What is your absolute favourite book?
What is your absolute favourite book? The one you’ve read time and time again and will come back too. Include a little about it but don’t give away too much!
Mines “The red tent” it’s from biblical times, a woman’s perceptive including menstruation, childbirth and rituals.
Jane Eyre, read it in second year at school as prescribed text then read it again (twice) just because I loved it.
@Michelle… your ?
I love The Red Tent! ❤️ Mine is Stranger in a Strange Land
I’ve always wondered about The Red Tent?
OMG I read that too when I was about 15- totally knocked out
I just read The Red Tent recently and LOVED it! I also really loved The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. It is similar in the sense of woman coming together supporting one another and the time period.
I can’t choose one! I’d have to say Ender’s Game series, Lonesome Dove series and To Kill a Mockingbird. All have been read multiple times.
Hidden Fires by Janette Radcliffe, it’s my favorite comfort read. It’s similar to Persuasion but I read it before Jane Austen, read it until the covers came off and it fell apart then found it again on Amazon. ?
The Outlander series. Three times
The Razor’s Edge by W.Somerset Maugham . I keep it by my bed to dip into now and again—I’ve read it countless times. It’s basically a story of a man who had the courage to not take the predictable path in life–he wanted to read and learn and find meaning to his life. It’s a wonderful story. “”The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard,” – This translation from a verse in Kaṭhopaniṣad, which was chosen by Maugham as the novel’s epigraph explains the title of the book and the difficult path which leads to true salvation.”
The Red Tent was great. I usually don’t reread, but my favorite books are The Prince of Tides, A Prayer for Owen Meany, & King of the Wind.
The Prince of Tides is good—but my favorite of Pat Conroy’s work is The Great Santini
@Shalon Santini was my first Pat Conroy read & I loved it.
My absolute favorite is The Prince of Tides. You all have excellent taste!?
King of the Wind was my absolute favorite book as a child. I must have read it 6+ tines at least.
@Rock –There’s a second book –The Death of Santini –Pat Conroy’s memoir. I’ve not read it yet but sounds good
I have several but my most often revisited may be Rebecca.
Rebecca is also my all time favorite. I have read it several times???
Angela’s Ashes
There are several but the one I class as my ‘comfort’ book is actually a series – the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. Its the first series I bought!
The Little Prince.
The Book of Joy
by 14th Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
Beloved by Toni Morrison
@Tonia liked this very much but The Color Purple is my pick between the two!
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Harry Potter, and The Hobbit.
I have 2 (at least)…”Pavilion of Women” by Pearl Buck..a 40 y.o. Wife of a wealthy aristocrat gives herself a strange and unheard of birthday gift and begins a chaste relationship w/ a priest whom she brought into the house to teach her son…and “The Gift of Asher Lev” by Chaim Potok. A young Hasidic man with a gift of drawing and the artwork he becomes famous for.
Love Pearl S. Buck.
I loved the red tent. If I had to pick one, that would be my pick too.
The Red Tent is on my top ten list. I think for me it would be Memoir of a Geisha.
I was going to say those two, plus Poisonwood Bible and Kite Runner!
@Bonnie I loved all these books!
@Sue Have you read Pachinko? It’s my favorite lately.
@Bonnie no, I haven’t but will check this one….
The Knife of Never letting Go and the rest of the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness ❤?
“The Blue Caste” by LM Montgomery, Here’s a bit of the blurb:
Valancy lives a drab life with her overbearing mother and prying aunt. Then a shocking diagnosis from Dr. Trent prompts her to make a fresh start. For the first time, she does and says exactly what she feels.
Oh, I love this book and LMM in general!! We lived in Nova Scotia for awhile and made a trip to Prince Edward Island and it was just as I’d pictured it when I read the Anne books as a kid.
Such great choices.
One of my early reads in high school was The Once and Future King by T. H. White. I’m not sure if I have ONE favorite but this is way way up there.
It’s very high on my list, too! In my top 5.
The Shack
Loved The Red Tent-one of my top ten. Has anyone read The Boston Girl, also by Diamant?
Yes, a book club read a few years ago. We selected it we live in Boston. Intersting to see connections among many of the early immigrant groups and local spots they’d frequent.
Boston Girl is one of my all time favorites!
@Justine Thanks so much. Another for my TBR pile
@Kara Thanks Kara. If it’s anything like The Red Tent, I’m sure I’ll love it. I appreciate the recommendation.
So glad I discovered this book lovers page and would love to be part of this
“All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr, a testament to the resilience of love, past & present.
Love The Red Tent!
The Prince of Tides without a doubt. I’ve read it at least 15 times and it never gets old.
The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser or Replay by Ken Grimwood. I read each every few months. But tbh, I just finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch the other day and I can see myself rereading that book just as often.
The Mirror is great!
He’s Gone by Deb Caletti. Exquisite prose.
The little prince!
Love that story
I am pilgrim
I need to read this one!
@Lindsay one of the best books I’ve read. Waiting fo his next book to be released
@Karen, I’ll get to it next then! ☺️
Honestly, Go Ask Alice is the book I have reread most. It always speaks to me. I don’t know if it’s my favorite. I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I do read it a lot and always have a copy of it.
Synopsis from Amazon:
A teen plunges into a downward spiral of addiction in this classic cautionary tale.
January 24th
After you’ve had it, there isn’t even life without drugs….
It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth — and ultimately her life.
Read her diary.
Enter her world.
You will never forget her.
Kathy Casteel-Bain My parents bought me this as a teenager, presumably not wanting to have The Drugs Talk in person lol. I don’t have a copy any more but it remains very clearly in my mind.
I will take any and every opportunity to talk about my all-time favorite book on this page because not nearly enough people are familiar with it.
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
It’s about two orphan girls who are taken in by their eccentric and misunderstood aunt. But it is about SO MUCH MORE than that. Everyone should read it.
I am currently reading her book Gilead, because I am reading all the previous Pulitzer prize fiction winners. Thank you for mentioning Housekeeping, , I will try it next!
@Eileen I enjoyed Gilead, but I think Housekeeping is her masterpiece.
Also, curious to hear your thoughts on Pulitzer Prize winners. What are your favs so far? Any surprizes?
@Chad Middlesex, 2003 winner, it is one of my favorite books ever. There were others I thought didn’t quite deserve the win, like The Goldfinch. I thought it was good but not great. I probably won’t make a lot of progress on the list until I retire in a few years, right now I use it as my reading guide and probably get to four or five of them a year.
Howl’s Moving Castle. I have the ebook, 2 different editions physical books, and even though I don’t like audio books, I have that too.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of my very favorites.
Loved the Red Tent and thought of sharing about it in this club. My favorites are (drum roll) the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Hoffman’s books always have just enough of the out of the ordinary to snag one’s imagination. Practical Magic, ladies and gentlemen!
There are several but I have to say “ the Secret Life of Bees”. I’ve read it at least twice.
Probably Swan Song by Robert Mccammon. Unfortunately, I hated the Red Tent.
The Art of Racing in the Rain I’ve read twice. Gone With the Wind I’ve read several times.
@JoAnn the Art of Racing in the Rain is in my top five
I’ve readGone With the Wind several times as well. I’m not sure what pulled me back to it.
@JoAnn yes, absolutely one book I will never forget & I did not give it away — in fact, I did not even loan it to anyone!!!
Children’s Hospital by Peggy Anderson, R.N., and Go Out In Joy by Nina Herrmann are the two books I’ve read the most. For me, a book becomes a “favorite” when it’s one I turn to when I feel alone, needing comfort, understanding, etc. Those two books helped me get through the toughest times of my childhood, and still help me when I’m going through a lot of medical stuff.
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan is definitely one of my favorites, and one that I’ve read more than once. I have a hardcover copy that I keep at home but also have a paperback that’s been stuffed into purses and obviously read more than a couple of times, lol.
LOTR – over and over again
Mine too
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Impossible but some are: A Town like Alice, Outlander, The Stand, P&P, Dream Man, and the list goes on and on
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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. It gives some insight into what it feels like to be mentally ill.
@Autumn read it, a great book!
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and The Last Unicorn are two books that I love and have re-read over and over again. I also give them both as gifts.
Far pavillions
Love The Red Tent. I have a few books that I’ll read over and over. The Red Rising Trilogy, The Book of Lost Things, and Palm Trees in the Snow.
Arrows of the Queen
I liked The Red Tent also but not my favorite.
Challenger deep by Neal shusterman
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. Dealing with mental illness in one identical twin.
The red tent. I loved that book it’s set back in biblical times through women.
A Little Life, Crazy Rich Asians, Harry Potter books.
Currently reading “A Little Life”. This is one precious book.
Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series.
Interview with the vampire
It examines but leaves open thoughts on life, death, God, satan, good, evil, morality, immortality, morals, different types of love, and so much more.
I’ve read that series several times too
@Cheryl I have not finished the whole series… but own it all except realms of atlantis… so I will finish one day… preordered the signed copy of the one releasing next month
First Jurassic Park book. I’ve read them all, but I love the first book.
@Jerry Lost World
A Prayer For Owen Meany. It’s about a boy. Two, actually.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula ?♂️ if you’ve never read this classic, do!
I actually managed to *not* read that in high school, even though it was assigned! Still trying to work up the courage to read it as I have had a fear of vampires since childhood
@Sami oh it’s fantastic, perhaps not if you have a fear of vampires though…
The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings. No matter how many times I read them I discover something new each time ❤️
Harry Potter Series
The Hobbit, The Pop Larkin Chronicles, The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill a Mockingbird
@Deborah two of my top faves also. ??
The God of Small Things. It demands more than one reading as it is hard to follow the first time. Every time afterwards gets better and better!
My friends book as it’s so raw and heartfelt https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prize-Tw-goes-Colombia-cocaine/dp/1983161314
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Mine and the Well
The Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey, I really want to be Killashandra Ree ?
The alchemist.
It’s about a boys journey in pursuing his dream.
It saved me from giving up on my dreams and why people don’t realize their dreams. I read it like Bible.
Manogna Kanne I have it, but keep skipping it to read something else?
@Sue please don’t think otherwise for this question, are you in studio Ghibli group?
And sure I’ll read different material. I’m now juggling with LITTLE WOMEN and the KITE RUNNER
@Manogna no, I am not. Two great books & you have made me want to read The Alchemist soon!
Series of unfortunate events
A book of 3 short holiday stories. I’ve read it every year in late November for about 40 years. It still brings me to tears.
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings
Wuthering Heights
Following Atticus by Paul Ryan
I have 3…Alice In Wonderland, And Then There Were None, and Phantom Tollbooth
The Magus by John Fowles. Fowles is probably best known for his book The French Lieutenants Woman, but The Magus is a stunning deeply layered book about a 30 something English teacher who seems “stuck” in life. He accepts a position teaching on a remote Greek island and during his free time explores the surroundings on foot. The remainder of his time on the island is a magical, mind tripping, psychological journey. Every time I read this book I discover something new. Gorgeously written.
I rarely read a book twice but I reread A Gentleman in Moscow, Beach Music, Rebecca and Broken for You- all among my most favorite books ever. I still remember A Cricket in Times Square which was read aloud by my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Grace Lyons- just magic