The Top 10 Books You Will Want to Read and Read Again!

       I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I have to get rid of some books.  I don't know if you can understand how much I love books, to hold them, read them, think about them, hug them, look at them, and yes, I will admit it, when I really love a good book I will pet the page that I am loving.  When I don't have something to read, I feel at a loss.
       I blame my love of books on my mother who instilled in me a love for good literature and poetry.  She would suggest things for me to read by saying, "Oh Helen, you will love this book!" and she would read me a passage or a poem that would get me hooked.  She encouraged me to memorize poetry.  At the age of 93, she still is an avid reader and belongs to a book club.  She would take me to the library, but the problem was I never wanted to give the books back.  (Of course she forced me to!) But, when I really love something I have read, it becomes a part of me and I want to keep it and re-read it. When I was around 10 years old, my mom bought me a membership into a Reader's Digest Book Club that published these books:
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       The copyright date on them is 1967-68.  I still have most of them.  Reader's Digest does a very good, hardly noticeable job of condensing books, and these gave me a good start at real classical literature.  
​         So, you can see why getting rid of books is a problem for me.  Right now, as I am redecorating my living room and wanting to give it more of a library feel, with sort of a British Colonial look, I am deciding on bookcases.  I know that I have way too many books to fit into the number of bookcases that I can afford.  Thus, I have made the decision that it is time to go through my books and only keep those that I love so much that I would read them again and pet them and recommend them to my children and grandchildren.  If they are forgettable, and I have to review the cover to recall what is in them, I can probably give them away. (But, I will review and make the final decision.)  
         There are many categories of books, so today I am going to focus on the books adults would read, and save the children's books for later.  Here are my top books that I would read(and have read) again and again! 

   #1:  Anything Jane Austen.  This is my copy of Northanger Abby, but Pride and Prejudice​ is probably my favorite of her books.  

     As a side note, true Austen lovers will also enjoy this book, How Jane Austen Ruined My Life, about a modern day Austin lover.  This is written by Beth Pattillo.

    #2:  The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.  There are so many things to love about this book.  Her faith, strength and love of her family and fellow man are such an inspiration.  I have read and reread this book many times.

   #3:  All of the books in Jan Karon's Mitford Series.  These books about an Episcopalian Priest in a small town in the south are heartwarming, full of wonderful quotes and insights.  And can I just say, that I love books that come in a series because when you fall in love with a character and you grieve when the book ends, you get to read another one and that makes me so happy.

     #4:  So, of course, the Hunger Games Series​ falls into that category!  Good job keeping me glued to a book, Suzanne Collins.  And let me put a plug in here for reading the books before seeing the movie.  My husband was a little lost when the first movie came out because he hadn't read the books.  The book is always better, even though I enjoyed the movies.

     #5:  I would be remiss if I didn't list the Harry Potter books by J.K Rowling.  Love these! If you haven't read them, as my son would say, "How are you even human?"  JK (pun intended.) I really adore fantasy.
      #6:  I don't have a photo of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or of The Hobbit, but these are absolute must reads.  When the movies were first coming out, I reread them all, and I am glad I did because I had forgotten a lot! They are masterpieces.  In this case, I do have to say that Orlando Bloom as Legolas may have stolen my heart away from the books a little bit.

       #7:  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society​ feeds my love of books about WWII Britain and how those strong people survived! This one takes place on the occupied island of Guernsey, with a modern day romantic twist.  This one was recommended by my mom's book club.  It is a very good read.  It is written by the mother/daughter team of Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

     #8:  Anything by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  I have loved these from my youth.  When I was a sophomore at Fresno State, CA, my Literature Professor hated Twain.  I thought my professor was crazy.  I did my final paper on Twain anyway. (I received a "B".  That stinker!)  
      #9:  Little Women and other books by Louisa Mae Alcott.  This is kind of a young girl's book, but I still love it.  I have even visited the Alcott House in Concord, Mass.  It was like living out a childhood dream!

        #10:  Speaking of places I would love to visit, how about Prince Edward Island where all of the Anne of Green Gables stories took place?  

          These are my top 10 books that come to mind right now.  Of course, I haven't finished going through all of the books yet, so I may add some to the list at a future date.  I also have some favorites that I own on Kindle that has the potential to be an entirely different post.  Then, the children's books! I have so many of those!  Do you have any books that you would add to this list that you have read and read again? Please leave a comment and let me know.  I am always looking for something else to read!