Books That Stand the Test of Time..

A few days back Susan, over at You Can Never Have Too Many Books  asked,not long ago:

So what books have you read over the past decade that stay with you? What are your favorites? If you've always kept a books-read list, is there a theme to what you end up liking the most, as in I usually pick fantasy or mystery as my top books of the year? There are so many books I could list that I thoroughly enjoyed in the past decade, and these are the ones that have had an affect on me. They are ones that come back to me, at odd moments of the day and the years, that I turn over in my mind and ruminate on.

I've only kept a list of books since 2007.. but I can tell you of some of my favorites since then....

 

2007 up to June 2009

Here There Be Dragons ( series.).. James A Owen 

Loving Dragons I was inclined to give this book a chance.  It wasn't really about dragons.. but dragon ships.. and a very interesting concept that there is a place where children's stories and fairytales are real!  I've read 3 books in this series, loved them all and am awaiting the next book to be released.

spanning a few years.. the Harry Potter series...J.K Rowlings. 

What can I say? This was such a great series of books.  The movies came along and made the books even better.  They totally put me into another time, another world, and like the young folks she wrote for, I could not wait for each book to come out... and I look forward to the adventure all over again when I reread them.  Can you believe that they are already celebrating the 10th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone?!!!

Gil's  All Fright Diner.. A Lee Martinez 

Anything with Vampires or Werewolves can safely be classified as "out of my comfort zone".  I  just do not enjoy reading about them, no matter what.  A Lee Martinez managed to bridge that gap and make me enjoy a book with a Vampire and a Werewolf that become reluctant heroes.  When a book can make me like it even though my mindset is to NOT to like it.. well.. that's a darn good book!  This also is on my reread list!

The Hound of the Baskerville's... Arthur Conan Doyle

Yet another book that, more or less would be considered a classic of sorts.  As a young girl (was I ever young???) I watched many old black and white Sherlock Holmes movies and by far my favorite was always, The Hound of the Baskerville's. But until last year I never read a book by Doyle.  It was a total enjoyment and another book that went on the reread list to be enjoyed over and over.

Touchstone:    Laurie R King. 

A mystery that takes place in England.  Once again.. mysteries were not my thing.  Laurie R King has changed that for me.  She made mysteries that I enjoyed.  Then she shifted from Mary Russell (married to Sherlock Holmes) to some new characters and a new "detective" ..and STILL she made me read and enjoy this genre . 

Water For Elephants :  Sara Gruen 

This was one of those "surprise" books.  This was about an older man in a place that takes care of the elderly, when not far from the place, a Circus is setting up.  What occurs is that you hear the old mans memories from when he was young.. and now and then it is brought back to the present and you hear snips of how the elderly are cared for... much of it is true.  It hit a nerve.  It hit home. 

Godmother :   Carolyn Turgeon

.. this one hit home with feelings of an older woman...  I don't care for retellings of fairy tales but this one was that rare exception.  It's a newer book, but I am betting it just grows as time goes by.

The Old Curiosity Shop:   Charles Dickens. 

This was the first Dickens I ever read.  I've seen movies but never read his actual writings before.  I have David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol still in my TBR pile.

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows how I feel about Pern and Ann McCaffrey. 

If I were to write all the titles this would become a very long post!   I love this author.  I love these books.  Ann McCaffrey made a time and place where I would go, in a heartbeat, if I could.  'Nuff said huh? 

Inkheart: the series... Conrnelia Funke 

This Trilogy is basically about a man who, when he reads books, characters from the book come out of the book and someone or something goes into the book.  I loved this series and although they are new I already read the first two books over just before the third book came out.  A movie was made of book one, Inkheart.  It could have been better, but I still enjoyed it.

The Thirteenth Tale..  Diane Setterfield . 

This book was brought to my attention by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings as a Gothic type mystery.  What a fabulous read this was!  I have already read it a second time and plan to reread it again this year.  It is "the" book that has made me try other "gothic type" books.

Stan & Ollie... Simon Louvish  

This was a biography about Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.  I always enjoyed their movies when I was younger and thought I'd give this book a try.   It has to be one of the books that I would say is the "best read" that I've had.  It gave a lot of background to how they met and to the early beginnings of movies.  How things were in England when Stan was an actor, and what America was like when they were first paired to become one of the most beloved comedy teams of their time.

The Amulet of Samarkland/ The Golems Eye/ Ptolemy's Gate... Jonathan Stroud 

I read this trilogy last year and I can't get it out of my head.  They are a YA series but I totally enjoyed these books.  Very original.  Comical.  And a good story line throughout.   They are on my "re-read" radar as I write this!

Thanks to Carl's challenges (and my own personal taste) I do read mostly Fantasy.  However... Carl puts out another challenge that I try to join in on around Halloween, called RIP challenge.  Thanks to this challenge I now also look for Gothic type mysteries. (This is where I found The Thirteenth Tale, a suggestion of Carl's and I am profoundly grateful as I have read the book twice already and most likely will read it again for this years RIP challenge.

Why reread a mystery when you know the outcome? For the same reason you reread any book ... to enjoy it again as you did before... and.. to pick up on small things you may have missed before... and.. depending on  your mood, you get different things out of the same book!

I also like a Biography or Autobiography now and then, something of which has always been a norm for me.  But overall it's Fantasy that wins the most points for me.

(aren't you amazed that I wrote a post without pictures?  heh)