What are your favorite books, movies, and things to do? I’m always interested in what excites my friends. What their favorite things are.
Here under “Favorites” you’re going to find lists – lovely, loaded-with-info lists!
Not lists of things you have to do (although I love those lists, too). No. Here you’ll find simple Lists of Favorites.
In addition to my favorite books, movies, and things to do, I’ll feature some of my friends’ favorite hobbies, products, vacations, and anything else that can be qualified as a “favorite.”
First Things First
As an author and died-in-the-wool bibliophile, it’s only fitting that we begin with some of my favorite books.
Yes, it’s a daunting task. I love SO MANY BOOKS! And, I feel a little stress coming up with my list.
I’m thinking, What have I forgotten? and Is that book really qualified to hold a sacred place on my favorites list?
I’m sweating.
Categories (aka Genres)
To alleviate some of this pressure, I’m allowing myself to have all the genres and subgenres I want. (I get to do that because I’m the boss of this blog. It’s the only place I get to make my own rules.)
I’ve broken it down to Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Christian Literature, Books that Make Me Laugh, Historical Fiction (disclaimer: I have three subcategories of HF!), Classics, Non-fiction, and Books I Wonder If I’d Still Love. And maybe–who am I kidding?–probably some other categories will come along.
Also, I’m eliminating the Bible as a potential favorite. That just goes without saying. The Bible is in a class of its own and will trump the top of any list. If I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one book, it would be the Bible. (Which is really 66 books, so I’d be pulling a fast one on whoever was making me stay on that deserted island!)
My Favorite Literary Fiction
Today I’m sharing some of my favorite literary fiction. Literary fiction focuses more on style, psychological depth, and is usually character driven. A few on this list could arguably be considered historical fiction, too. Just depends on how picky you want to be.
That said, here goes, in no particular order:
- Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
- Gilead by Marilynn Robinson
- Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
- The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
- The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
- Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
- Room by Emma Donoghue
- Little Bee by Chris Cleave
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
- The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (It just happened to work out that this title fell on #13…imagine you’re hearing me sing, “doo-do-doo-do” or humming a creepy atmospheric tune, which would be perfect for this book.)
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
You’ll have to pop back around to see my other lists! Please share some of your all-time favorite literary fiction in the comments. I’d love to discover some new gems or just be reminded of something I missed!