Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While

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Wow, it's going to be tough to make a list of only 10 books I really love, because I have so many favorites!! I've decided to make a short list of books I'd really love to reread in the near future.

1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

I read this novel in 2008 and fell in love with it!! Steinbeck's writing is superb and so is his storytelling. I can honestly see why he won the Nobel Prize for Literature because East of Eden is truly a captivating and brilliant read. Steinbeck makes writing and storytelling look so effortless in East of Eden as he draws the reader into the plot details. The characters in East of Eden are so unforgettable... I love the characters of Samuel Hamilton and Lee in East of Eden... And the character of Cathy Ames is one the most evil female character I've come across in literature.

John Steinbeck's "third and last wife, Elaine, Steinbeck considered it his magnum opus.[3]Steinbeck stated about East of Eden: 'It has everything in it I have been able to learn about my craft or profession in all these years.' He further claimed: 'I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this.'" Source of quote is from Wikipedia.

2. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

I can't remember when I read this novel, but it's amazing. Geraldine Brooks has a way of storytelling that makes her novels difficult to put down. 

3. A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov

I've read this Russian classic several times already. I love it as it is a short, fast read and very well written and engaging. I love the writing and characters.

4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I've been an Agatha Christie fan for over 25 years and have read many of her  novels and short stories. So, I couldn't pass up selecting one of her novels to add to my list today. It was difficult to narrow down which novel to select for my post today, but And Then There Were None finally won out. You won't find Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot in this well written novel that will have you wondering who dunnit and why.

5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

I read this book in 2012 for Banned Books Week and look forward to rereading it again. Click on above link to read my review of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

6. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

This was a very moving novel for me to read... It quickly became one of my favorite novels read in 2013. I loved the fact that The Art of Racing in the Rain is told from the point of view of a dog. It's also a very emotional read that had me crying in parts. Click on the above link to read my review of The Art of Racing in the Rain. 

7. The Scent of God by Beryl Singleton Bissell 

This is an amazing memoir! I read it in 2009 and would highly recommend it! The following is an overview of The Scent of God from the Barnes & Noble website:

When Beryl Bissell entered a cloistered convent in New Jersey, she believed that God had called her to this way of life. At first blissfully happy, within a year she became prey to obsessive compulsions. Her vocation at risk, she overcame these disorders, and persevered for another ten years until returning home to Puerto Rico to care for her ailing father.  

Thrust into this sensual environment, she was drawn to Padre Vittorio, a handsome Italian priest, and underwent a belated coming of age. For the next three years, she struggled to reconcile human desire with spiritual longing. In spare but lyric language, Bissell weaves a powerful story of love, death, guilt, and redemption-a pilgrimage that reaches beyond dogma to personal truth and evokes a transformation that changes not only Beryl but the lives of those whom she most loves.

8. The Sacred Well by Antoinette May 

I read this novel in 2011 and it quickly became one of my favorite reads of 2011. The writing and storytelling are both superb! Do you love historical novels that weave the past and present day together? If so, then The Sacred Well may be the perfect novel for you! The following is an overview of The Sacred Well from the Barnes & Noble website:

A young reporter in 1923, Alma Reed accompanies archaeologists to the ruins of Chichen Itza, where a fortune in Mayan artifacts has been stolen from a sacrificial well. It's believed a curse was unleashed by the theft—yet the career-making story it offers the ambitious journalist seems a godsend. It also leads her to a passionate love affair with revolutionary governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto. But when fate darkens their lives and damns them as doomed political pawns, Alma can't help but wonder if the curse is not, in fact, very real.

In another century, another writer is fascinated by Alma's tragic story. Drawn restlessly to Yucatán—and away from the stifling needs of her desperately ill partner—Sage Sanborn is tempted by her growing feelings for David, a scientist who encourages her to delve deeper into Alma's history. And in this ancient place of mystery and spirits, Sage must make an impossible decision that will forever change the course of her life.

9. Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden

I loved reading this novel. It's another one of those books that contains excellent writing and storytelling. There are lots of plot twists and turns within Memoirs of a Geisha that I didn't see coming. All I'd like to add is that it's too bad that Arthur Golden hasn't published another novel. 

10. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I first read To Kill A Mockingbird in 2010 and loved it and the message it contains. I read Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee earlier this year and reading it makes me want to reread To Kill A Mockingbird.