Book worm

About a month ago, Annje posted brilliantly about books she had read and asked for recommendations for her "to read" list. I was green with envy over her comment section.

I buy a lot of books as gifts this time of year and I have a life goal of starting and maintaining a list of books that I have read and those that I plan to read.  I bought a brand new pretty notebook just for this list. Oh, how my heart loves pretty notebooks.  And lists.  And books.  This is possibly my favorite thing to do ever, keep lists of things I love on pretty paper.

Of course, I want your help.  I'm shamelessly stealing Annje's idea. My list is below. I can not tell you how much I would LOVE it if you would put all/some of your favorite books in these categories in the comments, or just your favorite book, or the book you would most like to read in the next three months or the book you read most often to your children.  Any book you love. 

Books I've read more than three times: The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien; Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins; Exodus, Leon Uris; The Witching Hour, Anne Rice.

Author that blows me away with brilliance: Jose Saramago (esp., The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and Blindness).

Authors I choose again and again: Tom Robbins, Isabel Allende, Ann Rice, Joanne Harris (oh, I know, she's fun, don't even get snobby on me ;-), Barbara Kingsolver.

I'm currently reading: What is the What by Dave Egger.

Best books I've read this year: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Could not finish classic: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.

Could not finish modern:  The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.

Most lovely (enjoyable) read this year:  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.


Best book I've ever read:  I'm not sure.  The book I recommend the most often is The Bone People by Keri Hulme.

Guilty pleasure: Ann Rice (esp. The Witching Hour series); Rosamund Pilcher.

Best preschool age book: We love the bat books by Brian Lies.

Best elementary school/early chapters: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, Julie Andrews Edwards.

Best tween: Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling; Madeleine L'Engle.

DON'T SEE THE MOVIE FIRST: Push by Sapphire.

Book tons of people loved that I hated: Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert; The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery.

Best classic: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen. (And yes, I am a sucker for the BBC miniseries; I know it's period, Matt, that's why I love it.  Men in breaches.  Yum.)

Classic every American should read:  Native Son by Richard Wright.

Best children's classic: The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; Ann of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Best nonfiction: I don't read any nonfiction.  I enjoy Oliver Sacks and I want to read Nelson Mandela's biography.

Okay! Your turn!  Pretty please with sugar on top?!