I know, I know. This is entirely outside the mandate of my blog charter. But it's my blog and I figure I can do with it as I like. And believe me, nothing is happening out there except snow, slowly melting (David Guterson's next novel?) Et voila, my segue. Recently I stumbled upon a book titled The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books. 125 writers, to be exact. I don't know how redeeming an activity this was, either to compile or to read. Certainly I'm aware of all the objections to ranking works of art. But it did get me thinking about my own reading history, what has moved and shaken me the most, and why. So I made my own list, not a ranking really so much as a naming, a lifting up of those novels I most cherish. It was indeed rewarding. And you can do the same, without fear of betraying your literary principles. You can even include some dead white men in your list if you so choose: we're very tolerant and multicultural around here.
Besides, it's cold and dark and Lent has begun. What else do you have to do? So here's my list, in no particular order. But first...there's that sticky question of the difference between "great" and "favorite." Some of my favorite novels are by no means great--guilty pleasures you might call them (Peter DeVries comes to mind)--while many truly great novels, Faulkner for instance, are not favorites of mine. So how to navigate between these treacherous shoals? I don't know-you figure it out for yourself.
- The Pickwick Papers, Dickens
- The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
- The Brothers Karamazov
- Hannah Coulter, Wendell Berry (in truth, I could fill this entire list with Wendell Berry novels, but that wouldn't be fair to the others, now, would it?)
- Man's Fate, Andre Malraux
- A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway
- The Secret Agent, Conrad
- My Antonia, Willa Cather
- The Deptford Trilogy, Robertson Davies
- The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
- A Thread of Grace, Mary Doria Russell
- Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
- At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Peter Matthiessen
So what are yours? Please share.
I tend to read mostly information books of a self-help (self-taught) nature, on topics such as gardening, herbal reference, alternative healing methods, self-sufficiency, spirituality, ascension related, angelic guidance...that's not to say I would not enjoy a good novel, it's kinda like with gardening...because I'm a self-taught gardener, I first needed to learn the basics, so vegetables came first, and ways & methods of gardening.. then I switched to books on herbs & found them fascinating.. so I've yet to learn about flowers even though I love them, merely because they didn't seem as important, more a luxury if you will. I seem to have been guided for many years to learn alot of different things, for what use, I am not completely sure, perhaps just my own Soul growth. I do like learning & we're never too old for that. You use words sometimes that I am a little unfamiliar with and I find myself looking them up to find the full meaning of them & I like that. Perhaps someday I will venture into new territory & try some of your recommended novels.
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