A Summer of Books

Professor J,

We are launching into our summer lounge fest? Oh, thank goodness. I'm exhausted. We need to restore our reserves since we are headed into an election year. It never really ends anymore though, does it?

So to introduce summer (which I wasn't trying to do in my last post, but okay) I'm listing ten favorite books. That sounded easy at first, a cop out almost, but then questions arose about which books to include.

Best summer reads? Most influential? Most beloved? In the end I decided not to get too bogged down but to just list the first ones that came to mind when I thought about it. Here they are in no particular order. I really couldn't bear to have to rank them.

1. Les Miserables. For so many reasons, too many to list.

2. To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch is pretty much the perfect man.

3. Beau Geste. Just so much fun. You can't beat a good adventure.

4. The Chronicles of Narnia. Some of my favorite memories are of reading these aloud to my daughter.  (Yes, I know that technically this is seven, this is my list and these are my rules)

5. Gone With the Wind. Scarlett is a far more complex character than in the film. It's actually a coming of age tale.

6. Auntie Mame. Because I laughed all the way through. Out loud.

7. Jane Eyre. Every girl needs a fictional heroine. 

8. Little Women. Which I never read as a child but it's another beautiful memory of reading aloud
    to the kids. More heroines. Charming ones.

9. The Firm. So many Memphis references. Such a fun read, when no one knew who John Grisham was.
 

10. Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut was the man.

Hmmm...now I'm thinking I could have done a list of classics, or children's books, or my favorite thrillers. And of course now that I'm done I've thought of fifty more titles but these were the first ten off the top of my head as promised.

Are you up for a summer of books? Best thriller? Most life changing? Best plot twist? Most beloved character?  Most heartbreaking? Most hilarious?

And yes, War and Peace is still lurking about unfinished. :)