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Top Ten Potential New Favorite Books

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The other morning, I was browsing Twitter and saw a blogger talking about how hard it is when someone asks you your favorite book. She asked, “Do you have an answer?”

So predictably, the responses were all over the place from some people easily listing one top favorite to others totally (but understandably) cheating and posting a list, and others saying no way, the question is too hard!

But the answer that stuck with me was this one person who said that her favorite book hadn’t changed in 15 years.

Hold the phone.

What?

I just.

I mean, I get it at a level, because like, there’s never going to be another TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, you know? It’s written. Done. And it’s kind of incomparable. (Bookish Hint: This is NOT the time to bring up GO SET A WATCHMAN. Just do not.)

But really… no new favorites in fifteen years? Thinking about it, I felt like the years stretched out in front of me like this vast reading desert, which resulted in me stress eating more chocolate-covered Oreos than I’ll ever admit. Yikes. I could not handle that.

I think that’s one of the reasons I keep blogging — because the next book I pick up might blow me away, and seeing authors (or other bloggers) I love post about upcoming releases gets me super excited.

Which brings me to… ta-dah! A list of upcoming books! (Courtesy of Top Ten Tuesday with That Artsy Reader Girl.)

Here are ten of the books I’m predicting will become my new favorites this year.

Note: This post contains affiliate links which don’t cost you anything to use but generate a small amount of support for this blog.

Ten Potential New Favorite Books

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Expected publication: May 5, 2020.

I’m pretty much loving the book description here. Working at a medieval times-themed restaurant? Sounds like fun! Conflict over the policy not allowing girls to be knights? I love it. I realize this kind of thing has been done before, but with the right voice and some fresh elements, I think it could prove to be a funny, inspiring book.

The Queen Bee and Me by Gillian McDunn

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Expected publication: March 3, 2020.

You might recognize this author as the same one who wrote CATERPILLAR SUMMER, which I absolutely loved. I thought the way she made fishing (and a GIRL fishing) a critical part of the story was awesome. So THE QUEEN BEE AND ME has some big shoes to fill in terms of being my favorite book by this author, but I am very optimistic about it.

The way Gillian McDunn brings relationships and characters to life on the page made that book a huge win, so I’m hoping for another great cast of characters and interesting relationship arcs.

The Lost Tide Warriors (Storm Keeper #2) by Catherine Doyle

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Published: January 14, 2020.

THE STORM KEEPER’S ISLAND was another book I fell head over heels for last year. It’s definitely now one of my favorite books. The super imaginative story world. The unexpected twists. The connections between the characters– and Fionn’s grandfather! I want him to adopt me.

I’ve been waiting to dive back into this story ever since I finished the last page of the first book, and I still can’t wait.

One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Published: January 7, 2020.

I feel like this one is kind of a given, honestly. It’s one that I’ll probably see a lot on lists of this theme, but for good reason. Karen McManus wrote a super twisty, edge-of-your-seat, emotionally explosive tale introducing this cast of characters in ONE OF US IS LYING, and I totally bought in. I am crazy excited to get to visit these characters again and follow them through another wild ride.

I’ve also only recently discovered how much I like suspense. For some reason it was never a genre I sought out, but authors like Karen McManus and Caleb Roehrig have totally won me over.

Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Published: January 28, 2020.

So… I’ve actually never read anything by this author, but I follow him on social media, and really enjoy his posts, so maybe it’s not such a big leap to think that if I enjoy 240 characters at a time, I’ll probably enjoy 70K-ish words he wrote? I’m game. This plot reminds me a little bit of GEEKERELLA by Ashley Poston, which I also liked. And I’m always game for fun contemporary stories.

Honestly this book seems part GEEKERELLA, part READY PLAYER ONE? Gamers meeting online to escape real-life problems, humor, relationships, hopefully lots of snarky dialogue?? What could possibly go wrong?

Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Published: January 14, 2020.

Speaking of fun contemporary stories: enter the champion, Emma Mills. Everything I’ve read by her has been amazing. The writing is witty and charming. The characters are totally unforgettable. My favorite so far is THIS ADVENTURE ENDS.

So I’m hoping for all of that in this book, too. Plus, I’m intrigued by the description– a girl taking a radio broadcasting class? I love that, and I’ve never read anything like it. The closest might be JUST LISTEN by Sarah Dessen (another that I loved) in which the love interest boy works as a deejay on a sort of obscure show. (I think?)

Anyway– Yes! Totally looking forward to this one.

Empress of Flames by Mimi Yu

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Expected publication: May 12, 2020.

The characters and complex story world in THE GIRL KING pretty much blew me away, so I’ve been eagerly waiting for a chance to read the next piece of the story.

In EMPRESS OF FLAMES, it looks like sisters Lu and Min, will face off, an army between them, each determined to rule the Empire of the First Flame. I’m a huge fan of sister stories– it seems like there are a LOT of these lately, too– so I’m really excited about seeing how that relationship plays out in this book, and I can’t wait to read it.

The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Expected publication: May 26, 2020.

I love the way Elizabeth Wein brings World War II stories to life using unexpected characters. Here’s a story of a fifteen-year-old girl who wants to make a difference in the war, and finds an opportunity when she hears of an Enigma machine that can translate German code.

So that sounds exciting enough, but add to it the fact that characters from CODE NAME VERITY will appear in the book, and I’m 100% completely hooked. Must. Read.

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Expected publication: September 1, 2020.

I’ve only read one other book by Bill Konigsberg, but I loved the difference in the voices of the characters in the story and the way they were so easy to connect with. I’ve got a few lighthearted contemporary titles on this list, but this one appeals to me because it promises a lot of angst.

The description of THE BRIDGE reminds me a little bit of A TRAGIC KIND OF WONDERFUL by Eric Lindstrom. I’m hoping for one of those books that makes you ugly cry. Sometimes I just really need one of those.

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository

Expected publication: June 16, 2020.

I read Rachel Lynn Solomon’s first book, YOU’LL MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE while I was in the hospital, so I was really distracted and needed something to ground me. The story pulled me in, held my attention with intense characters and strong writing. I enjoyed reading it even if some of the themes made me uncomfortable (mostly I think it was meant to be that way). So I really can’t wait to read this next book. I’m a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers type of story, so I’m hoping for a great read here.

What books are you predicting you’ll love this year?

Are there books at the top of your pre-order/buy list coming soon that you are betting will be among your new favorite books? What should I add to my list? Leave a comment and let me know.

Top Ten Tuesday: Thou Art a Villain

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This week’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is about amazing book villains. While there is no shortage of memorable villainish characters out there, I wanted to go a little bit of a different direction with my post and focus on stories that repaint a well-known villain or villain archetype as the story’s protagonist. So here we go.

Elphaba in Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

I feel like this list kind of had to include Elphaba, even though it’s not really a YA book (which is what I normally read and review). It’s a pretty dark book, but I was really fascinated with how Maguire incorporated the plot of the original Wizard of Oz story into this book and twisted things around to make a completely different story.

 

Raven Queen (daughter of the Evil Queen) in Ever After High books

This series was really fun and fast to read. My daughter and I read them together when she was in maybe third grade, and it was a blast.

 

Agnes in the School for Good and Evil series

School for Good and Evil is a little more serious (classical?) in its fairytale-ish-ness than Ever After High, which really just made me love it even more.

Kara in the In the Thickety books

I guess it’s not new for a witch to be the hero of the story, but I love the writing in this book and the creepy forest. Also, plot twists! I seriously need to finish reading this series.

Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos in The Descendants

Carlos DeVille pretty much stole the show for me in this book. I didn’t expect to be such a huge fan of a fairytale mash-up type cast, but now that I’m looking at my list, there are a bunch of those types of stories on here. And I really enjoyed them all. I could probably just do a top ten list of those.

Levana in Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Fairest was not my favorite book in the Lunar Chronicles, but it was cool to see a Levana origin story, and Marissa Meyer always does cool Easter egg type elements to her stories, so I enjoyed that aspect of it for sure.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless is still on my to-be-read list. The Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland is one of those characters I can’t imagine being actually sympathetic, so I’m super interested to see what Meyer did with this one.

Xifeng in Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie Dao

Somehow I didn’t realize this was an evil queen origin story when I picked it up, so I was super confused by how dark it was. I kept wanting Xifeng to resist or thwart her dark destiny, and kept being disappointed when she didn’t. Then about halfway through the book I read somewhere that it was supposed to be a retelling of how Snow White’s stepmother came to be who she was, and I was like, ohhhhhhh. Suddenly it all made sense. After that, I got into the story a lot more.

Evie in Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

This one is still on my to-be-read list. I love the idea, though – an outcast witch girl who’s trying desperately to help someone only she ends up creating a big mess.

Vanessa in Rise of the Sea Witch by Stacey Rourke

Another from my to-be-read list. In this one, the Sea Witch and Triton are brother and sister, and it’s his treachery which provokes her to witch-y-ness. Yeah, I really have to read this.

Who are your favorite novel villains?

Leave me a comment with your top favorites or a link to your list!

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books Over 600 Pages That are Totally Worth Reading

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600 Pages is a LOT

Do you like long books? Even though I’m a fairly quick reader, I tend to avoid long books whenever possible. I like a book I can finish in a single sitting. But occasionally I come across some exceptions, though it’s admittedly pretty rare. (Even my review guidelines make note of this.)

This week, as part of Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, I’m sharing ten of the longest books I’ve ever read with a bit of a caveat. Obviously more than one of the Harry Potter books is over 600 pages. I only included the longest book in any of the series mentioned, but with the exception of Lady Midnight and Gemina (only because I haven’t gotten around to Obsidian yet), I’ve read the whole series.

The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon – 1040 pages

Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, since The Deed of Paksenarrion is really a repackaged paperback with three books put together. It’s a whopper, though, and I devoured this mammoth novel in three days. I don’t know how exactly that happened, because at the time, my first daughter was just a few months old. It’s got some intense violence (read: torture) scenes but has a really cool spiritual tone to it, which is what really drew me to the story.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling – 870 pages

This might be my favorite book in the Harry Potter series, but if you ask me tomorrow, I might say my favorite is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I don’t know. True story: Harry Potter was not allowed in my house growing up, so I didn’t read them until probably my mid- or late-twenties when someone was like, wait, you review young adult books and you haven’t read these? And I was like, oh. Yeah. I suppose I should do that. And I did, and yay!

Side note: I don’t think the ban on Hogwarts hurt me, honestly. I was so busy with so many other things and always had plenty of books to read that I didn’t really feel the loss. And the truth is, no matter what limits parents set during our growing up years, at some point we get to make decisions for ourselves. I repeat this to my daughter now when she’s irritated at boundaries. These are temporary. Someday you get to set your own boundaries. But for now, it’s my job to do what I think is healthiest for you. And I know that’s what my parents were doing.

Other side note: Harry Potter is allowed in our house. Also, my mom has read the books now, and loves a lot of things about them, like the message about the power of love.

End side notes.

Inheritance (#4) by Christopher Paolini – 849 pages

I kind of had to read this book. It took forever to come out, and I’d followed the story of Eragon all the way to this point, so I wanted to know how it ended. The book felt long to me, though. It’s not a hard read, but it’s definitely one of those where some of the length comes from the sheer volume of minute descriptions of things. That’s not my favorite writing style, but in the fantasy genre, sometimes it works.

Winter by Marissa Meyer – 832 pages

This book wrenched my heart. Oh, man. All the storylines from earlier books collided in this massive epic drama, and just… Wolf and Scarlet, y’all. That’s all I can say. I cried so many tears. I still love this series so much.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer – 756 pages

So… here’s another funny story. At the time that the Twilight books came out, I was in a large Christian writing group made up primarily of romance writers, and one of the bigger authors in the group wrote an email to everyone talking about how as writers, we needed to read this series and study what things about it made it so successful. So, okay, I read the series. And it was super addicting. I remember feeling like the descriptions of Bella’s depression when Edward left her in book two were so on point for bad breakup feels. I don’t think I’d read another book at that point which made me feel that way.

Later of course, I feel like I had a “hey, wait a minute” moment about Edward’s creepy watching-Bella-while-she-sleeps thing. And every time I watch this spoof about Twilight and Call of Duty (there’s some profanity and violence, sorry), I find myself nodding along to the character’s ridiculous sounding summary of Breaking Dawn. Because OMG RIGHT?! Also it makes me laugh. Every time.

Nevertheless, I’ve never been sorry I read those books, even though I have some issues with them.

To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson – 681 pages

This series. Jill Williamson is one of the authors I discovered through the Christian organization I mentioned above, and she’s so awesome, y’all. This is the sequel to her debut novel By Darkness Hid, and it’s a great series. I love the fantasy elements and the vaguely King Arthur feel to it. If you haven’t read this series, please check it out.

Glass (Crank #2) by Ellen Hopkins – 681 pages

Crank was the first novel-in-verse I’d ever read, and I ate it up. I’ve gone on to love other novel-in-verse authors like Sarah Crossan, Kwame Alexander, and Linda Vigen Phillips, but there’s something really special about the first time you encounter a style like this. If you don’t know already, Ellen Hopkins wrote Crank and Glass after going through the heartbreak of her own daughter’s addiction to methamphetamines. Her writing is gritty, and often goes to some dark places, but always has a strong message.

Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman – 659 pages

THIS SERIES IS SO FUN! This is definitely the kind of sci-fi novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s sort of like the hipster version of Star Trek? Maybe. Actually, I probably shouldn’t say that because some hipster will school me on the truly un-hipster-ish nature of the role cows play in the story or something. Anyway. Gemina made me laugh so much. I loved Illuminae for its quirkiness and the use of instant messages and descriptions of video feed as scenes. And the banter between characters! I’m a total sucker for great banter. So this one was a win for me.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor – 613 pages

Before I read this series by Laini Taylor, it had been a long time since I’d read a fantasy series which felt truly epic to me. The love story swept me away, but the minor characters – Raz and Ziri – absolutely stole the show for me in this book. It’s another one where the finale absolutely met every expectation I had and more. I keep stalling on reading Strange the Dreamer because I’m afraid I won’t like it as much as Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I know that’s silly, but there you go. So if you’ve read Strange, tell me how awesome it is.

(I just realized I somehow never reviewed the books in this series, and that’s… crazy. So I’m going to have to go back and reread them so I can post the reviews here.)

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman – 602 pages

I actually read the first book in this series (Seraphina) because I was able to get an ARC for this book. So I pretty much read them both back to back, and I think that was a huge advantage. There’s such a broad cast and so much storyworld and culture that I feel like I would have lost some of it if I’d had a long gap between the books. It was definitely a fun read and well worth the time it took to get from one cover to the other. I liked the unusual take on dragons in this series, and Serafina’s development as she realizes the dragon part of her, which she’s always tried to hide and has been ashamed of, is exactly what her people need.

What’s the longest book you’ve ever read?

If you use Goodreads, there’s an easy way to figure this out. Simply go to your “Read” list. At the top, click the “settings” option and check the box next to “number of pages.” That will add a column to your list showing the number of pages in each book. You can then sort your list by that column and viola!

So which book is it? Let me know in the comments, and leave a link to your own Top Ten post. I’d love to check it out.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books by My Favorite Authors I Still Haven’t Read

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Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

Obviously the first challenge of a Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) post like this is to narrow down to only ten favorite authors. That took a lot more time than I thought it would. Because there are SO MANY great authors out there, especially in the young adult and middle grade market. But I soldiered through and made my list of ten authors and from there, picking the books to share was pretty easy. Here’s my list.

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

I LOVED Not If I See You First, and I can’t believe I haven’t read this book yet. Buried secrets, unresolved friendship issues, and a main character with bipolar disorder. I’m in.

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Okay, I’m granting myself a teeny bit of a pass on this one, since I just finished reading (actually, listening to) Scythe a couple weeks ago. I LOVED it– thought it married the creativity of Unwind with the powerful writing of Challenger Deep. But this one is on my “please read this before December” list!

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

My favorite Marchetta books are the Lumatere Chronicles, which are fantasy, but I also loved Jellicoe Road, so this one has been on my list for a long time. The descriptions of wacky students and family troubles packed into a private school setting sounds like it will make for a great read.

Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Someone recently told me this is better than Walled City, which I totally adored. I’ve been wanting to read more of Graudin’s books, and now that I keep hearing such great things about this one, I kind of have to do it. I mean, time-traveling pirates? Sounds pretty incredible.

Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas

I fell in love with Dumas’s writing in It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel – the story of an Iranian-American girl who lives in California during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. This is Dumas’s memoir of her life growing up in America. I don’t read tons of nonfiction, but I’ve been really interested to read this one because I loved the voice and writing in the other book so much.

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

I have no excuse for not having read this book yet. I’ve had a gorgeous hard cover copy since Valentine’s Day, and the two other books by Emma Mills that I’ve read both had me laughing and bawling my eyes out. They’re so fantastic. Plus, it’s a book about a high school production of Midsummer Night’s Dream – two more things I LOVE! So obviously totally going to be a win once I crack the cover.

Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak

I’ve read every other book by Markus Zusak except this one. Why? Because back during my big Zusak reading binge (after I devoured The Book Thief), I couldn’t get a copy of this one from the library. It’s about two brothers who get roped into boxing each other and the internal conflicts one faces through being forced to fight his brother.

Death Marked by Leah Cypess

I think this is the only book by Cypess that I haven’t read yet, either. I was once in a writer’s group with her and read an early version of her debut, Mistwood, which quickly became a favorite! I love the way she marries these deep, serious fantasy worlds with lots of political intrigue and a few super sassy characters to shake things up.

Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

I’ve been hooked on this author since first reading Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire. I’ve heard great things about this book, too. I’m super intrigued by the 1930s setting first in America and then Ethiopia. This is another I’m really hoping I can squeeze in before the end of the year.

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

I love The Star-Touched Queen series, so I’ve had my eye on this book since I first heard it was under contract. I wasn’t able to get an ARC, and I haven’t managed to read a finished copy yet, either. I love how Chokshi pulls Indian mythology and legend into her stories.

Who’s your favorite author?

Do you have a list of favorite authors? Have you read all their books, or do you have a catch-up list, like I do?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Fall To Be Read List

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I feel like I’m always saying I can’t believe how quickly the months go by– and I really can’t! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday (meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) post features the fall 2018 books I can’t wait to read– books I think you won’t want to miss, either!

Imposters by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies #5)

I was a huge fan of the Uglies series when it came out, so I can’t wait to dive into this new look at the story world and hopefully find out more about a few of the characters I left behind in the earlier books.

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

If you know me at all, you aren’t surprised to see this book on the list. I’ve been waiting for this book for like ten years or something. Fun fact: I once went on a first date with a guy right around my birthday, and he surprised me with a signed copy of The Book Thief (my favorite book) as a birthday present. I married him.

The Echo Room by Parker Peevyhouse

If you like twisty sci-fi stories, definitely check out Parker Peevyhouse’s debut, Where Futures End, which I loved! The Echo Room looks like a dark, suspenseful story about two people trapped alone who have to figure out how to escape and/or work together despite having no idea if they can trust each other.

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

I saw a review of this book on LILbooKlovers and had to track down a copy for myself. The older sibling taking care of younger sibs appeals to me as well as some of its thought-provoking elements.

Born Scared by Kevin Brooks

I’m super curious about this book as it looks like it tackles some mental health issues and takes place during a blizzard, so it should have high stakes.

Flow Like Water by Mark Burley

Flow Like Water is the second in a suspense series about a parkour expert chasing down a creepy organization who’ve kidnapped his family. Love the action and parkour sequences.

Meet the Sky by McCall Hoyle

I really enjoyed Hoyle’s debut novel last year, so I knew I wanted to check out her next book. This features another natural disaster (hurricane this time) and a disabled sister. Looks like a great contemporary read.

Sadie by Courtney Summers

I pretty much knew I had to read this book as soon as I heard about it. Though I haven’t loved every book I’ve read by Summers, I can’t help but have tons of respect for her powerful writing and her desire to raise awareness of girls’ issues. This book makes me think of the series Vanishing Women and the girls who went missing from the Ohio town.

Wren Hunt by Mary Watson

Magic. Deception. High stakes. Wren Hunt sounds too good to miss.

The Chaos of Now by Erin Jade Lange

A teen hacker defending internet freedom. Internet bullying gone out of control. I’m so excited to read this.

What’s on your fall To Be Read list?

Are any of the books on my list also on yours? Any you hadn’t heard of that you’re adding after seeing them here? Or are there fall 2018 must-read books I need to add to my list? Comment below and fill me in on your picks!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Classics You Should Actually Read This Year

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Talking about the Classics

I have a love-hate relationship with literary classics. Is that kind of the same for everyone? I love, love, LOVE To Kill a Mockingbird, but omg please do not even get me started on Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Why are there people who like that book???? Just no. It’s not for me.

Ditto with Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations. I just could not get into those. Sorry. I know they’re favorites of literary geniuses and other readers.

But my list of favorite classics is pretty long, and I almost never get to talk about them on the blog because there are so many amazing books coming out every week, I can’t even keep up with those. So today, as my post this Top Ten Tuesday, a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, I’m jumping ship, away from current releases, and swimming on back to list a few of my favorite classics in honor of the whole Back-to-School season!

First, though… did you notice anything different about The Story Sanctuary today??? I have a brand new header image custom designed for me, and I LOVE it. Let me know what you think about it by leaving me a comment or finding me on Twitter (@story_sanctuary).

Okay, back to classics! If you’re headed back to school, I hope you get to read some of these in class this year, because reading great books for a grade is kind of like discovering a favorite food is actually good for you. Yay! Bonus. But even if these babies aren’t assigned or your school days are done (woo-hoo!), they’re worth checking out for the sheer enjoyment of the stories.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is without a doubt my number one favorite classic. I’ve probably read it five or six times, which for any book, isn’t that high a number for me, but is pretty huge for classics. I love the way Lee shows us everything that’s happening through Scout’s perspective. Often she’s totally unaware of the significance of events around her – like when she and Jem go visit Atticus at the jail and the mob approaches him. Scout has no idea how scary this should be. She only knows these are men who, in the daylight, are her classmates’ fathers who would never hurt her. But there are enough clues that we pick up on the bigger story and the drama or danger ourselves. So. Good.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I think one of my favorite things about this book is Fitzgerald’s goal that it be written so that anyone could read and understand it easily. I love that, and it makes this novel a quick read. I love the themes about true love and friendship and I’m always gripped by the destructiveness of the characters’ selfish behavior. (Okay, that sounds dark, but hopefully it makes sense.)

Watership Down by Richard by Richard Adams

I. Love. This. Book. It was a genre-defying book when it was published. A serious book about rabbits. Yes! And it’s amazing. Fierce, warrior rabbits and small oracle rabbits. Brilliant characters that I remember years after I’ve last read the book.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

If you know me, you’re only surprised this didn’t come earlier in the list. I’m not a huge Austen junkie. I love this book, but I somehow never manage to get around to reading her other novels. And actually– true story– I did not like Pride and Prejudice the first time I read it in high school. Mostly I think I hated the format in which we had to read it, but that’s another story. The synopsis is I felt like it cheapened my experience reading the book. Anyway, after I graduated and my sister fell in love with the book, I went back and read Pride and Prejudice again and found myself totally getting lost in the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. (And yes, I love the movie. ONLY the BBC version, though.)

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

This is another big favorite. I love that Sewell wrote this during a time when it was this big ground-breaking idea that horses have feelings. It’s one of those “this will never sell” kinds of stories that reminds us that heart and courage are pretty much always worth reading about.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

I have kind of a love-hate relationship with this book, too. I love, love, love Francie and her family. I cried so hard at some of the tragic moments in the book. The writing is delicious. But I feel like I wanted a different ending. There’s a thing that happens toward the end, something that goes wrong, and she gets a letter that’s supposed to explain it. I kind of never really bought into that explanation. I needed there to be more. More backstory, more explaining, more reasons, more something. I don’t know. But other than that moment, I truly love this book and Betty Smith’s writing. In fact, I like another book of hers called Joy in the Morning even better than A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, so I probably should have swapped and focused on that one instead. It’s lesser known, but shorter and happier.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

This is another one I’ve read a bunch of times. It has kind of a circular thing going on where at the end of the book, Ponyboy (I love the wild names in the story) wrestles with all that’s happened and ends up writing it down for a school project (sounds more contrived than it feels in the book) and the last line of the story is the same as the opening line of the book, as if he’s beginning now to write the whole tale. The Outsiders is the first book that made me want to become a writer myself.

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

The way the story is formatted is a bit unusual. I went through a period of evangelical zeal about this book, trying to get everyone I knew to read it, and a couple people were so thrown by the way it’s written that they couldn’t get into it. (Dialogue is often not in quotes, for instance, but set apart after a colon.) I see authors bending those kinds of rules more now in other books, so I wonder if Cry would be more easily received now. At any rate, I loved the story and got completely lost in the South African landscape as we followed a man desperate to find his son in Johannesburg.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Forget the Disney movie version. It’s cute and all, but totally sells this story short. Kipling is a master storyteller and his way of describing things is so rich and fun. It’s a fairly quick read, too. Definitely on my list to read with my littlest when she gets a bit older.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I didn’t read this one until just a few years ago, but I really enjoyed it. The characters stuck with me– flawed as they are– and I can still picture some of the most climactic scenes in my mind. Plus, for some reason, I have a thing for stories about natural disasters. I don’t know. My family is the type to hole up during a hurricane and watch Twister. (True story. We did this last year during a big storm.)

So there you have it. Those are my top ten picks for classics to read this year. I hope at least some of them still find their way into classrooms. I’m hoping to read at least one with my older girl this year at home, too.

What are your favorite classics?

Did any of your favorites make the list? Any of mine that you just could not get through? Leave a comment and tell me about it!