Top Five Favorite Books & Why?

[Gregory Sanders]

What are your top five favorite books of all time? Why are they your favorite? How many times have you read the titles you've listed? I also want you to promote your choices, why should I read it? Do you think the aspects of the text that appeals to you would appeal to me?

"The Violin Diary" by Eric M. Norcross
It's honest, wit & heartbreak are just some of the qualities that I have gained a respect for.
Read: 2 times so far (in a very short period - I highly suggest this!)
I have yet to meet a person who is not impressed.
"A Moveable Feast" by Ernest Hemingway
The honesty of Hemingway's memoirs are just so rare in literature.
Read: 3 times.
It is rather slow, but if you take your time and don't expect greatness, it is intuitive.
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The narrative and often the dialogue is pure poetry. I also love the idea that a man like Gatsby is willing to reconstruct his life to impress a girl, I can relate.
Read: 8 times since my first reading in 1981.
Don't expect speed, just enjoy it.
"No Promises in the Wind" Irene Hunt
Honestly, I don't remember much, but for some reason this story has stuck with me.
Read: ONCE - that's right, once!
Fast read, somewhat dramatic. Most readers will enjoy.
"April Morning" by Howard Fast
I love the story of the Battle of Lexington & Concord, so yes.... April Morning.
Read: 3 times.
Unless your a history buff, you may not enjoy.

[Bernadette]

Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - it still makes me laugh 20+ years after I first read it - the man has a certain way of seeing the world that appeals to me. Read: a gazillion times (give or take a time). Will you like it? I don't know - it's a quirky sense of humour but if you share it you'll love it.

Schindler's Ark (aka Schindler's List) by Thomas Keneally - it'll make you cry at both the awful things man does to other men and the wonderful things they do too. Despair and hope side by side. Storytelling at its best. Read: three times. I don't recall meeting anyone who's read it and not liked it

Stephen King's The Stand (unabridged version) - the ultimate post-apocolyptic novel. It's a great yarn. Read: 3 or 4 times.

Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island - Funny. Informative. Perfectly observed picture of Britain - neither condescending nor gushing - but genuine. Read: lots - it's one of those books that I can read a snippet or chapter of when I need a pick-me-up. Most people like it.

A Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks - historical fiction is not for everyone but the characters here are gob-smackingly well-developed and the book draws you into its world like a spider to its web. The one on my list that surprised me the most. Read once (only discovered it this year - I'll read it again soon).

[of your list I've only read Gatsby and I don't really remember much as it was many years ago - The Violin Diary sounds intriguing though - I will look that one up soon]