The Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday’s book critic posted his list of 100 books that changed his life. Fifty of these are non-fiction and fifty are fiction. Just thought I would share some of these. Let me know what you think and what you might add if you were listing your favorites.
Classics that Craig Brown lists:
Tess of the Durbervilles: I have read this and was very drawn into Hardy’s world. Hardy does not write novels with happy endings but they are very involving.
Middlemarch: I read this in college and also went back to it last year. The setting and characters are so well and deeply portrayed. I feel as if I know Dorothea with her literal and figurative short-sightedness and she is just one of many who live in this novel.
Cousin Henry: This one by Anthony Trollope I have not read. I read this author’s Can You Forgive Her once when I was home sick and it took my mind off my woes.
Crime and Punishment: I have not read this novel but always feel that I should. Thoughts on this one??
Great Expectations: This may be my favorite Dickens. I was glued to it when I read it. Great plot and characters.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Not just for children. I read this when I was about fourteen and then again about two years ago. A whole world is created. It does not operate by the usual rules but gives new perspectives including “Off with her head!” and a unique game of croquet.
I think that I would include Anna Karenina in my list. I will blog on that one soon.
I am currently reading and enjoying this author’s Meet Me in Beachcomber Bay which I will blog on later. But for today, this book by the author is an e-book bargain. Jill Mansell’s books are always good reads that are women’s fiction with a bit of depth. If you would like a book that is perfect for relaxing with, try this one!
I learned about this one from BookPage. It sounds like a great resource for learning more about poetry in a very non-intimidating way. Seems like one worth thinking about during poetry month.
You may know Junot Diaz from his novels which include The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Drown and This is How You Lose Her. He has just published a piece, The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma, in The New Yorker Magazine. It is about his having been a victim of childhood sexual abuse, the profound impact of this, how he both avoided and tried to come to terms with the abuse and how it has impacted his life. This is a riveting, heartbreaking and incredibly important article about how we can create ways to seemingly survive when we are breaking on the inside and how we might slowly get better. You should not miss this one!!
Bill Bryson’s take on life in England is humorous and fun. This one is perfect for the curmudgeonly armchair traveler. If you enjoy Notes…, I would also recommend his more recent book, The Road to Little Dribbling. Yes, it is a real place in England!
I also enjoyed The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society when I read it years ago. I recall it as good women’s fiction with likeable characters. A blurb:
Date with Malice is the second book in Julia Chapman’s series, following on last year’s Date with Death which I read and enjoyed. Best in this novel are the recurring characters and the setting in the English countryside/Dales. This time, there are suspicious goings on at a residential community for seniors. Who is creating havoc and threatening the residents? Samson, a former undercover cop, and Delilah (yes, the names) are protagonists who spar, care for one another and have a history. Of course, there is a romance brewing. The mystery itself was not that hard to solve but all in all, this is an easy, pleasant novel for cozy lovers. Thanks for letting me read this NetGalley!
I have been spending time in Pecan Springs, Texas for over twenty years. Pictured are the first and last books of the series with over twenty novels in the middle. In these books, Susan Wittig Albert has created a place that feels real, peopled with characters that feel genuine, decent and real while also having a central mystery in each book. The characters grow over time as we learn more about their histories. China Bayles, the protagonist, is a Texas lawyer who did not want to pursue that career any longer. She moves to small town Texas where she opens an herb and plant shop. China meets a number of folks along the way, including the crystal reading Ruby who owns a shop nearby. There is also Mike McQuaid and his son, Brian along with their dog. Mike represents the police in the early books. Each of the novels has a self-contained mystery with the author bringing in enough information that you do not have to read the series in order (though I recommend reading in order).
Twenty-one Days is an offshoot of Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. I read the first book, The Cater Street Hangman, in 1979. I can still remember not wanting to arrive at my destination on the subway because I wanted to keep reading.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 