Your favorite book?

A book that you could just read over and over again and never tire of

The 5 people You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom read at least 4 times
The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (touchstone not working) read 3 times

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen...is it possible to NOT love this book???
and
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine it's the first and one of the very few books to ever make me cry.
and
(currently) Terrier by Tamora Pierce Fantabulous!

Jane Eyre
Pride and Prejudice
Ender's Game
And the Harry Potter series

A Time Of Gifts: On Foot To Constantinople; Angle Of Repose; Stones For Ibarra; One Man's West; This House Of Sky; Don Quixote; Guaymas Chronicles

Wuthering heights by Emily Brontë
Stir-fry by Emma Donoghue
Meester van de zwarte molen by Otfried Preussler (Dutch translation; The original title (German) is Krabat)

Charlotte's Web, Return of the King, and Catch 22... hmmm, I guess that's one from each stage of life?

Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
Straight Man by Richard Russo
The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
A Tale of 2 Cities by Charles Dickens

(Oh, there are more...)

That is too hard of a question! some of my favorites are: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and To Kill a Mockingbird, which I read with my 15-year-old, Warrior Cats series which I'm reading with my 13-year-old, and the Junie B. series which I've read all but the last one, Dumb Bunny with my 9-year-old.

Others I've read for myself are: Chrionicles of Narnia and Little Women. I just finished The Store by Bentley Little, which was a creeped-out scary book. Also, I'm finding I really like reading Harlan Coben.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck (who evidently has no touchstone...). I read it about once a year, actually.

rebecca by daphne du maurier
jane eyre by charlotte bronte
the harry potter series

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (touchstones not working). I've read it three times and am ready to read it again.

Also, I love the manga series Her Majesty's Dog and have read all the volumes I have so far (7) multiple times. Volume 8 is backordered at Amazon and I can't find it anywhere else which is really annoying me!!

when I was a teenager Crusade in jeans By Thea Beckman I must have read it 20 times.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Feast of Love
The Good Earth
Little Women
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Giver
and The Babysitters Club books when I need to go back to my childhood!

To kill a mockingbird, yay, I'm reading it now for the first time. It comes so highly recommended on LT, my expectations are sky-high.
I'm a little scared, because these books, that are praised so much can easily dissapoint, but mostly I'm very excited.

Lord Jim, Typhoon and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

I read The Stand and IT by Stephen King at least once a year. Also if I were on a desert island I would be okay if the Dark Tower series had washed up there with me. Seven books of very gripping story to keep me company.

When I need comforting I read Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons and Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster.

The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler is always lovely and I will never, ever get tired of Elizabeth and the Emersons.

The Book of Wishes and Complaints by Zena Rohan is beautiful and makes me happy every time I read it.

Light in August
1984
The Complete Poems of Hart Crane
Live or Die
Akhenaten: King of Egypt

Anna Karenina. Followed in no particular order by: Confederacy of Dunces, East of Eden, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

Close second: Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea

(Ages in Chaos Emmanuel Velikovsky)
The Message, Living Bible, Good news bible etc. etc
anything by Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, Stephen Hawking
Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov

Outlanderseries
All the Harry Potter series
The Passion of Mary Magdalenby Elizabeth Cunningham
The Return of the Goddess: a Divine Comedy by Elizabeth Cunningham
anything by Greg Iles

Edited to add authors (I forget that they aren't added automatically). Sorry.

Not in any order ;
East Of Eden by John Steinbeck
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
The Lefthanded Monkey Wrench by Richard McKenna
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
The Adventurer by Mika Waltari

"Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon
"His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
most of the Harry Potter books

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
"Heaven" series by V.C. Andrews
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife - Linda Berdoll
Darcy & Elizabeth - Linda Berdoll
Fingerprints of the Gods - Graham Hancock

i want to read a book called november blues

Tuesdays with Morrie - which saved my life (literally).

I love O Caledonia! i read it about every two years

Many of the books listed above are ones I've enjoyed, and some I've loved, but only a few could I read over and over again without getting tired of them (or, worse, being disappointed). The Sparrow, The Sunne in Splendour, Lonesome Dove, and The Stand are four that would pass the test. In fact, I've already read The Sparrow and The Stand more than once and enjoyed them as much the second (and third) time round as the first.

I've reread The Trilogy of the Rings about 20 times since 1970, but, when I tried to read it again when the film versions first came out, I just could not seem to get into it. Also recently reread Dune but found it less spectacular than I remembered it being 30 years ago. And Stranger in a Strange Land ~ talk about being disappointed!

#23 I agree, A Moveable Feast is absolutely wonderful, and I could probably reread that one a few times and still love it!

I've been thinking of rereading The Masters of Rome series by McCullough and I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves, but I haven't got round to them yet. Also the Mallory mysteries and Judas Child by Carol O'Connell, which I read just this year, so will probably wait awhile before trying.

To those who listed Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, I think they might make my list of books to be reread someday too.

I could probably think of a few ~ well, a LOT ~ more if I tried, esp. considering I left out any non-fiction, but I know I really shouldn't hog all the space.

ETA Good Omens.

29: Storeetllr,

I had the same trouble with The Lord of the Rings, Dune and Stranger in a Strange Land. Had re-read them all several times through the years, but recently haven't been able too.

Based upon the number of times I have read it my favorite book is The Iliad. I have about seven different translations and read it about once a year. For me it is a portrayal of the most basic human emotions, except for love, in their most elemental form. I first read it in my teens and have always enjoyed each rereading of it. I did recently read War and Peace and greatly enjoyed that. I will see how I like it when I read it again.

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, The Throwback by Tom Sharpe and The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. I have to buy multiple copies as they fall apart.

James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl.

I've read the complete Chronicles of Narnia at least 5 times, and I thought I'd never tire of them, but I have. I don't have any plans to ever read them again.

Matilda by Roald Dahl
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Wicked by Gregory Maguire

I read each of these about once a year-sometimes more.

I just couldn't get into the Chronicles of Narnia. A friend loaned it to me and, I dunno, I just couldn't get into it. I wasn't big on the movie either. But I did like Eragon and The Elder, which is along the same lines of fantasy.

a book that makes you feel like you are inside of it

A Clockwork Orange--my absolute favorite since I first read it in high school. Must've read it at least 7 times.

I forgot to mention The Lions of al-Rassan. Not sure I could read it multiple times, but I know I want to reread it at least once more. It was so good!

Paradise Lost by John Milton
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
Seriously. I've read these so many times they're going to pieces. Even wrote modern-day guides relating to them, check it out!

http://www.guidespot.com/guides/view/cdrEVeeX5iRzJ7_wLQmp0c

There are two - To Kill a Mockingbird and The Shadow of the Wind.

CJ Reigle

Catch 22, The Castle, Pride and Prejudice and E. F. Benson's Lucia series.

Hi thekoolaidmom: Have you read the Lucy Rose books by Katy Kelly? A third grade teacher in my school told me about them and they are precious. I've discovered (rediscovered) juvenile fiction. The same teacher also told me about Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer. Wonderful books for you and your children!

Siddatha by Hermann Hesse

Thanks, valleygirl, I'll have to check into those.

I've got three kids with completely varying interests, and I'm reading books with each of them. With my 9-year-old, we've finished reading all the Junie B.'s and are now working on Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. It's a really cool book.

With my animal-loving 13-year-old I'm reading through the Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter. She LOVES them!

My 15-year-old finished reading The Outsiders and The Phantom Tollbooth recently, and I'm getting ready to read The Giver with her... or A Wrinkle in Time, honestly I have always found Wrinkle to be an impossible book to read, though I don't know why.

C.S. Lewis' wonderful trilogy :
Out of the silent planet
Voyage to Venus
That hideous strength

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

I could reread these, along with any Agatha Christie over and over

>44 thekoolaidmom:-The Giver and Wrinkle in Time are some of my favorite YA books. I read Wrinkle in Time in the 6th grade and related with Meg, so it was one I read frequently growing up-and the entire rest of the series. I didn't read The Giver until I had to start defending it's placement in school libraries (it's frequently on the challenged book lists) and was as mesmirized by it as I was by all of Lowry's works. Have you or your daughters read any of her Anastasia Krupnick books? Those were others that were basically crutches for me while growing up.

thekoolaidmom - I would recommend The Giver as well. There are also a few more books in the series that only interconnect at a later point. They all have a similar kind of theme, the child who undoes a socially accepted framework that is oppressive in some way. Each story can stand on its own as well. I actually got a chance to hear Lois Lowry talk once, and she is a truly intelligent and amazingly compassionate woman.

Like you, I found A Wrinkle in Time hard to get through for a long time. Found myself appreciating it far more in college during a Theology & Children's Lit class than I ever did as a kid.

Has to be 'I Capture the Castle' Dodi Smith

I re-read my paperback copy of two favorites, The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford so many times that it literally fell to pieces. The only time I've ever done that! Now I have the Modern Library edition, which I hope will hold up for many more years.

Hey thekoolaidmom: I of course have heard of Junie B but haven't read any of them. Don't know Un Lun Dun or Warrior Cats. But they sound intriguing. You won't believe this but I just bought The Giver. The same third grade teacher told me about it. (Did I already say that in previous post?) I have not read A Wrinkle in Time but loved The Summer of the Great Grandmother also by L'Engle. A Wrinkle in Time somehow has not appealed to me but I might try it!

Hello Imprinted: I loved both of those books too! In fact, after I read one of them, can't remember which, I rented a DVD to watch. I love seeing things after I've read them. Also, I almost never reread books.

Valleygirl I checked out your reccomendations and now have some of them on my BookMooch wishlist. The Lucy Rose books look like a great series to take over for Junie B. (at least until Parks writes a new one.) She definately looks like sh has that precociousness and humor that we've grown to love in Junie B.

BTW, I just finished The Giver and it's phenomenal. I'm deeply touched and impressed at the depth and ability to imagine a different world, with all it's rules, a world that is possibly the end results of a line of thinking in society now. I've got to get Gathering Blue and The Messenger to complete the trilogy. I also saw another Lowry book called, The Silent Boy that looks great.

Enjoy The Giver.

thekoolaidmom: Thank you SO much. You will love Lucy Rose, I promise. I am in the middle of some classes right now so don't want to start The Giver yet. Probably after May 15. I'm saving it. Let me know when you get to Lucy Rose. VG

valleygirl I picked up a couple Lucy Rose books at the library today, and started one while waiting for Mags, my 9-year-old, to finish on the computer. I chuckled several times, and tossed my head back and laughed once, and I only read about 5 or 6 pages. I think we'll enjoy it. I also noticed on the book there were reviews saying they're the perfect books after the Junie B.'s. Lucy Rose does remind me of Junie B. Thanks!

All books by Tamora Pierce

Valleygirl, so glad to meet another fan of Nancy Mitford. I bet you'd also like her sequel to the other two books --Don't Tell Alfred.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Stephen King's The Stand, it is the one book that I'll never tire of.

a long list, but re-read more than 10 times:
Crusade in jeans and some other books by Thea Beckman
Winnetou and other books by Karl May
Winter in wartime by Jan Terlouw
The mark of the Horse Lord by Rosemary Sutcliff
De wateren van Finn and other books by Alet Schouten, sadly very few are translated
Lord of the rings

If I had to pick just one it would be One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
If I could get two, the second book would be Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco.
My third one woule be Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

There is enough going on in these three books to re-read them many more times.

I can't narrow it down to one, so I won't even try. My top three are Lolita, Jane Eyre, and The Sound and the Fury. Pride and Prejudice is really, really, really close behind them.

I have so many favorites I'll just mention my favorite now. It's not only my favorite, it has profoundly influenced me. The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow.

Reading your messages reminded of me of all my good re-reads:

Charlotte's Web
The Enormous Egg
A Wrinkle in Time
Harry Potter
Dorothy Sayers - especially Gaudy Night, The Nine Tailors and Murder Must Advertise
The Source by James A. Michener
Pride and Prejudice
Agatha Christie - especially Nemesis, The Tuesday Club Murders, and And Then There Were None
Georgette Heyer - especially The Black Moth, Devil's Cub, Venetia, and The Black Sheep
etc.
etc.

Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

The Lazarus Effect by Frank Herbert

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

I think it's interesting that we all mention many of the same books. I'll be no different. Mine would be A Wrinkle in Time, Caddie Woodlawn, Little Women Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, To Kill A Mockingbird, A Christmas Memory, and most definitely A Moveable Feast. Oh, and Joan Didion's Slouching Toward Bethlehem and The White Album. These are the ones that I've read at least 3 or more times (mostly more). I could think of several others that I've read twice and might read again.

Oh, I see The Secret Magdalene here. This book by Ki Longfellow is my absolute favorite too! And like you, I have so many other books I've read throughout my life I would not part with. I see some of them listed. The tremulous Lolita for instance.

I am a avid rereader so my list could be very long; I'll just mention the ones I've been reading most of my life and multiple times. I think all but one of them have already been mentioned, so I'm not unique in loving these books:

The Secret Garden (since 3rd grade)
Pride and Prejudice (since 8th grade at a rate of about every two years)
Jane Eyre (since high school)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (since college)
Daddy Long Legs (since college)
Gaudy Night (since college; usually I read the entire series straight through each time in order of publication, but this one gets an extra reading once in a while--not just for the romance but because of what it says about women and the importance of their work)
The Chronicles of Narnia (since college)

#63 jfetting--Two of yours are on my list; the other two are ones that I keep thinking I should read but am afraid I'll be disappointed or even worse, won''t be able to finish. I very seldom give up on a book even when it is torture to read (unless it is poorly written, which I know these two aren't!) but I'm not really up to being tortured right now. I even own a used PB of the Faulkner I picked up a few years ago and haven't been able to steel myself to read yet. You've helped me before on another thread--can you help me now? One way or the other--if I shouldn't read them at least I can get rid of the guilt!

#69 MusicMom -
I absolutely love every single book on your list of favorites, except for Gaudy Night which I have never heard of. I still have my copy of Daddy Long Legs that I got for Christmas when I was eight.

You should read Lolita, and soon. It's amazing - Nabokov is probably the most gifted writer ever. It's a lot easier than the Faulkner, which is also (IMO) totally worth reading but I know that many, many people consider it torturous. But hey, since you own it, give it a shot.

#70 jfetting

Gaudy Night is a mystery by Dorothy L. Sayers, one of the "Golden Age" mystery writers (IMO the best of them). She wrote 11 of them featuring Lord Peter Wimsey as an amateur sleuth. She wrote these when she was broke and needed money, but she was also interested in turning the mystery novel into a novel with a mystery. Especially in her later ones she succeeded. She also translated Dante when she was no longer broke! And wrote non fiction, mostly theological. Great writer.

# 71: I have read the first in the Whimsey series and was wondering if an aficionado can tell me whether there is a reason to read them in order. If I skip to Gaudy Night without having read the others, would I be missing something?

Thanks, k4k

I read & love the Wimsey series long ages ago (and fell quite in love with Lord Peter too). I personally think it would be best to read them in order, given the choice, but that's my preference for most series. Of course, in the past, it's happened that I read the latest book in a series and went back to the beginning, and it turned out to be just fine. Case in point: I read Little Scarlet when it came out, then went back to the beginning of the Easy Rawlins mysteries and read the rest in order.

Anyway, back to Wimsey, some of the earlier mysteries were simply delightful, though they didn't deal with the weighty issues that Gaudy Nights did.

I can't say I've ever read a book a second time. I'm compelled to explore new territory. If I were going to read a book again, I'd start with The Grapes of Wrath. My favorite work of literature by far.

#72 krazy4katz

In order to get the most out of # 10 Gaudy Night you should read #5 Strong Poison and #7 Have His Carcase because these are the ones that deal with the relationship between Lord Peter and Harriet Vane and you won't enjoy Gaudy Night as much without knowing what went before. If you liked the first one enough to want to read more I think you will like these. Although they are quite a bit longer the characters are more fully developed and more interesting. of course, I'm biased. :-)

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (read both in Norwegian and English several times)
North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Pride & Prejudice (read both in Norwegian and English several times)

I came on here just to look at what I should be looking to buy. There are some books here that ring a bell but only a few I have read. This is a great place to make sure you always pick up a good book.

My favorite? I really don't have one. I enjoy books for different reasons. I can't just pick a few.

My son has told me to read Pride & Prejudice so I picked it up last week. When I am going to read it is another story.

I'm beginning to read all of Jennifer Michael Hecht I can find. Her latest is called The Happiness Myth and it's as clear-headed, learned, and fun to read as my favorite, Doubt A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson. I have also fallen in love with Ki Longfellow's The Secret Magdalene. It really pleases me to see other have too. And then there's I AM THAT by Nisargadatta Maharaj. With these three (four?) your mind might expand like a helium balloon. Of course there's all my favorite classics. Stop me!

My Fav books would have to be the Twilight series.

I used to try to keep a list in my head of my favorite books, but it kept changing. I do have a shortlist of favorites, all of which are left in the dust by Anna Karenina. A few of the others, just for the heck of it, and to keep with the tradition of not keeping it to just one, in no particular order: Confederacy of Dunces, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, East of Eden, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Candide. Jeez, I couldn't even keep it to top five.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

#81 gforce7

Angela's Ashes was the first memoir I ever read that made me think that memoirs might be acceptable reading after all. Until then, I avoided them unless I had to read them for a book group (that's why I read that one, actually). Now it is the book by which I measure the memoirs I read.

I love Mark Twain. Anything he wrote. But recently I read Ki Longfellow's The Secret Magdalene and now I'm looking for anything she wrote or will write.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It is sillier thatn a mad hatter on skates, but I have read it at least 10 times and I will probably read it again and again.

Also, anything by Roald Dahl. I love that guy.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It is sillier than a mad hatter on skates, but I have read it at least 10 times and I will probably read it again and again.

Also, anything by Roald Dahl. I love that guy.

Princess Bride is also a great favorite of mine--I didn't discover the book until about 3 years ago but I've read it twice already and will definitely read it again!

The Three Musketeers is one that i could read forever. the characters are great and each time i read it, i identify with a different one.

Re The Princess Bride by William Goldman ~ I love the movie but, when I tried to read the book, I just couldn't seem to get into it. But that was a few years ago, and I was in a different place, so it's going back on my TBR list on your recommendations.

Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow
The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
And so many others...

bleak house by Charles Dickens
pride and prejudice by Jane Austen
The Aubrey and Maturin books of Patrick O'Brien
The Lord Peter Wimsey books of Dorothy L. Sayers, (particularly Murder must advertise, the nine tailors, and the later ones with Harriet Vane).
The Foreigner series by C J Cherryh
The Antryg Windrose books by Barbara Hambly.

So many new names and titles to put on my list!
I've read many of these, too, more than once. One book that has moved me intensely which I had to reread was My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. He was a master story-teller and I love all his books and have reread others but "Lev" really got me into the mind of an artist. The power still gives me chills. Another story-teller whose prose keeps calling me is Nevil Shute. Trustee from the Toolroom is the one I've read most often but I can pick up any one of them and fall into its spell almost instantly.

The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow. One of those books I keep on a special shelf.

Oh, yes. The Secret Magdalene is my favorite too. I also love Raintree County by Ross Lockridge, and I now confess to getting totally involved in Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Golly, if I got really started, I have so many favorites.

Enduring Love by Ian Mcewen
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Life of Pi by Yan Martel
The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffernegger
all favorites and well worth a read.

So many books that I have loved but would not neccessarily want to read again. The exception to that would be (The Dark is Rising) by ((Susan Cooper)). I had to read that through many times for a course I was taking and I got more out of it each time I read it.

My book for now is The Secret Magdalene. I notice I am not alone. But then, one of the things you learn from the book, is that you are not alone.

Also love Dylan Thomas. I've set myself the task of reading his complete work.

I find it very difficult to re-read a book, or re-watch a film or anything like that. I find it difficult to enjoy a story when I know what is going to happen in every detail, having a good memory has this disadvantage. However, I would list Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, as the stories are short and clever, and often deep, which make it good for going back and dipping into. Also, I would list the Golden Bough, which while very long, can also be dipped into due to the way it is split into short chapters, and I like this book because in places it can be so romantically evocative and interesting, and is worth re-reading in certain places for it's aesthetic appeal. Aside from this I can only otherwise think of the Poems of Keats, some of which I regularly re-visit. I haven't re-read them yet, but I feel I will, Foucalt's Pendulum and Ulysses probably deserve re-reading as they are so intricate there are bound to be things that would take a second outing to appreciate. Perhaps, also by Eco, is the Island of the Day before, which while not as complex as the other one I have mentioned, is such a dreamy and beautifully written book that it can be appreciated for it's virtues aside from the plot, which is also terrific, plus some parts of it were confusing, and I cannot quite remember exactly how it was resolved.

#95 ~ I didn't list The Great Gatsby as a favorite, though I have read it twice and may read it again someday. I guess that makes it a favorite, huh? I know some people don't like it, but I found it fascinating both times I read it. Ditto with Of Mice and Men, which I read I think 3 times in my life so far and may actually read again someday too.

The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow. I think I could read it over and over. Unlike "difficult" books like Foucault's Pendulum which is only difficult because of the author's tangled thought and even more tangled sentences adding up to little in the end, The Secret Magdalene is easy to read, yet leaves you with so much to feel and think about.

A favorite book I forgot to mention in my earlier post is one I've re-read 4 or 5 times. It had a profound impact on me when I first read it and each successive time I've re-read it. It's The Source by James Michener.

It's got so many of my favorite things - history, archaeology, religion. I love the premise and remember each archaeological artifact and its story. It's a stunning book.

#100 That's the problem with threads like this ~ you discover so many great new books to put on the TBR pile as well as rediscover old ones that you want to read again until you're simply buried in books!

Well, maybe that's not a problem so much as a challenge: how to find time to read everything you want to read before ending up buried for reals. lol

I have many favourites but I'd have to put (The Time Travellers Wife) near the top of my 'adult' choices.
I also love the Harry Potter Series, (The Chronicles of Narnia) and (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) - They would top the 'childrens literature' list.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I usually re-read it once a year or so.

Moby Dick by Melville I hated for years, tried it again this year and loved it. Definitely a new favourite.

The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. About what makes a human, human when brain damage or illness has taken away much that we think of as essential. Beautiful and heartening

Ooooh. I got thorough about 4 "tales" in The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and then got very very nervous. I must be suggestible. But I began to feel as those poor people must feel and couldn't live with it. I wanted to go on with the book, but couldn't.

In any case I've just read three John Fowles in a row. The Magus, The Collector, and The French Lieutenant's Woman. In The Magus, I felt Fowles bit off more than he could chew. I very much liked the other two..but the problem with books that have been made into good movies is that the movie intrudes. Never see a movie before reading a book.

I usually re-read this at least one time throughout the year if not more

Stranger In My Arms Lisa Kleypas
Devil In Winter Lisa Kleypas
at least on book from The Harry Potter Series J. K. Rowling
Artemis fowl #1 & 3
The Nightlife series Eoin Colfer
Savor Me Slowly Gena Showalter (new addition)

My favorite book was something I wrote. But now it's The Secret Magdalene. Just wrote my review about it. I'm not good at reviews unless I don't like something. Then I can think of all sorts of things to say. But if I love it, all I can think to say is I Love It.

My Definate Favorite has to be Black Coffee Blues by Henry Rollins excellent book and never gets old

Raymond Chandler! Even though he wrote what people call mysteries or crime novels, actually he was a write of fantasies. He created a Los Angeles that never was, and he did it so perfectly people would rather have his Los Angeles than the real one. At least I would. I could never tire of reading his books.

The Little Sister
The Long Goodbye
The High Window
The Lady in the Lake
The Big Sleep

My favorite book of all time is The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, but others I love a reread all the time are The Jungle, The Shining, The Dark Jewels Trilogy, and Good Omens. I'm sure there are tons more, but from where I'm sitting I can only see two sheves on my bookcase and I don't feel like getting up! :P

I just pulled another FAVORITE book from my shelf. There it was, thought I couldn't see it, but I could. Archy and Mehitabel is to love forever. And will live forever. That kat. That cockroach. And to be illustrated by George Herriman who created the incomparable Krazy Kat who is sometimes a boy and sometimes a girl and lives for Ignatz the mouse. A brick. Both books are cosmic bricks.

FOREVER- Pete Hamill. Hands down that is my favorite book ever! I love New York, and Hamill did an awesome job on the history, all the way through 9/11.
Other favorites are: Lost Souls- Poppy Z. Brite; Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carrol; Shadow of the Wind- Carlos Ruiez-Zaffron; The Club Dumas- Arturo Perez...Arg, I can't remember his last name! Awesome book, though.

The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow. Just read it. Amazed. It's now in my head and my heart.

If i have to narrow down to one favorite, it is The Eye of the World the first book in the Wheel of time, since I seem to reread this everytime I go through the entire series getting ready for the next release. 20 years of reading this book.

#116: Smarta Marta! I love The Secret Magdalene too. And I am reading it again.

As an adult, my favourite books are:

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer
and anything by Marian Keyes for a total comfort read.

As a child, two books that I've never forgotten and could read over and over were :

The Cuckoo Sister by Vivien Alcock and
Hanging Out With Cici by Francine Pascal

The Praise Singer by Mary Renault
The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Summer of the Danes by Ellis Peters

Master and Margarita and A Confederacy of Dunces are way up there on my list.