29. Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier -- My #4 selection, also by du Maurier, is one of my favorite books of all time. So, I had high hopes for this one. However two strikes moved it to the back of the pack: 1) I thought I was settling into a thrilling mystery when I found that what I thought was the end of the first chapter was actually the end of the first of five short stories (grrrrr) and 2) one of the stories was down-right raunchy. I don't like raunchy.
28. Grace by Richard Paul Evans -- In general, I don't like his books because they are way too sappy. This one is an example of Evans at his sappiest.
27. The Letter* by Richard Paul Evans -- As I said, I don't generally like his book (then why do I keep reading them?), but this one is probably my favorite of those I've read.
26. The Dwelling Place* by Elizabeth Massur -- meh.
25. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum -- a read-aloud for my son. Maybe I shouldn't have counted it as it is definitely a children's book. But, hey, it has chapters. My son declared it his favorite book.
24. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford -- a nice but forgettable story
23. Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman -- this was a sweet story with a happy ending that made me want to go back to Savannah. It would have been good if Hoffman hadn't resolved every potential conflict before it became interesting.
22. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway -- This book enlightened me as to the plight of the city during its long siege. Before, I had only been vaguely aware of what had occurred. 'Haunting' is the best description of this book. However, overall, I found to The Cellist to be flat.
21. Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani -- an okay book that was entertaining yet depressing
20. Breathless by Dean Koontz -- a decent, light page-turner about good v. evil
19. And Then There Were None* by Agatha Christie -- good but not great
18. A Girl of the Limberlost* by Gene Stratton-Porter -- good, wholesome, uplifting. It's one I'll encourage my daughter to read.
17. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis -- This was a read-aloud for my son. He loved it.
16. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis -- another read-aloud. I liked this one better than the previous Lewis book because I'd never read it before, and it provided some of the back-story to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
15. An Accomplished Woman by Jude Morgan -- at first, this book really irritated me because it was such an obvious rip-off of Jane Austin's work. However, after a while I realized that the author wasn't trying to get away with anything, she was actually paying homage to Austin. With that realization, I settled in and enjoyed a terrific romance.
14. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton -- a very good mystery but a little slow moving.
13.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley -- another good mystery. This one, however, was fast-paced. I loved the main character. If I had read this at 11, I would have wanted to be her. Hmmm, I need to add this to my daughter's reading list. Maybe it will inspire her to love chemistry like the main character.
12. Uncle Tom's Cabin* by Harriet Beecher Stowe -- This book contains 400 pages describing one case of human cruelty and misery after the other, which is a little hard to read. But, it is indeed thought-provoking and had an uplifting ending.
11.
Little Women
* by Louisa May Alcott -- a highly moralistic book, which I loved. The first part of the book is very slow reading, but the second part picks up. Such a cliche, but these characters remind me of people I know. There are many lessons contained in its pages that are still applicable to modern readers. This is another on the list for my daughter to read.
10. Dracula* by Bram Stoker -- I read this with great reluctance because I thought it would glorify evil. However, the opposite is the case. The heroes of the story are virtuous and noble plus the story is very compelling.
9. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins -- Given the futuristic and apocalyptic nature of this series, it's surprising that I even read it. Not only did I read the series...I loved it!
8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins -- the third in the series. I loved it, too.
7. Persuasion* by Jane Austin -- Anne Elliot is every bit as great a character as Elizabeth Bennett but the story is not quite as compelling as Pride and Prejudice, which is my favorite book of all time.
6. Emma by Jane Austin -- I was rewarded for slogging through the first half of the book by a very satisfying ending. I enjoyed it slightly more than Persuasion.
5. Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter -- This book probably appeals to narrow range of people, but I happen to fall squarely in that range. I love moralistic stories about virtuous characters, and this one has virtuous characters to boot. The ending is wwwaaayyy too pat, but otherwise it is wonderful. Incidentally, one of the most striking things about the book is the contrast between Laddie's education and the education of today.
4. Rebecca* by Daphne du Maurier -- I think I've read this three times (the first time I was in my teens). Gothic romances with plenty of twists really appeal to me.
3. The Help* by Kathryn Stockett -- But for one raunchy scene, this book was excellent and would have been my favorite book of the year.
2. The Hunger Games* by Suzanne Collin -- the first and my favorite in the series. Some parts were so thrilling, I actually broke out in sweat.
1. To Kill A Mockingbird* by Harper Lee -- It is the best.
* Represents a book club selection
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