Today’s prompt with Shay is PERFECT for me because I absolutely LOVE reading! I had a really hard time narrowing down my list of “favorite” reads, so this isn’t a complete list. Just because I’m an English major doesn’t mean I only enjoy reading the classics. While I do enjoy reading those, I also enjoy reading books that don’t make me think at all and are purely predictable (like Mary Kay Andrews).
Ever since I can remember, I have always loved reading. And I’m a fast reader, so I can knock a book out in no time and then move on to the next one. I can’t wait to see what everyone else lists, so maybe I can add some books to my list!
**You’ll notice I have lots of southern authors on this list, and it’s not that I think southern authors are the best…..but they are ha! There’s just something about a southern author and how they embody the beliefs and hospitality of the South. Yes, I know that the South has some bad history–but we also have a lot of good people here who would give you the shirt off their back if you need it without even knowing who you are.
**I also have a few books that are also found on the National Banned Books list. I think it’s important to read “controversial” content. I have controversial in quotes because some of it isn’t controversial at all 😜
TKM is my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME! It’s required reading for my school system (and many in AL) for high school freshman, but I actually read this on my own in the 8th grade. I fell in love with Atticus, Scout, and Boo Radley! I love that it was written and is set in my home state, and the theme of empathy is one that will forever stand out to me. If you haven’t read this book, you must. But don’t read Go Set a Watchman (her prequel). I did not enjoy it at all, but that’s s story for another day 🙂
Okay, I know I have raved and raved about this book lately, and it really is going to be one of my favorite reads of all time. The author did a wonderful job of describing the setting and making the marshland and swamp such beautiful areas. And she did an excellent job making Kya such a lovable character–one that I connected emotionally with immediately. I actually clutched my chest at one point while I was reading because my heart hurt so much for Kya. This is a book I will be reading again soon!
I remember picking this book up from our local library and loving it because it made me think. The main character is an African American girl and she begins to think that she would be considered pretty if she had blue eyes like one of the white girls at her school. This book really made me think about society’s beauty standards and what we’re telling our little girls by the kinds of marketing they see. If you haven’t read this, I highly recommend it. It’s not a long book at all, but it does have some mature content.
“My mother is a fish” is a line that has stayed with me for over ten years–that means a book is good! This book was required reading for me in 11th grade English and I have never forgotten it. I actually re-read it in college, too, because I loved it that much. As Faulkner’s style is, this book is told in a stream of consciousness and you get multiple points of view as these characters are traveling to bury their mother in her hometown in Mississippi.
I could never leave off HP! I actually would never have read HP if my 6th grade English teacher didn’t set aside a few minutes a day to read us the first novel. This was before HP became insanely popular and no one had heard of it. After we read that first novel, my mom got me the 2nd and 3rd books for Christmas in 7th grade because they were already published. Then after that, I used to wait in line at Books a Million at midnight waiting on the release of each book. The last one came out my senior year, and I remember looking around at the ages of the people waiting in line and lots of them were my age–we grew up with Harry. I’ve actually gone back and reread these as adults, and JK Rowling is a gifted writer who has the gift of making you think without realizing you are!
I named this my favorite book of 2017 when I read it in February of that year. I loved it that much. I picked this book up randomly at my local library and read it within a day or two. This book is told from different points of view of different types of characters during the time of TUR. Most books during this time only cover points of view of slaves, but this one gives you the point of view of a slave catcher and a “conductor” on the railroad. READ IT!!
What are some of your favorite reads of all time?
Where the Crawdads Sing is on my library request list! I can't wait to get it in – seems like everyone just raves about it!
TKM is my favorite book of all time too. When all the boys had to read it, I read it with them so I could facilitate lots of conversation about it. You have given me some wonderful titles to put on my list! xo
Oh wow of all time – I think mine would be the great gatsby! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
TKAM is definitely one of my faves too. I havent read where the crawdads sing yet but I do have it on my list.
Love your list! I just got Where the Crawdads Sing and I just bought TKAM! Thanks
I loved To Kill a Mockingbird, too. I still have my original copy from 8th grade.
I can usually knock out a book in no time at all too. I just re-read To Kill a Mockingbird last year and I have easily read the Harry Potter series a half dozen times.
Definitely loved, "The Underground Railroad"! I found it a little hard to get into and then it took me quite a while to read, but it's one of those books that sticks with you because of its profoundness!
I have to admit, I've never read any of these books — even To Kill a Mockingbird! Shocking, I know!
Omg are your picks stellar or what?! *Fellow English major and book editor here, hi!* I haven't read that Faulkner (or any Faulkner for that matter) but have always wanted to. And that line…UGH. I love it. I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing (don't you just love a KILLER title?) and I can't stop thinking about it. It's gotta be one of the most masterful pieces of prose I've ever read. And I've had TUR on my list since it came out. I know I need to get a handle on myself and read it. And even though I grew up with Harry too, I never read them when they came out! It was never my genre/thing, but since I work in children's publishing and everyone I know loooves them, I bit the bullet and read all of them last October. While JK isn't my favorite writer from a sentence standpoint, she does exactly what you said: makes you think without realizing it. And I'll bow down to any writer who can completely envelope me in another world pretty darn effortlessly.