting.
Anything by Nicholas Sparks. My husband is in the Military and I am from Coastal North Carolina so when I read his books, I feel like I am home.
And of course the Twilight Series. The Host by Stephanie Meyer was also really good.
I am interested in reading Wicked. I had no idea it was a book before a play!
violets of march was soooooo good. almost all of the women in my family have read it!
HP #4 was my favorite, too! And the movie as well. Totally called out Cedric Diggory as the hot one. None of my friends agreed… and just look at Rob Pattinson now. I know it when I see it.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It’s amazing, weird. You will love to hate it!
i heard the ending was terrible, which made me not want to read it! true??
Hey Jen!
Gone Girl was AH-mazing. Couldn’t put it down. Have you read any books similar? I can’t seem to find one that lives up to it.
Read it Gina! SO worth it.
-Crystal
I agree. I didn’t mind the ending.
Ooooh I love Wicked, Time Traveler’s Wife and all the Harry Potter books too! They’re the rare books that’s I’ve read more than once. I vividly remember getting the latest Harry Potter on the first day of release and reading it in it’s completion that day. Oh the good old days of elementary school haha.
Lately, I’ve been loving anything and everything by Elin Hilderbrand – classic beach reads. I tend to find authors that I really like and read all of their books haha. My favorites of the past have been Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes (especially Rachel’s Holiday), and Holly Chamberlin.
I also love Sophie Kinsella when I want something fun to read!
It’s so hard to pick out favorites! But I won’t finish a book unless I’m enjoying it…
1. Rose Trilogy from Jennifer Donnelly The first book is The Tea Rose. If you love strong female characters, mystery, scandal and a dash of sex with a lot of romance you will LOVE this series.
2. Pale Fire- Vladimir Nabokov, the same guy who wrote Lolita. This book will trip you out. You won’t know if it’s for real or not.
3. Harry Potter- Can’t help it, it’s so magical.
4. The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. I love the flashbacks and the sassy characters.
5. Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik. This was a book I stumbled upon in the library and it was SUCH a treat.
i’ll definitely have to check out #2! i loved lolita
Love the Rose Trilogy!
I love it when bloggers talk about books! Now I have a whole new list of books to read!
It’s crazy hard to pick my top five favorits but let me try.
1- To Kill a Mockingbird. Classic. Inspiring. I read it at least once a year.
2- The Red Tent. An incredible story that makes me feel blessed to be a woman.
3- Shes Come Undone. Written by a man from a woman’s perspective. He does a great job!
4- Anne of Green Gables. I hope I have daughters so we can read these together.
5- Looking for Alaska. John Green is just fantastic.
Also I love anything by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer weiner and many others.
Thanks:) this was fun 😉
I recently re-read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time since high school. It was amazing! I know I didn’t truly appreciate it when I read it as a freshman. Great, great story and characters, especially Atticus.
The Red Tent is SO good. It’s one of the few that I’ve reread… and then reread again. I read the Tenth Circle by Jodi Piccoult and as a mother of a preteen it kind of freaked me out. The lipstick game? OMG!
I have a bad habit of trying to read 2-3 books at one time (esp if neither are particularly captivating) but I agree with Sarah Jio’s books – love them! The Bungalow is my fav (I read it on a beach in Hawaii which made it even better)
-Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
-My Life In France (Julia Child)
-Two Kisses for Maddy (such a great read, especially for Moms!)
Oh, how I love to read! And how hard it is to pick my favorites. 🙂 Here goes, though: Middlesex, The Thorn Birds, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca and Gone with the Wind. I’m not a girly girl but all of these really speak to me. Happy reading!
oh man, i loved gone with the wind, too. i read it in high school and it took me forever to finish, but was so, so good.
I loved the Thorn Birds so much too!! It’s a long read but so worth it.
I now have the hugest list of books to read from this post, thanks for getting it started Gina!
You have some good books up there. I’m going to have to read In Defense of Food.
1. Harry Potter
2. Divergent
3. Water for Elephants
4. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Books 1 and 2-haven’t read the 3rd one yet)
5. The Book Thief
I just read Divergent & LOVED it!! Have the next one already on request at the library.
I stumbled on Divergent at the library and devoured it. I think it’s like The Hunger Games but better. I can’t wait for the third book… and the movie!
I’m kind of the opposite with books…I feel like I HAVE to finish a book once I start it. Sometimes this mindset isn’t in my best interest if I don’t love the book. But I have read all of these pretty much and agree with you! Haven’t read the food one yet but it sounds interesting!
1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene, 2. Pillars of the Earth- Ken Follett, 3. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close- Jonathan Safran Foer (I absolutely refuse to watch the movie. I don’t want it to ruin the magic of the book for me), 4. The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas (fav classic by far!), 5. The Shel Silverstein books are always a fun, quick pick me up. I don’t have kids and I still own them!
Oh my gosh, I loved Pillars of the Earth, too! 🙂 I couldn’t put it down!
I’ve had “Wicked” sitting on my kindle for maybe over a year now, and I just can’t get through it. I think because it started out really unexpectedly dark for my taste. Someday I’ll get through it, but it just makes me sad.
Oh, and I just figured out how to rent books with my Amazon Prime membership. Life. Changer.
the first third is extremely sad. it gets so much better from then on, though!
Harry Potter was such an adventure! The Kite Runner is one of my all time favorite books but I haven’t read A Thousand Splendid Suns yet. I also loved Little Bee by Chris Cleave.
I love books! I get so into them- sometimes my boyfriend will be talking to me, and I won’t even hear him because I’m too into the novel.
While I could never pick my top 5, recently I read Divergent (and its sequal Insurgent) and both were fantastic. I also just read the series Delerium, which the book is based around feeling love is a disease and they have a “cure” that you get when your 18. While there were sappy points, it really made me think about how terrible it a world the place would be without love.
A great series is also “Sword of Truth”, it’s the only science fiction novel I’ve ever made it through, and the series is about 8 or 9 books. I’ve never met a person who started the series and didn’t love it.
Thanks for your suggestions!
I love all of these:
1. Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
2. Naked by David Sedaris
3. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
4. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby (he was paralyzed by a massive stroke and he wrote this book afterwards by communicating entirely with his left eye-amazing!)
Random Family is amazing, albeit heartbreaking. I’m a teacher in the Bronx very close to Tremont where the books takes place.
Winter’s Bone – depressing but a quick read.
Any book by John Green. These are technically young adult novels but they’re fun and easy to read.
The Year of Yes
Sisterhood Everlasting (the adult follow up to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
Those Who Save Us – Jenna Blum
Any book by Sarah Dessen. These are also YA novels.
Another good Michael Pollan book is The Botany of Desire (also The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but I haven’t finished it yet). Oh, and Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.
I think some of my favorites are: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, Atonement by Ian McEwan, THe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Company of Liars by Karen Maitland, Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart…and many others, but that should get you started. 🙂
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is amazing! Everyone I’ve recommended it to has loved it! A must read, for sure.
Also: The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child by Francisco Jimenez (and the rest of the books in the series…you’ll want to know how on Earth he went from working in the fields to getting a Ph.D. at an Ivy League…also, I know him and he is an incredible human being!)
Rain of Gold by Victor Villaseñor. beautifully written love/family story.
I loved “Shadow of the Wind” and “Rain of Gold” as well. You might also like “The Thirteenth Tale”, “Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter” and “City of Thieves”. They were fabulous, and I found the style to be similar to “Shadow of the Wind”.
In the category of food books, I loved Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It is the author’s quest to live for one full year on entirely local foods (either grown herself or bought from within a 50 mile radius), and I thought it was fascinating. We had already been gardening some when I read it, but it encouraged me to grow (and preserve) more of our own food. For our next adventure we’d love to get some chickens so we can have fresh eggs, but we’ll see!
Ohhh I love this post!
1.) The Help
2.) All things Harry Potter
3.) Kite Runner (I’m with you on that one!)
4.) Gone Girl (So dark and twisty..also another one by Gillian Flynn: Dark Places)
5.) Anything by Jodi Picoult
You actually got my interested in Sarah Jio and I really enjoy her books too! I also love the Time Traveler’s Wife, although didn’t make top 5.
I tried to read Wicked but couldn’t really get into it.
Wicked is one of all time favorites, too. I’ve seen the musical ten million times, too.
For a quick fun read, I love anything by Jennifer Weiner. I have not read one that I have not liked.
I’ve only read the first book in the Hunger Games series, but I would like to read the others.
But I think my absolute favorite book as of current is The Help. It was so good. I think I need to read it again after I finish Gone Girl.
I love book posts. When I like a book I can finish it in 2 days once I am hooked. My top favorites include The Pact: a love story, the notebook (diff end then the movie), up country, love the on you’re with, and the godfather.
I really enjoy posts like these, I now have so many new books to try!
All time top fav books..
Harry Potter series
George Orwell’s 1984 & Animal Farm
Fahrenheit 451
The hobbit
I have a thing for books my parents recommended to me. It makes me think of them reading the same book when they were my age. I love that books span generations.
Also loved Wild, the Lovely Bones and Something Borrowed.
Wild was good!
Books I love: The Great Gatsby, Slaughterhouse 5, A Short History of Nearly Everything, Guns Germs and Steel, Sun Also Rises!
I agree with you on The Kite Runner and The Time Travelers’ Wife (3x read)! I also love Angela’s Ashes and The Help. I can’t decide on the 5th! There’s so many I love.
Did you ever finish The Silver Linings Playbook? If not, you should! I just finished it last night. It was really really good.
I just decided on #5: The Kitchen House.
Harry Potter is definitely at the top of my list. Some of my other favorites are Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick (I really actually love classics – lit major!), plus The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the newest children’s newberry winner, The One and Only Ivan. I hugged it when I finished!
I agree on Sarah Jio – I’ve read them all! Same goes for Tatiana de Rosnay. You MUST give her a try! I recently read “The Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult & loved it so much! Made me want to read anything else by her I could get my hands on. I also loved “Six Years” by Harlan Coben (another fave author). Anything by Nelson DeMille. Harry Potter series was my fave, too. I loved the Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns, too. Love these posts – love getting ideas for new books. Thx!
1. Same Kind of Different as Me
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
3. Grapes of Wrath
4. Unbroken
5. Poisonwood Bible
6. Madame Trussard
It seems we have the same taste in books (for at least five of them!) so I’ll recommend one that I think is not well known – Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. It’s a fictional story based on a real town’s actions during the plague. I don’t keep many books, but I have kept that one and lent it out several times because it is so good. I noted that several folks recommended Gone Girl. I must say that it is a page turner, but in the end, I really didn’t like it. Very twisted and irritating to me (but I understand that we all have different tastes, so that’s not a criticism to anyone who did enjoy it).
I know the number of pages in these books is outrageous…but I’m reading through the Game of Thrones series right now. OBSESSED with the books and the show!
check them out and the hbo show
Absolutely love TTW as well. Give A Thousand Splendid Suns another chance; I found the end to be redeeming and not so tragic. I haven’t read The Kite Runner so maybe I’ll give it a try!
Have you read The Red Tent? I have not met anyone who didn’t love it. It’s a biblical story but you don’t need biblical knowledge or belief to enjoy the book. It’s an amazing journey about women and their strength. I think you would really enjoy it.
I’m glad to know that you are a fan of Sarah Jio! I haven’t read any of her books but I used to read her blog on Glamour when I was in college. In fact, it was her blog about YOUR breakfast cookie that introduced me to The Fitnessista! I remember when her first book was about to be published. I think grad school happened and I never read her books. Although it IS a sad book, you should try to finish “A thousand splendid suns” I think, like “the time traveler’s wife” it will make you appreciate the love you have.
love this post 🙂 I’m actually getting ready to head back to school to be a librarian.
1. HARRY POTTER!! times a million. I think this is one of those series that will truly stand the test of time. I think in 50 years it will be like the “Tails of Huck Finn” for the future generation.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird – probably the most honest and beautiful work of literature ever written in my eyes.
3. The Hunger Games books
4. Ella Enchanted – this is a children’s chapter book. Another commenter mentioned it above. You should definitely read it… you could probably read it in one afternoon.
5. Pride and Prejudice
I absolutely love this post and LOVE to read! My top 5:
1. State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett
2. The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
3. Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See
4. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
5. The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
I loved The Kite Runner, but I’d have to say that I loved A Thousand Splendid Suns even more. It was definitely a heartbreaking read, but the ending was beautiful. Some other favorites:
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Name of the Wind
The Alchemist
Game of Thrones
My Name is Asher Lev
Life of Pi
The Hobbit
Don Quixote