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This week I have been suffering (or blessed with?) a little bit of insomnia. So, at 5:45 on a Sunday morning, I am sitting here jotting down my favorite books of all time, mostly because I miss reading for pleasure during the school year. These, again, aren't in any particular order, because I'm not sure I could pick one favorite book of all time. (You'll notice that a few of my books are about the Holocaust - if I didn't teach Spanish, I'd teach history. World War II is my favorite thing to study. World War I is a close second for me in what I love studying, with All Quiet on the Western Front coming in 12th or 13th on my list of favorite books.) I'm not saying much about each book so as to not give any spoilers. Although I love to read, I'm sorry to say I'm not a classic lit lover, so you won't find any of that here. :)
1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I had read a book by Kristin Hannah, or rather, half a book, before I put it down because I didn't like it. But this one comes in close at the top of the list of my favorites. It is the story of two sisters surviving Hitler's rule over France. Both have two totally different personalities - one has placed her daughter first in her mind, and the other, her country. Gosh, I'm getting chills just remembering everything that's packed into this book. Prepare yourself. It is sad. It is heavy. But it is so well-written.
2. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. Man, I love Jodi Picoult. I actually had to stop reading her books last year because the material in each one is so difficult to deal with. This is another book about World War II, focused in on the Holocaust and life in the concentration camps. It tells the story of a present-day Jewish girl, a "millenial", who befriends the elderly German teacher at the high school. Within the first couple chapters, she finds out that he is a former Nazi (not a spoiler, because you can read that on the cover). And that's all I can say without giving everything away.
3. The last of my World War II faves is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. The imagery in this book is so powerful - ironically so because one of its main characters, Marie Laure, is completely blind. It tells her story from France, and the story of a young German boy learning to follow and serve Hitler. Another book that I read with tears streaming down my face.
4. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. This is a book I read when I was really young, maybe 11 or 12 years old. It's written for that age group, but I love it still. Set in 1920s-1930s Oklahoma, it tells the story of Billie Jo's struggles during the Dust Bowl years. The text is written to look like the keys of a piano, as that is Billie's favorite thing to do. Also a heavy read (are you noticing a pattern? Don't worry, the next one is happy!) You can actually read this online here.
5. The Harry Potter series. Okay, I am a Harry Potter nerd to the core. I'm so weird because I actually read The Goblet of Fire (#4) first. Then I went back and read them all in order. I think this series is so special to me because I grew up with Harry Potter. By the time the final book was released, I had just graduated from high school. If you haven't read these, you need to. And give it some time because the first couple are definitely, in my opinion, not as good or as deep as the last ones. My favorite one is The Goblet of Fire.
6. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Set during the 1800s Gold Rush in California, it tells the story of a girl sold into prostitution as a child. While working in a brothel in San Francisco, she meets a man who wants to save her from the living hell that she endures each day. The story goes on to tell of her search for self-worth after being abused for so long, and her contemplation of allowing someone to save her, or to continue living the life she's known her entire life.
7. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. This was during my I'm-reading-everything-about-animals phase. Set in modern-day, the book jumps between Africa and the US. This story is about a girl searching for her mother, an elephant scientist, with the help of a psychic who doesn't believe in her own powers. It has a prequel, a short story called Larger than Life. I learned SO much about elephants during this read. I love Jodi Picoult because each book she writes has tons of research behind it. Also, prepare for a massive twist. ;) And a little creepiness.
8. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I like a lot of Green's novels, but this one was my favorite. I love young adult fiction. I had seen a lot of my students reading it, so I picked it up to read for myself. It's a really good story about two teens battling cancer. I watched the movie on my way to Italy a couple years ago and ended up bawling my eyes out in my plane seat. Guy next to me thought I was having a mental breakdown, I'm sure.
9. Wild by Cheryl Strayed. The only non-fiction book to make my list (although The Glass Castle was another non-fiction I considered adding), this book tells the story of a woman mourning her divorce and the death of her mother. She hits rock bottom and decides that she needs to get away from everything, so she hikes over 1,000 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. This is her kind of "diary" of that hike and everything that led up to it. It is pretty racy - I would rate it R for sure - but I love stories of redemption, and this is one of them.
10. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. The only psychological thriller to make my list, this book actually terrified me. It's not horror by any means; it isn't super gory. It tells the story of a woman working as a detective on several murder cases in the small town she grew up in. Her mother is a complete mess, and super creepy, and her younger sister is totally disturbing. Seriously, the things this author thinks up, I just can't. Kept me reading on the edge of my seat all the way to the end.
Another one I think will make my list when I finish it is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A seriously good book about Dracula (not in the fantasy-type way, because I don't really do fantasy outside of Harry Potter, but as in the real dude who began the legend of Dracula - Vlad the Impaler).
Okay, so those are mine. What are your favorites??