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My Favorite Essential Books for Book Lovers.
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items Reading was my absolute favorite thing to do as a child. I always had my nose in a book. I still do, but these days I have far less time to read.
Here is my list of books I love. I’ll be adding more books as I think of them.
Reading has many bene...
Sections
12
Book I’m Currently Reading
My all-time favorite Book
My List of Close Second Books
My Favorite Poetry
My favorite sci-fi and fantasy books
My favorite books about Animals
Book I’m Currently Reading
This will always only have one rec because it’s the book I’m currently reading.
I’m on Chapter 5. So far so good. I’ve read more from Mary Higgins Clark. I like her mysteries.
I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark - Goodreads
My all-time favorite Book
I’ve read this book several times. I’ve seen the movie starring Jim Caviezel, as well.
This book is a novel about classic themes of jealousy and revenge.
The Count of Monte Cristo, an 1844 adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, tells the story of Ed...
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is about Edmond Dantès, a young sailor falsely accused of treason. Undone by jealousy which Edmond did not begin to understand until years of reflection.
Undone by a member of his own crew, Edmond is a y...
The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics)
Jim Caviezel stars as Edmond Dantès in the 2002 adventure film The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Kevin Reynolds. The movie is a classic tale of betrayal and revenge, following a young, innocent sailor who escapes a 13-year wrongful imprisonment ...
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) - IMDb
My List of Close Second Books
4 runners up.
This book is a one of those books I couldn’t put down. It is written with gorgeous prose and a beautiful story of survival. This book draws you in from the beginning and keeps the reader engaged.
The wonderful characters are well written and have e...
Where the Crawdads Sing: Reese's Book Club
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman follows a socially isolated, thirty-year-old office worker in Glasgow. Sheltered by a strict routine and hidden childhood trauma, her life changes when she and a goofy coworker, Raymond, go on a qu...
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: Novel
Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a Southern Gothic coming-of-age story set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. It explores the themes of racial injustice, compassion, a...
To Kill A Mockingbird
Crime and Punishment (1866) is a psychological masterpiece following Rodion Raskolnikov, a destitute former student in St. Petersburg.
Raskolnikov creates a dangerous theory. He believes extraordinary men are above the law. To prove this, he murders...
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
My Favorite Poetry
Key ElementsStructure: Unlike prose, poetry is typically organized into lines and stanzas (groups of lines).
Rhythm & Sound: Many poems feature a deliberate beat (meter) or rhyme scheme, using alliteration, repetition, and onomatopoeia to create...
Oui. C’est moi.
This is my book of poetry.
Misty Morning: A Journey Through Love, Loss and Letting Go.
This collection of poetry takes you on a journey through love, heartbreak, grief and the quiet hope that follows. We are all searching for wor...
Misty Morning: Journey Through Love & Loss
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily DickinsonA brilliant, intimate, and often enigmatic collection exploring mortality, nature, and the soul.m
#emilydickinson #emilydickinsonpoetry #poetry #bookofpoetry
Emily Dickinson: Books - Amazon.com
Ariel by Sylvia PlathA deeply emotional, visceral, and unapologetic collection of confessional poetry that explores themes of anguish, rebirth, and identity.
#sylviaplath #sylviaplathpoetry #bookofpoetry #poetry
Ariel: Poems – Sylvia Plath's Masterpiece
My favorite sci-fi and fantasy books
A sci-fi fantasy book description blends futuristic science—like advanced technology, space travel, or genetic engineering—with magical, supernatural, or mythic elements.
This hybrid genre explores worlds where laws of nature meet the impossible, o...
Published in 1990, The Eye of the World is the bestselling first novel in Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. The story follows the group of young villagers who are forced to flee their homes alongside an Aes Sedai sorceress, emba...
The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, Book 1)
Written by Robert Jordan and completed posthumously by Brandon Sanderson, The Wheel of Time is one of the greatest epics of fantasy and a #1 internationally bestselling series.
Taking place both in our past and our future, the saga tells the story ...
The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan - Goodreads
This is a good place to start if you’ve never read sci-fi fantasy novels.
Books containing stories of Pern are inserted into this list chronologically for that story. Omnibus editions are at the end of this list.
Each book in the series is a whole...
Pern (Chronological Order) Series by Anne McCaffrey
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – A hilarious, absurdist space romp that follows the misadventures of the last surviving Earthling.
Funny and good for a laugh.
#scifi #fantasy #hitchhiker #hitchhikersguidetothegalaxy #thegala...
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) - IMDb
1984 by George Orwell – A chilling, foundational dystopian tale exploring totalitarianism, surveillance, and absolute control.
#1984 #georgeorwell #dystopian #control #book #scifi #fantasy #scififantasy
PDF George Orwell nineteen 1984 - Archive.org
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – A poignant, cautionary novel about a futuristic society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found.
Definitely recommend this novel if you’re new to sci-fi and fantasy genre.
#451 #fahrenheit451...
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - 9781451673319
My favorite books about Animals
I love most animals. I also love reading books about different animals. This is a list of my favorite books about animals. All highly recommended.
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford is a classic 1961 adventure novel about three household pets—a young Labrador Retriever, an old Bull Terrier, and a Siamese cat. They bravely trek 300 miles across wildness to see if they can find their way h...
The Incredible Journey (1963) - IMDb
Makes me cry every time, even though I know what’s coming ...
One of the most beloved children’s classics of all time, this unforgettable coming-of-age adventure is a story of love, loyalty, and the bond between a boy and his two dogs.
Billy has ...
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Published in 1941, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley is a classic adventure novel about Alec Ramsay, a teenager stranded on a deserted island with a wild, untamed Arabian stallion after a shipwreck. Relying on each other to survive, the boy and hor...
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
James Herriot's vet books are heartwarming, semi-autobiographical memoirs that chronicle the life of a country veterinarian in the rural Yorkshire Dales. Filled with warmth and humor, they celebrate the deep bond between humans and animals, the eccen...
THE COMPLETE JAMES HERRIOT Box Set 1-8
My favorite thrillers
I love a good thriller. And a good book is one you can’t put down. Thriller books are well, thrilling.
These books are fast-paced, plot-driven stories designed to evoke high suspense, dread, and excitement.
They feature high stakes, unexpected p...
James Patterson is one of my favorites in the cop\thriller genre. I I like his older novels better.
James Patterson (born March 22, 1947, in Newburgh, New York) is one of the most prolific and best-selling authors of all time.
Known for his fast-...
James Patterson – Books
Awesome book. I couldn’t put it down so it’s a real page turner.
Badlands is a 2025 thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, featuring archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson investigating ritualistic deaths in the New Mex...
Badlands (Nora Kelly, #5) by Douglas Preston - Goodreads
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first book of the Millennium series. Originally a trilogy by Larsson, the series has since been expanded, as the publishers with the rights have contracted with other authors.
Mid...
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) - Goodreads
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes.
Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely in Dart...
The Hound of the Baskervilles - The complete Sherlock Holmes
A whodunnit classic.
And Then There Were None is a 1939 mystery novel by Agatha Christie about ten strangers lured to an isolated island. Trapped by a storm, they are accused of past crimes.
Ten people with dark pasts—ranging from a judge and a d...
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - Goodreads
My favorite romances
A romance novel is a work of fiction that centers on a love story between two or more characters.
By definition, it requires an emotionally satisfying and optimistic conclusion—typically a "Happily Ever After" (HEA) or "Happy For Now" (HFN)—where t...
I clearly need to read more romances. I haven’t read anything in this genre for years. So I put a post up with thirty recommendations for romance novels.
30 Great Romance Novels To Swoon Over
My favorite classics
Classic novels and short stories. Definitely recommend these novels.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragedy about Prince Hamlet of Denmark, who returns home to mourn his father's death only to discover his uncle, Claudius, has murdered the King, seized the throne, and married his mother.
Driven by a vengeful ghos...
Hamlet - Entire Play - Folger Shakespeare Library
Othello is a renowned tragedy by William Shakespeare detailing the story of a respected Moorish general in the Venetian army.
Manipulated by his envious ensign, Iago, Othello is driven to consume a jealous rage that leads him to murder his innocent...
Othello - Entire Play - Folger Shakespeare Library
The Iliad and the Odyssey are the two foundational epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to the poet Homer.
While the Iliad is a gripping, action-heavy war story focused on the rage of Achilles, the Odyssey is a sweeping adventure chroniclin...
The Iliad & the Odyssey by Homer, Butler
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) is a satirical novel about a young outcast, Huck, and Jim, an escaped enslaved man, traveling down the Mississippi River.
The book explores themes of morality, race, and identity while serving ...
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Adobe
As I Lay Dying is a 1930 modernist novel by William Faulkner about the Bundren family's journey to bury their matriarch, Addie, in her hometown of Jefferson, Mississippi, told through the stream-of-consciousness perspectives of 15 different character...
As I Lay Dying: The Corrected Text
Shane is a classic 1949 Western novel by Jack Schaefer about a mysterious, gunslinging drifter who arrives in a Wyoming valley and becomes entangled in a conflict between homesteaders and a ruthless cattle baron, told through the eyes of a young boy,...
Shane: 9780544239470 - Jack Schaefer - Amazon.com
My favorite children’s books
When I was a child, I loved to read. These are a few of my favorites from when I was young.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a beloved 1908 children's classic that follows the charming, whimsical, and often mischievous adventures of four anthropomorphic animal friends in the English countryside.The narrative is divided between ...
Amazon.com: The Wind in the Willows
The Secret Garden is a classic 1911 children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It tells the story of Mary Lennox, a spoiled, orphaned girl who moves to her uncle's gloomy Yorkshire estate. There, she discovers a locked, hidden garden and, through n...
The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)
My favorite as a child.
Anne of Green Gables is a classic 1908 novel by L. M. Montgomery. It follows Anne Shirley, an imaginative, red-haired orphan mistakenly adopted by an aging brother and sister, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.
Set on Prince Edw...
Anne of Green Gables Complete 8-Book Set
My Summer Reading List
Books I’ve heard good things about but have not read, yet.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is a fast-paced psychological thriller following Millie, an ex-convict desperate for a fresh start. She lands a live-in job cleaning for the wealthy Winchester family, only to become entangled in their manipulative ga...
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden 9781538742570
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a historical drama by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
It follows an aging, reclusive Hollywood icon who selects an unknown, struggling journalist to write her tell-all biography, revealing the secrets, sacrifices, and forb...
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: Novel
The Woman in Cabin 10 is a suspenseful psychological thriller by Ruth Ware about travel journalist Lo Blacklock, who witnesses a woman being thrown overboard from a luxury cruise ship, but all passengers are accounted for, leading to a claustrophobic...
The Woman in Cabin 10 (Lo Blacklock #1) by Ruth Ware | Goodreads
The Woman in Suite 11 is the 2025 psychological thriller sequel to Ruth Ware's 2016 bestselling novel The Woman in Cabin 10.
In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Women in Cabin 10, Lo ... When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish ...
#ruthware #womansuite11 #womanfromsuiteeleven #book #bookrecommendations
The Woman in Suite 11 (B&N Exclusive Edition)
If you’re obsessed with true-crime podcasts, None of This Is True should be your next read. The novel follows Alix Summer, a popular podcaster who unwittingly becomes the subject of her own podcast after a chance encounter with a mysterious woman at ...
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell - Goodreads
David Von Drehle. The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man.
When a veteran Washington journalist moved to Kansas, he met a new neighbor who was more than a century old. Little did he know that he was beginn...
The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from Remarkable Life
The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?
“A hair-raising debut, both unsettling and addictive...A chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night.” ―Mary Kubica, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Good Girl
“Th...
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris - Goodreads
The aristocracy is making a run for the throne in this latest thrilling, star-crossed paranormal romance entry in J.R. Ward’s #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
When Lyric goes out for the night, she’s not ready for a bru...
Lover Forbidden – J.R. Ward – #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: A classic coming-of-age tale set in South Carolina about a lonely girl who escapes her abusive father, finds refuge with a trio of independent black beekeeping sisters, and discovers the healing power of the ...
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
I never read this classic book. It’s definitely on my list.
Old Yeller is a classic 1956 novel by Fred Gipson (adapted into a famous 1957 Disney film). Set in 1860s Texas, it follows young Travis Coates, who must manage his family's frontier homest...
Old Yeller (HarperClassics) by Fred Gipson
The latest book in this series by writers Preston & Childs. I liked the Bad Land series so this is definitely on my reading list.
The title of the book is The 2026 Pendergast novel is Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston and Lincoln ...
Pendergast Series by Douglas Preston - Goodreads
Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder.
They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly wh...
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
My don’t bother reading list
Not worth time reading these books.
There’s a reason the author didn’t want this book published. It’s not very good. It’s obviously a first attempt at To Kill a Mockingbird. As a result of which, this book was not very good.
I believe the people in charge of Harper Lee’s estate shou...
Go Set a Watchman: A Novel by Harper Lee
Nothing of interest with these characters. Don’t read these books expecting to learn anything. You won’t. These books don’t even come close to the hype.
A big thumbs down from me.
Fifty Shades Trilogy (Grey, Darker, Freed)
I read this book because it’s such a good television mini series. I bought the book and took about one day to read.
The writing is very basic. The book doesn’t even come close to the television show.
So this one ends up on my don’t bother reading...
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough