Give me something to read

in Random Crap

I’m working on my next book and when I get stuck I read something brilliant to inspire me, so today I’m asking you to share your favorite book ever in the comments.  The one that you read over and over and feel so jealous of other people when they say that they haven’t read it yet.

I have a lot, but my go-to book is Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales.

And possibly that’s cheating because it’s a bunch of his books sqwooshed together but I don’t care because it’s fantastic.

Your turn.  What’s the one book you always go back to over and over?

PS. Apparently today is #bookloversday, which is nice, but isn’t every day book lovers day for people who love books?  It’s like having #oxygenappreciationday or #nationalthankgodwearenotonfireday.  Maybe it’s just me.

1,049 thoughts on “Give me something to read”

Read comments below or add one.

  1. ray bradbury – dandelion wine. technically its a y/a book, but i love it so hard.

  5. Carry on by Rainbow Rowell. LOVE THIS. It’s like Harry Potter fan fiction with magic kids learning at a wizard school…but with swearing and vampires and an interesting love twist.

  6. It’s a tie between Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Those are two books I read once a year.

  7. It’s YA nonsense, but Crown Duel (which was originally two books, Crown Duel and Court Duel) by Sherwood Smith. I read it when I was a preteen and still keep extra copies at my house to give away.

  8. Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon.
    The Monkey Queen Series by Robert Dahlen.
    In Fury Born by David Weber.
    A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones.

  9. Have you read No One Belongs Here More than You, by Miranda July? Probably.

  10. I just finished “Lincoln In The Bardo” and really enjoyed it. It is strange and sad and sentimental all at the same time.

  12. The Watchers by Dean Koontz and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey are the most reread books in my collection.

  13. I love Pillars of the Earth! I have bought it over and over because I lend it out to people constantly and don’t always get it back. 🙂

  14. I have about 100 books that I read over and over but try anything by Laurie Colwin — start with Happy All the Time. And I convinced my new book club of women over the age of 85 (I’m 40) to read Funny Girl by Nick Hornby. You’ll love it

  15. Emily Brontë Wuthering Heights and a new favorite I recently read was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstren.

  16. I love memoirs, and one of my go tos is “A Girl Named Zippy” by Haven Kimmel.

  17. Lamb, House of God, Cocktails for Survival (my daughter being one of the authors has NOTHING to do with this recommendation) ,

  18. Outlander series. The Night Circus. Margaret Atwood anything. All John Irving. ❤️❤️

  19. Love Northanger Abbey (Austen’s snarkiest book), re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series, and sharing the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series with my kiddos (or at least that is my excuse).

  20. Anything written by Terry Pratchett is good, but I’ve read Small Gods at least four times.

  21. While it’s always hard to pick just one, ‘100 Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is at the forefront of my mind. So beautiful, so magical, and so wonderful to read over and over.

  22. Vision Quest by Terry Davis is a book I can read over and over. One of the best coming of age stories ever. Puts Holden Caulfield to shame.

  23. I totally LOVE the book Vampire Junction by S.P. Somtow. It’s the first in a trilogy and all of them are fantastic. Basic premise of the first book is vampire needs a therapist.

  25. Favorite book ever is Pride and Prejudice, and whenever I need to lose myself and refocus my brain, that’s what I read! Might not be the same for others, but….favorite book.

  30. The one that leaps to mind is the one I just forced my son to read: Lamb, by Christopher Moore. See also any of his stuff, because hilarious. Oh, and I will also never not read Good Omens.

    Disclaimer: I’m only singling out those two because they’re nearest my desk right now. Otherwise I don’t choose favorites among the children 😉

  32. Full Circle by Michael Palin. Yes, it’s the companion book to a TV show from over 20 years ago, but I don’t care; he’s a great writer and I love his adventures.

  33. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. My great aunt calls it my soul pacifier. (Which sounds a lot cuter in German: Seelenschnuller)

  36. Eternal Pleasure by Nina Bangs. Dinosaur shapeshifter romance with vampires, werewolves, demons, etc.

    I only read classy literature. 😉

  38. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey, The Abandoned by Paul Gallico, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and many, many, many more!
    And YES! Every day is booklovers day!!

  39. My true go-to is The Collected Poems of Dorothy Parker. Because you can’t get much better.

  43. The Other Einstein and Working For Bigfoot were the best of what I’ve read as of late.

  46. Maybe not my favorite ever but I just finished The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson and it was excellent. None of the seven copies that my library had were checked out which makes me think that not enough people are reading this book even though they should be.

  48. Most recently it’s the completely bonkers and easy to read book The Hike by Drew Magary. But whenever I’m down in life I always fall back on Middle Earth or Hogwarts to bring me back to life.

  50. The Heavenly Horse From the Outermost West by Mary Stanton. It sounds ridiculous but it’s a little like Watership Down, but with horses. Totally gets into religion and social structures, I obsess over that book.

    Also recently read “Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo and I immediately want to start it over again.

  51. Wow, I have so many books that I love. I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery (those 2 I have read over and over) I also love Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. I know you just asked for one…but hey, the more the merrier right? lol. <3

  52. Watership Down, Richard Adams. (From childhood on)

    As an adult, Middlemarch by George Eliot. Brilliantly scathing, psychologically rich.

  53. Never Let Me Go, by Ishiguro, is perfect for its sadness and sweetness. If it’s feeling too challenging, then I reread the Anne of Green Gables series or The Goblin Emperor for the umpteenth time.

  54. Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through by Stephen R. Donaldson
    recently, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
    Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
    a real thought provoker, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

  61. The only book that I’ve ever read over and over and over was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by, Roald Dahl. I’d read it again today if I had a copy. The only other book I’ve ever wanted to read over and over and over, but haven’t is How to Be a Woman by, Caitlin Moran. I might just do that now. That is a spectacular book.

  62. Most of mine you’ll have already read. Dandelion wine I read every summer. Hitchhiker’s guide when I’m blue. Madeleine L’Engle Troubling a Star, and Certain Women. Anything by E. Nesbit.

  65. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I loved it just as much the second time.

  66. 1.The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
    2. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

  68. A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving. The Christmas Pageant scene has me peeing my pants in laughter EVERY SINGLE TIME, even though I know what’s coming. Then there are other parts that have me weeping. It’s hysterically funny, deeply moving, and thought provoking. I keep going back to it again and again. Excuse me, I have to go to my bookshelf now….

  69. I have probably read Hogfather by Terry Pratchett at least a dozen times, but that is a Christmas book. The book that most shaped my life and attitudes and which I’ve read many times is Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins.

  70. “Dangerous Angels” by Francesca Lia Block. It’s a collection of the “Weetzie Bat Books” that tells the story of Weetzie and her friends in a semi-magical Los Angeles. I read it at least once a year. It helped me through some rough times and it’s by far my favorite book of all time.

  71. A quick easy favorite is Richard Bach’s “Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah” Also anything by John Varley (good starting points are “The Persistence of Vision” or “The John Varley Reader”, both collections of short stories). Also Nevil Shute stories: “Round the Bend” is probably my favorite. Or if you’re feeling revolutionary (and who isn’t these days?), Robert Heinlein’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.”

  74. I’m on my fourth or fifth reread of Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – it’d probably be six or seven but I accidently got the book coated in poison sumac, so it’s required to be very careful when reading it.

    More useful to you (if you like SF) might be the Lois McMaster Bujold books about Barrayar; with (storywise) the first two books being Shards of Honor and Barrayar. Humor, honor, gender, laughter and thoughtfulness all wrapped in a neat set of stories.

  75. The Stand or the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The Last Policeman trilogy by Ben Winters. I’m sure there are more…

  77. Also, while not my #1 favorite, I think you would garner inspiration from Expecting Sunshine. I went to the book reading and launch a few months ago and the story and writer blew me away.

  78. This Star Won’t Go Out by Esther Earl
    Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
    The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

  80. Stiff by Mary Roach
    It’s really funny, morbid, respectful, and poignant. Once I read it I mentioned that every kid should have to read it in HS Biology. My daughters chose to and I am so glad they did.

  83. Gabaldon’s Outlander series (the core group, not the spin-offs). Multiple, HUGE books…like a month-long vacation.

  86. Just one? Ahhhh…….
    Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. The omnibus. That’s four. Just get the entire DNA collection, so that it includes Dirk Gently.
    It’s sci-fi, bizzaro and mystery in one.

  88. The Art of Racing in the Rain. You will sob and sob, but stay with it. So worth it.

  91. Ooo, also Madeleine L”engle, The Other Side of the Sun. It’s dark and beautiful.

  92. All the Light We Cannot See. I’d had it on my list for a while and I finally read it a couple of weeks ago. I feel like I’ll never read anything as well written again in my life. It was beyond magnificent.

  96. “The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World” by AJ Jacobs makes me laugh out loud AND teaches me things.

  97. Isabel’s Bed by Eleanor Lipman – and in case you’re wondering…I’ve cast the movie:)

  100. I absolutely love Anne McCaffrey, in particularly Crystal Singer & Killashandra

  101. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. Of course, anything by Sir Terry will be wise, intelligent, and funny, but this first in the Tiffany Aching series holds a special place in my affections.

  103. Oh, hands down it’s East of Eden. It still gives me the feels every time I read it – and I’ve found it a great go-to when I’m feeling down as well.

  106. There are so many books I’ve read so many times over. I’m a nut that way, I just like to read the same book again and again lol! Anne of Green Gables, Gone with the Wind, but honestly my favourite(s) I think for the past 10 years (although I started reading the series when the first book when it came out over 20 years ago) is the Diana Gabaldon “Outlander” books. Read them all many times over, have all the hard covers. Nothing better for me than a strong female lead character :-), history, love story, sassiness, great sex (rofl!) etc. etc.

  107. The Great Gatsby. I keep an audiobook copy with my music, and will just hit play sometimes to hear bits when I don’t have the book within reach.

  108. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
    The Dangerous Animals Club by Stephen Tobolowsky
    almost anything by Bill Bryson
    Fish Whistle by Daniel Pinkwater
    Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

  109. I haven’t read this one yet so maybe it doesn’t count BUT it looks fabulous and sad and wonderful and all kinds of stuff. It’s called January First by Michael Schofield.

  111. Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. Really anything by David Sedaris. Also, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende and The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.

  114. Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
    State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
    Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

  115. Queen of the Desert by Georgina Howell – a bio of Gertrude Bell, the most incredible woman I’ve ever heard of.

    But my go-to for comfort reading is Mariana by Monica Dickens. It’s not wildly literary but it’s lovely. Bits make me cry and the protagonist is one of realest women in literature.

  118. The Stand, by Stephen King.
    The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

  120. Other than reading and re-reading Gone with the Wind many times as a teen, I rarely re-read anything, but the three books I have re-read (once each) are:
    The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende
    A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
    The Red Tent, Anita Diamont

  121. The time travelers wife by Audrey niffeniger. I’ve ready it probably 12 times and I cry every time.

  124. Since Good Omens has already been recommended several times, I’ll go with The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.

  125. Steven King’s The Stand. I’ve worn 3 paperback copies to the point of pages falling out, and now have it on the Nook app. Also James Michner’s Hawaii, Texas, Colorado, and Alaska novels are magnificent.

  126. Winters Tale by Mark Helprin – first read it waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy before the movie of the same name came out

  127. Recently I’ve been recommending to everyone (and definitely am jealous of anyone who gets to read these for the first time):

    Rachel Caine’s Ink and Bone series (An action series about books and scholars!!)
    Emily Arsenault’s The Broken Teaglass (A mystery at a dictionary office!)
    Sylvain Nuevel’s Sleeping Giants (Written in an absolutely refreshing format and a great sci-fi story!)
    Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society AND The Truth According to Us
    Margaret Atwood’s Stone Mattress short story collection

  128. J.D.Robb In Death Series. There are over 40 of these books so it will take a while to get thru them

  129. Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway is my current favourite contemporary.

    I re-read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen at least once a year and have the most worn-out, tattered copy that I love beyond measure.

  130. “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, or “The Dogs of Babel” by Carolyn Parkhurst- read this one after a breakup and, as maudlin as it sounds, loved being steeped in my own sadness while drinking in the events of this book (and no, I don’t go looking for things to bring me down). “The Dogs of Babel” is about depression and pain, but there is a mystery, and talking dogs. TALKING DOGS. So- win!

  131. Any book by Tamora Pierce. My personal favorites are the protector of the small series. Also, Anna Kendricks memoir is damn funny.

  132. I can’t just pick one favorite book! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?? 😉 But I can pick my favorite in specific categories. So, favorite random find: Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. Favorite Terry Pratchett book: Reaper Man. Favorite classic: Pride & Prejudice. Favorite Douglas Adams: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

  133. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. (Close second is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.)

  135. The Princess Bride (which would utterly shock me if you haven’t read already because I’m sure you have because it’s so your kind of book and also there was a movie which was great although not really as great as the book, which is REALLY great…) as well as Ender’s Game (ignore that the author is a turd) and more recently Rook by Daniel O’Malley.

  136. For me I always go back to The Green Darkness by Anya Seton (she was more popular in the 70’s, not so much now sadly)
    To Bite the Sun by Tanith Lee (Or the Silver Metal Lover, or the Unicorn series)
    And for a more recent novel that I seem to read frequently would be To Name the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

  137. Harry Potter; Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches series and both Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat, Violin and her more modern werewolf series are all great; The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audry Niffenegger (NOT the movie – the book); The Collected Works of Edgar Allen Poe; Neil Gaiman anything, but especially Good Omens with Pratchett; Terry Pratchett’s DiscWorld books featuring the witches or Death or Susan.

  139. Oh, and From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankwiler, and pretty much all of Terry Pratchett, though if I have to pick one I guess I’ll go with Guards, Guards! And it’s not an all-time favorite, but I just finished reading “The Egg and I” by Betty MacDonald (she wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books), about living on a chicken farm in rural Washington (the state) in the 20’s, and it’s mostly really good and funny. (One unfortunate caveat: true to its era, there is one chapter that’s super racist about Native Americans, which I feel like I need to warn people about whenever I recommend the book.)

  140. Anything by James Thurber. I have an old paperback copy of some of his stuff and I would always read it when I was feeling anxious and aloud to my daughter when she was sick, as the stories of his family would always take our minds off of our maladies and make us laugh. I TREASURE that book.

  141. I know it’s cliche, but I’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird at least 10 times.
    -Lord of the Rings
    -The Road
    -Dubliners

  146. Just finished Paula Poundstone’s “The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search For Human Happiness” It’s great for few laughs and feeling better about yourself.

  150. My go-to rereads for years and years:
    Little, Big by John Crowley
    Barsetshire novels by Anthony Trollope
    Earthsea novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
    Recent reread (4 times) that will join the list:
    Ancillary novels by Ann Leckie

  152. The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown – Robin McKinley
    Martha Wells’ Raksura books
    Anything by Barbara Hambly

  153. Also the previews for the movie The Glass Castle reminded me how awesome that book, and all of the authors others were

  154. Heart of Gold by Sharon Shinn. I think I’ve read it four times in the past ten years. Its a great sci-fy that takes a critical look at race, culture, and their integration in society.
    Also, when in doubt, I can always fall back on my collection of Jane Austen novels. As another posted stated, I can completely disappear into these books.

  155. “And Ladies of the Club” by Helen Hooven Santmyer is written in the old style by a former English teacher at the end of her life. In fact, she was destitute and living in a nursing home when the book was read by someone in Hollywood. It was immediately re-published and became a best seller. If you love the written word, a good story, well drawn characters that you will come to love and think about long after the book has been put on the shelf, this is the book to read.

  157. I need to know what inspires you to best suggest a book!
    My most re-read ever – The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
    Memoir – Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (bonus, the audio is FANTASTIC)
    Non-fiction – Come as You are by Emily Nagoski
    Just Fun – The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

  158. You should read Bellweather Rhapsody, by Kate Racculia. She’s completely in love with David Tennant as well, and she wrote a character for him in this book. And the book is great <3

  159. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. (I’ve worn out several copies) Or The Sword of Shannara series.

  162. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Unbroken and To Kill A Mocking Bird. Humor: Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love. You will discover the meaning of an empty ice cream cone and the power it wields. Victor will not approve.

  163. As a phenomenally written character study alone, I’ve re-read Stephen King’s “IT” at least a half-dozen times. As an absolutely fantastic story, I’ve re-read it another half-dozen times easily.

    “Firestarter” is also one of the best Science Fiction books I’ve ever read.

    Beyond these … if you want recommendations on a great SERIES of books, I cannot recommend the Belgariad/Mallorean series by David & Leigh Eddings highly enough. The characters are SO vibrant and the interplay between them SO funny that I found myself laughing out loud at times.

  165. The Stand by Stephen King. I have it in hard cover, paperback, and on my Kindle. I will never not love this book.

  167. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  168. We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride. And The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

  170. The Stupidest Angel – A Heartwarming Tale Of Christmas Terror By Christopher Moore. I pull that book out every year during the holidays. It is hysterically funny and a fond family tradition.

  171. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I’m guessing you’ve probably read it, but it’s one book I’ve read multiple times. 🙂

  172. Friday – RA Heinlein

    She reminds me that sometimes the strongest of us are also the most broken. And that it’s OK.

  173. The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff and Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh are ones I try to read every year.

  174. Mouse by Richard Ford Burley – I’ve read it 6+ times this year (possibly because I’m his copy-editor… but the recommendation still stands!)

  175. More Bradbury: A Medicine for Melancholy. Here’s the Table of Contents: In a season of calm weather — The dragon — A medicine for melancholy — The end of the beginning — The wonderful ice cream suit — Fever dream — The marriage mender — The town where no one got off — A scent of sarsaparilla — Icarus Montgolfier Wright — The headpiece — Dark they were, and golden-eyed — The smile — The first night of lent — The time of going away — All summer in a day — The gift — The great collision of Monday last — The little mice — The shore line at sunset — The strawberry window — The day it rained forever.

  176. Three of my favorite read-every-year-titles already mentioned- Good Omens by Pratchett & Gaiman, Wrinkle in Time, by L’Engle, and Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones. I also LOVE Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Neverwhere-authors preferred text by Gaiman. OMG!!

  178. Salinger’s short stories. Particularly “For Esme with Love and Squalor” and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”
    Esme and Seymour are two of the most beautiful literary characters

  179. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. Just don’t read it on the plane. You’ll be laughing so hard they’ll land early and escort you off the plane.

  181. Zone One by Colson Whitehead.

    Haunting, lyrical and with a reveal about 25 pages from the end that brought me up short and made me reevaluate so much about myself & my place in society. Plus, zombies.

  183. My go to for repeat reading is an oldie, but goodie–Wifey by Judy Blume. I just read the first chapter only to get a sense of Blume’s writing style (again). It was challenging to put down.

  184. The last few years it’s been Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George. I find it extremely empowering! Re-read at least once a year.

  185. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. (I know, it’s a series not a single book…but still) I have lost count how many times I’ve read these books over the years.

  186. A Discovery of Witches (it’s a trilogy!) by Deborah Harkness. I’ve read all three books probably 50 times and they never get old!

  189. The Night Circus. By Erin Morgenstern
    I have read this book so many times!! I love it so much. Currently rereading it now!!

  190. Anything by Mary Roach, but especially stiff and gulp. They’re science books, but fun!

  192. My favorites are Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Also I tend to reread the Harry Potter series once a year. For some reason I also love Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children and the two others in that series. They’re YA but highly entertaining.

  196. Non-fiction: Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
    Fiction: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

  200. Arabella of Mars by David Levine
    A victorian steampunk bit of fluff. Best devoured in one sitting and he’s just released a sequel if you live it as I do.

  201. 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. I read portions of it over and over again.

  202. Any of Sarah J. Maas’ books. And I’ve read the Little House series, The Little Princess and The Secret Garden a ridiculous number of times over my life span to date. [My 8 year old and I are reading the Little House series right now, for her first time, and it’s amazing to share Laura with her!]

  203. If you like fantasy, The Books of Great Alta by Jane Yolen. Also enjoyed The Red Tent and wish I could forget it so I could read it again for the first time.

  205. Mary Stewart’s suspense novels. The Moonspinners, My Brother Michael, Nine Coaches Waiting, etc.

  207. Hated King’s Gunslinger but fell into the Dark Tower series, chafed at my librarian when the next book was not available, didn’t like the end, but for days afterward I felt like I should have been doing something else, somewhere else. Same feeling when I finished Harry Potter (hated the first one, loved the series). Laura Lippmann anything, Edna Buchanan, anything. I love this annual post because I get so many new recommendations!

  208. Well I was going to say anything by Terry Pratchett, but he seems pretty well represented in the comments already. He’s wonderful. If you’re looking for a book about strong women, you can’t do much better than Wyrd Sisters. If you enjoy YA books, The Wee Free Men is fantastic.

  209. I love how most completely ignore the “one favorite” request. And I’m ignoring it too. Books I read over and over and over are ones that I find comforting. So:

    Any/all of the Angela Thirkell books about Barsetshire.
    Any/all books by Betty MacDonald
    Home Cooking and More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin

  210. There’s no way I could narrow it down to just one…

    Let’s Pretend This Never Happened
    Sean & David’s Long Drive by Sean Condon
    Barrytown Trilogy (The Commitments, The Snapper, & The Van) by Roddy Doyle
    Follow Your Heart by Susanna Tamaro
    ‘Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
    The Authoritative Calvin & Hobbes

  215. Holidays in Hell by P. J. O’Rourke. This is nonfiction and a little dated, but absolutely hilarious. Actually most of P.J.’s work if pretty funny. Chistopher Moore’s Lamb has already been mentioned, but I also liked Island of the Sequined Love Nun and Practical Demonkeeping. Christopher Buckley’s No Way to Treat A First Lady and Boomsday are also repeat reads. And if you happen to be into older Regency romances, Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer is hilarious.

  216. For straight up soul comforting, I go with The Princess Bride. Also, anything by Christopher Moore, especially Lamb and Fool.

  217. Compulsive reader, here. Cannot pick one, but all by John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver and Sue Monk Kidd. And all of yours!

  218. Can’t name just one – there are many books I reread every couple of year, including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (the most brilliant collaboration ever), Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot.

  219. It’s gonna sound like sucking up, but currently my favorite book is Furiously Happy. It came to me when i needed it most – like giving an ice cold drink of water to someone struggling in the desert sun. Or a mojito to a sunbather by a Palm Springs pool. Same diff, really.
    Thank you for writing this book.
    And i can NOT wait for the next one!

  220. Sunshine by Robin McKinley. It is brilliance within darkness.
    Also anything by Kierkegaard. It’s so dense and specific it forces you to forget about everything else if you want to understand what you’re reading. When the ADD is bad, it can take me an hour to read a page or two, because I have to keep re-reading what I wasn’t paying attention to. He is a great author for grounding you.

  221. The Shell Seakers by Rosamunde Pilcher
    The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter

  223. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Such an incredible way to look at life and a way to truly live it.

  225. • The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
    • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
    • The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (4 book series)

  227. I admit I have only ever repeat read one book in my life – and that was CATCHER IN THE RYE. But my absolute favorite books are (in no particular order): The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon; A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving; Wicked – the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory MaGuire; and if you’ve never read TIME AND AGAIN by Jack Finney you need to do yourself a favor – also – it’s a super fast read.

  228. Dreams and Shadows by C Robert Cargill. The sequel, Queen of the Dark Things, is also awesome.

  230. This might endanger my life, but I have to admit that Johanna Lindsey romance novels are my kryptonite. My favorites are the first ones I read. Secret Fire is probably my top favorite. It’s got a few problematic elements here and there, but Katherine is EVERYTHING. Her fierce strength was always inspiring to me. Also, she’s the first heroine I ever read about that wasn’t considered some kind of golden supermodel yet the guy totally fell over himself for her. Great storytelling. All her characters, especially the women are really great.

    Also, Clan of the Cave Bear, Jean M Auel. I LOVE the Earth’s children series, of which that is the first. Ayla is another fiercely strong woman and Ms. Auel brings the prehistoric world alive in amazing ways. Later books carry more lengthy descriptions of the prehistoric world that kind of interrupt the flow of the storytelling, which is where she really shines, but the first time you read it, you really learn some fascinating things.

  231. If you’re looking for brilliant writing, two that I marvel over every time I reread them (and I can’t believe how long it’s been since I reread) are Mama Day by Gloria Naylor and History of Love by Nicole Krause. Both just so fucking brilliant and heartbreaking and uplifting and jealousy-inducing because, I mean, how awesome would it be to write like THAT? And the stories are so good. I’m resisting going and grabbing them off my shelf right now. I’m SUPPOSED to be cleaning. And I’m finishing a book and I just picked up a hold at the library. But… Mama Day and her niece Cocoa and the old man and the kid who thinks he’s the Messiah in Love… just… why resist?

  232. Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence. Required reading when I was in school. I discovered it about the same time I realized that just because it was on a school reading list didn’t mean it wasn’t amazing.

  233. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. You haven’t read it yet? Inconceivable!!!

  236. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery. If you loved Anne of Green Gables, this is the same author but one of her lesser known books, it’s kind of a romance and kind of a book for anyone who ever felt odd and misunderstood and left out and loves books and a secret romantic. It’s about finding oneself and becoming strong…it’s wonderful!!!!.

  239. I have two series for you, because if there’s anything better than a book with good characters, it’s multiple books with good characters! The first is the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (a wife and husband writing duo) – first book is Magic Bites. The second series is The Others by Anne Bishop – first book is Written in Red.

  241. Have you read any of Frederic Brown’s short stories? The Anthology “From These Ashes” is a great place to start. Amazing sci-fi/fantasy shorts with clever little twists.

  242. Too many to name, but a few are – anything by Michael Connelly, if you like mysteries; for funny, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and Apocalypticon by Clayton Smith; anything by Mary Roach for funny science writing; of many thought-provoking science fiction stories, Wild Seed by Octavia Butler; for interesting in-depth history, anything by Barbara Tuchman.

  243. “All Over but the Shouting” by Rick Bragg or “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman

  244. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I think of something g fro. This book everyday.

  245. Oh man, so many options… Ursula K. Leguin’s Gifts and Voices are two of my favorite books ever, and are sci-fi, since you like that genre. Her writing is beautiful. I’m also totally in love with Robin McKinley’s books, especially The Hero and the Crown, and Chalice. Chalice especially leaves me wanting to live in a hut somewhere with my true love and a bunch of bees. That’s more straight fantasy, though. I also think you’d like Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, the main characters are so quippy – it’s an adorable rom-com type thing but with quite a bit of substance.

  246. The French Lieutenant’s Woman (for the footnotes alone!) read once a year
    Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth…read again and again

  247. John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany is one I reread every couple of years. I will never not love it.

  248. Every book Lianne Moriarty has written. Memoirs of a Geisha. The best a man can get.

  249. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (open a fresh box of tissues before opening the book)
    This One and Magic Life by Anne Carroll George

  251. IT or The Stand by Stephen King. Also, I just finished your books but want to read them over. And no I’m not trying to suck up. It’s the truth.

  254. Mostly YA
    Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Blackhearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
    Also, Arabel’s Raven by Joan Aiken
    Half Magic by Edward Eager
    Danny Champion of the World by Road Dahl
    Anything by Diana Wynne Jones

    I’m also really enjoying MFK Fisher if you want to read about food
    And – Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

  255. The series of books by Lillian Beckwith written about her time as an Englishwoman spent in the Hebrides Islands. The first is The Hills is Lonely. Wonderful, entertaining characters, those Scots!

  256. The entire Harry Potter series of course but also Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

  258. I find myself constantly going back and reading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien or The Lord of the Rings books by him as well

  259. Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, by Tom Robbins. All of his novels are magic, but Fierce Invalids is the BEST!

  260. IT or The Stand by Stephen King. And I’ve just finished reading your books and they will be put in this category too.

  261. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It’s a retelling of the legend of King Arthur from the women’s perspective. Angela’s Ashes is a close second.
    J

  265. My re-read like crazy books change over time, as I change. Ones that have been on that list, in no particular order:

    Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
    Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
    The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee
    Child of Fortune by Norman Spinrad
    Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
    The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery
    The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
    Transformations of Myth Through Time by Joseph Campbell
    The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav
    Aristoi by Walter Jon Williams
    Weaveworld by Clive Barker
    The Lastborn of Elvinwood by Linda Haldeman
    Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
    The Autobiography of Henry VIII: with Notes by His Fool, Will Somers: A Noverl by Margaret George

    Yeah, my tastes run all over the place. lol

  266. I know it’s old… and also for junior high aged kids… but I have LOVED The Westing Game (by Ellen Raskin) since I was in 6th grade and re-read it every few years. (I also buy a copy pretty much any time I see one in a used book sale… just so I have copies to hand out to friends – or the kids of my friends – if they’ve never read it.)

  267. John Chancellor Makes Me Cry by Anne River Siddons. It’s a collection of short autobiographical stories of her life. I’ve read it over and over till my book is worn thin.

  269. Love, love, love any books by Maeve Binchy and Anne Rivers Siddons! I get lost in their books.

  270. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle. It was my favorite growing up and still it. I met her once and she was an amazing person!!

  271. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s nonfiction but his writing sucks you in like a great novel. Blink and Outliers are great as well.

  272. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I read this 6 times when I was in France taking an intensive French course. It was one of two books I had with me and I discovered something new each time. It still holds up to re-reading and I’m now attempting a French translation

  273. The Sweet Potatoe Queen’s Book of Love
    This book changed my life. Read parts over and over and have all the following ones as well.

  275. My “go-to because the world is ending” book is, Furiously Happy. Listening to the audiobook helps bring me back to terra firma.

  277. Harry Potter series
    Night Circus
    Let’s pretend this never happened.
    Also thanks for all the ideas- I think I’ve found some great books to check out!

  278. OMG. Where do I start? I adored the Beekeeper’s Apprentice (and the whole Mary Russell series by Lauren R. King) and the Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander (And Only To Deceive not only had me cheering because it was the best book I’d read in years but also weeping because I’d never write anything that good…) And my go-to comfort reads are the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters, and I re-read Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers at LEAST once a year, and have you read the Mary Stewart heroine-in-jeopardy books? I used to read The Moonspinners every summer and now I’m going to have to re-read it again!

    The Honor Harrington series by David Webber. The Heris Serrano books (along with the Deed of Pakesenarion) by Elizabeth Moon. Echo Robin McKinley, and L.M. Montgomery–if you haven’t read The Blue Castle YOU MUST! Because how can you resist a story about a downtrodden young woman who decides to say exactly what she’s thinking? 🙂

    I’m trying to avoid the tried and true classics I’m sure others will name (like Pride and Prejudice, because seriously, as scary as the world is these days, I love a story where the worst thing that can happen to you is getting cut dead at a party or your sister running off to Gretna Green…)What a great post for National Book Lover’s Day!

  280. Love anything by Maeve Binchy or Anne Rivers Siddons! I get lost in their stories!

  281. “Red Adam’s Lady” by Grace Ingram. It’s out of print, but I would gladly loan you one of my copies.

  282. Run With the Horsemen, Whisper of the River and When All the World Was Young, a trilogy by Ferrell Sams. My husband and I have read them aloud to each other several times. Please give them a try. I know you will love them. Also, Downtown by the same author. I constantly try to get friends to read them, but apparently they’re not “trendy” enough (the books and probably my friends, too!). It seems that all my friends want to read are murder mysteries and they are o.k., but not my favorite.

  283. Oooo… I second A Prayer for Owen Meany. Persuasion is my favorite Austen. Anne of Green Gables is my go to for disconnecting from our current world. For something that makes me think, I love everything by Joshilyn Jackson (she has a new book out and I can’t wait!) And now that there is a movie coming out, I will be re-reading A Wrinkle in Time soon.

  284. If I only have a few minutes, the poem Renascence by Edna St Vincent Millay never ceases to fill me with hope. If I have an hour, The Little Prince fills me with love. If time isn’t an issue and I want to get lost in a good book, The Mists of Avalon takes me to a place long ago and far away and fills me with magic.

  285. I love the zookeeper’s wife. The movie just recently came out and it is one of the best book to movie adaptations I have seen.

  286. Technically not one book but six, the seven waters series by Juliet Marillier. Starting with Daughter of the Forest, it’a a retelling of an Irish fairy tale.

  288. Deerskin by Robin McKinley. And any of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett (especially Witches Abroad, Feet of Clay, or Snuff).

  289. Okay favorite book is too much. I guess Gone With the Wind, but that’s a brick. Some others I’d definitely recommend though:

    The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
    Bound South by Susan Rebecca White
    The Things They Carried
    Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
    Secret Daughter by Gowda, Shilpi Somaya
    You by Caroline Kepnes
    Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

  291. Watership Down – my favorite book of all time. Some heavy themes in here, but I think you’d enjoy learning to “speak rabbit!”

  292. Just reading through all the comments is inspiring, so many of my favorites are mentioned. One that wasn’t mentioned was ‘The Mists of Avalon’ by Marion Zimmer Bradley–a retelling of Arthurian legends from the women’s perspective.

  293. ‘The Violet Hour’ by Katie Roiphe. Great Writers At The End. A fascinating study of great writers (Sontag, Freud, Updike, Sendak, etc.) as they approached death. Just the right fusion of deep and macabre.

  295. Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed and Louise Penny’s Inspecror Gamache series (read them in order)

  296. Can’t pick just one:

    My go-to is “Good Omens”, recently re-read favorite is “The Thirteenth Tale” and all time favorite is “A Girl of the Limberlost”

  297. Many great options listed! In case you need a break from reading, though, try the movie “Widow’s Peak”. I always wish I could see it again for the first time!

  298. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. You will never forget these characters. You will forget first world problems. Hands down my favorite book that I’ve read in the past 10 years.

  299. A Wrinkle in Time (and all 5 of that series.) I have read them all many times.
    Also – The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Again I have read it many times.
    (This old man is a child at heart.)

  300. A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. Especially if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to grow up in small-town Indiana.

  302. Every few years I re-read old Ellen Raskin books from my youth, like The Westing Game and the Tattooed Potato. They’re still great, even as an adult. If you want something more thrilling, I’m a huge fan of the Daniel Silva Gabriel Allon series – globetrotting Israeli spy.

  303. All the books by Terry Pratchett. They’re funny and smart and absolutely beautiful. I have The Shepherds Crown on my desk, and I’m putting off reading it because it’s his last. After I read it, there will be no more. And I’m not ready to have that behind me.

  305. 101 Dalmatians, the Little House series, and Little Women if I need a good cry.

  307. Cheating because it’s 9 books or 3 volumes and one he’ll of a wild ride- The Lizard Queen Series by HL Cherryholmes.

  308. Favorite author as I read you later: Jennifer Crusie’s, mix of banter, lust, sex! & murders. Harlan Coben’s, Michael Connelly, Steve Hamilton, James W. Hall, Jane’s

  309. The Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne. You get to learn a bit about gods you may not have known about and Oberon the Irish wolfhound will make you laugh. Also Luke Daniels reads the Audible book and is excellent if you want an audio version.

  310. I am the Cheese, Robert Cormier. Or Carrie Fisher’s The Princess Diarist, if you’re into her.

  311. Outlander (all), Phryne Fisher Mysteries (all), Anne of GG and Emily of New Moon, Little Women (and the rest), Neverwhere, Good Omens, Narnia

  313. Night Circus is one I recommend… and ones I read when I need to feel that wonder that you feel the first time you read a great epic fantasy and think.. I love all these characters is The Belgariad series by David Eddings and Dragonriders of Pern. Read them as a teen, and still love to go back to them.

  314. Anything in the Dirty Job series by Christopher Moore, Bridge to Terebithia (when I need a good cry), The World According to Mimi Smartypants. I could go on and on but I want to see what others recommend. 🙂

  315. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, and Watership Down.

  316. The Mouse and His Child, by Russell Hoban. It seems like a children’s book, but it’s not… just amazing.

  317. The Orphan Train
    Gurnsey Literary and potato Peel Pie Society
    And Friday Night Knitting Club

  318. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I would so love to be reading it again for the first time because it is like falling in love. But I re-read them yearly, I ❤️ this series so. Also The Stand by Mr. King, I will never not love it. And for pure unadulterated fun The Dark Lover series by JR Ward. Hunky crazy sexy vampires, strong women , just terrific .

  323. Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy: The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment. Have been re reading these for the past 40 years.

  324. Ooo, The Bean Trees, The Poisonwood Bible, The Secret Life of Bees, Brain on Fire. Now I want to go home and read.

  325. Same Kind of Different As Me. My father bought dozens of this book and handed them out as he lovingly told each person that they MUST read this book. He died on Christmas Day after making sure that every one of us promised to read the book.

    Also, Broken Dishes by Lisa Johnson Hilliard. You can find it on Amazon. Life story told with abandon. I love brave women.

  327. Confederacy of Dunces.
    1984. (strangely relevant today)
    Stranger in a Strange Land.

  328. “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” – my most favorite book ever. Oh, wait… you probably read that one. 🙂

    Seriously, though, Laini Taylor’s trilogy that starts with “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” is awesome. I ripped through all three of those and lost a lot of sleep bargaining with the clock. (Sign of a really good book, IMO.) Her newest one “Strange the Dreamer” is also awesome. Stories of interaction between gods and humans… what’s not to love?

  329. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry – Fredrik Backman Love this book. Whimsical, irreverent, and funny. Also read well on Audible if you like audio books.

  330. Azumanga Daioh (graphic novels) by Kiyohiko Azuma
    the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
    anything by Ilona Andrews
    either of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changling or Guild Hunter series

  331. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Loved this book and now they’re making it into a movie!

  333. Anne of Green Gables is definitely my go-to book. My favorite book written for adults is Anna Karenina. People are scared of it, but there is nothing to be scared of. I’ve read it three times and am due for a 4th.

  335. You should just publish a book of all your blogs (complete with pics of course)! I miss them occasionally due to work, and it would be nice to pick it up and read something hilariously soul nourishing when I need a pick me up. Love & Light to All….

  336. I usually prefer fiction, but these two nonfiction books I read more and more slowly as I got near the end, not wanting to be done with them yet:
    1. “Letters From the Editor: The New Yorker’s Harold Ross” by Thomas Kunkel.
    2. “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson.

  337. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, of course. And like many others here, Watership Down, Mists of Avalon, and Harry Potter. And for non-fiction (ish), Chocolate, The Consuming Passion, by Sandra Boynton. I wore out my original copy of that, and had to get another.
    And for art – Amphigorey. Sometimes Edward Gorey is just the thing I need.

  339. I can read Stephen King’s “The Stand” over and over again. It’s unfortunate that the nuclear portion of that story is timely, but the classic good versus evil gets me where I live.

  340. For most frequently read and bound to make me feel better about the world, it’s a tie between Vonnegut’s Timequake and, of course, Good Omens (especially the drunk conversation scene about dolphins).

  343. Boys Life by Robert R. McCammon is a perennial fave. If you’re looking for something with a Bradbury feel to it, try Joyland by Stephen King.

  345. I agree with another woman about “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein. And more recently, “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”

  347. If you read all the book ideas given by now, that would be a life well spent. Here’s two more for you:

    “Life After God”, by Douglas Coupland
    “Sirens of Titan”, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

  348. My depression sometimes robs me of my favourite joys. Reading is one of them. So I listen to audio books. I just listened to Furiously Happy for the second time. It makes me feel so much less alone.

  350. The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cat Valente.

  351. “The Good Earth” by Pearl Buck. I’ve probably read it a hundred times. However, I don’t think it will help with your new book. But it’s wonderful.

  352. This will probably make me sound like a dork but it’s the first book that really got me into reading as a kid, Mary Stanton’s “heavenly horse from the outermost west” Best book ever, fucking ever! What makes it even more special is my mum got me a signed copy for my 37th birthday!

  355. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl…I don’t know, it just speaks to me. It’s sort of YA, lots of mystery. Her follow-up, Night Film, was also excellent.
    Otherwise, definitely Harry Potter. Always, always Harry Potter.

  356. Pictures of Perfection – Reginald Hill – it’s a murder mystery but not.

  358. My all-time favorite book is “…And Ladies of the Club” by Helen Hoover Santmyer. It takes a little bit to get into (she really takes the time to set the scene), but once you do, it’s amazing. It’s the saga of two best friends as they graduate high school just after the Civil War, and tells their life stories along with those of an entire Ohio town all the way up to the Great Depression. The thing that ties all the characters together is a ladies’ book club (the Waynesboro Woman’s Club) Every time I finish this book, I want to go back and re-read it, to visit again all of the characters in their younger days. I have literally read two copies of the book to pieces, and my current copy is held together by clear packing tape. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

  360. Ooh! On”Dear Sugar” by Cheryl Strayed and “the Gifts of Imperfection ” by Brené Broen, or anything else by her, really.

  361. I want to read The Glass Castle. Also thinking about rereading The Liars’ Club. It’s amazing!

  362. “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon In fact, the whole series ROCKS……men in kilts…..

  363. The night circus by Erin morgenstern for some fun fantasy and romance. And diary by chuck palahnuik for a fucked up story. Love both to death

  365. Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. Also American Gods. And One Hundred Years of Solitude. I’m not good at following directions.

  366. I see that Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett has already been mentioned. My all time favorite (he book, definitely NOT the TV series). Just wanted to give it another vote. Also Quincunx by Charles Palliser. And anything by Jane Austen, especially Emma (if I want something light with a happy ending) and Persuasion (if I want something a bit morose). Finally, The Road to Gandolfo and the follow up The Road to Omaha by Robert Ludlum. Who would suspect that a writer known for vicious, treacherous spy novels could have such a side-splitting sense of humor?

  367. Grey is the color of hope by Ratushinskaya. It’s a memoir of her time in the Gulags and should be a total downer but the way the women in the “small zone” take care of each other and refuse to lose their humanity always brings me out of my funk. Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint, anything that takes place in his fictional city of Newford, really.

  368. It takes a bit of perseverance at the very beginning, but Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is absolutely magical. Same with A.S. Byatt’s Possession. Neither is a beach read, but for me they evoke awe at what a gifted writer can do. Also, any of Louise Penny’s books. She has a new one coming out Aug. 29 and a book tour that includes Austin, but best to start with the first book and read forward so you come to know and love her characters and see them develop.

  370. It’s not a happy book – not by a long shot – but I keep going back to The Long Walk by Richard Bachman aka Stephen King. It’s heartbreaking, but the storytelling is so so good.

  371. To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis (comic science fiction). So wish I could read it for the first time again!

  375. The book that I return to again and again is Furiously Happy (which, of course, you wouldn’t read). I do love You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. It empowers me and makes me feel confident and strong – even when I don’t.

  376. My go to books are: to get out of my own head Good Omen, for a bit of romance and hope Pride and Prejudice and just because, and the one I’ve read the most Demian by Herman Hesse. Love that one. Actually, if you excuse me…

  377. Forests of the Heart by Charles DeLint
    Gorgeous book about a crossing over of the spiritual world with ours. Specifically the Native American, Mexican, and Irish Celtic cultures meeting in one big city when one tries to upset the balance of powers.

  378. Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods’ and ‘Neverwhere,’ and Barbara Kingsolver’s ‘The Bean Trees’ and its’ sequel, ‘Pigs in Heaven.’ All four make me happier and I reread them every summer.

  380. Pingback: Every Day is National Book Lover’s Day: Share Your Favorites! |

  382. My favorite is The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. I named my first daughter Taylor after the main character.

  384. Anne of Green Gables always.Currently re-reading A Wrinkle in Time b/c I can’t wait for the film (was just looking at the cast-Oprah, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Zach Galifianakis, Gugu Mbatha-raw and directed by Ava DuVernay)

  385. After about 50 years, recently reread ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and was stunned at how beautifully it was written. Also Peter S. Beagle’s ‘A Fine and Private Place’. George Saunders’ book of short stories, ‘Pastoralia’ is bizarre and wonderful. And I’ve read ‘The Night Circus’ three times so far. And aren’t we lucky that we love to read?

  387. There are three eternal re-reads in my world:

    Rumer Godden’s IN THIS HOUSE OF BREDE
    Michael Malone’s HANDLING SIN
    Ernest Cline’s READY PLAYER ONE

  388. Bradbury – Dandelion Wine; Morgenstern – The Night Circus; Setterfield – The 13th Tale
    I would envy you reading any for the first time!

  390. I go back to Furiously Hsppy all thhe time. I also love Anne Lamont’s Bird by Bird when I need writing inspiration. My first ebook was published two weeks ago. It’s a novelette about a pencil sharpener. If interested, let me know and I’ll share the info. Happy reading day!!!!

  391. Expecting Adam by Martha Beck-memoir
    First Comes Love by Marion Winik- memoir
    We have always lived in the castle by Shirley Jackson-novel
    The handmaids tale by Margaret Atwood-novel
    Swamplandia! By Karen Russell- novel
    Carry on Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton-memoir
    Maplecroft and Chapelwood (the Borden Dispatches) by Cherie Priest-novels

  393. Wuthering Heights. Even named my daughter Catherine.
    And Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.

  394. Divine secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

    by Rebecca Wells
    Also Little Altars Everywhere
    & Ya-Yas in Bloom
    All bY the same author)

  395. I have 3 favorites. The Gate to Women’s Country by Sheri S Tepper, Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clark and The Left Hand of Darkness of Ursula LeGuin. I’m about due for a rereading of all 3.

  398. I have a couple. So American Gods, which you’ve already red obvs. Then The Shafow of the Wind. Those are the only two I have ever turned back to page one and read over immediately after the first reading. The Goblin Emperor made me sigh in delight and I did read it again a couple of days later. And Sunshine by Robin McKinley, I think is one of the most relatable vampire books out there. Also a comfort read, to stave off the ravening squirrel zombie horde in my head.

  399. People have recommended some of my most favorite and least favorite books. But the series I reread every so often and count as my all time favorite is The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. All of the books in the series up to and including The Man in the Iron Mask.

  400. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
    Little Altars Everywhere
    Ya-Yas in Bloom
    All by Rebecca Wells
    Wonderful & horrible & wonderful

  401. I got goosebumps reading about the books people love. I buy adult fiction for my library district, and it’s my favorite job I’ve ever had. I feel like I’m buying chocolate for people–milk, dark, creams, nuts and chews, and those odd ones where you can’t figure out what’s inside but you still like it.
    For creative inspiration, I love a book called the Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were.

    Books I’ve re-read are:
    –The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love
    –Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels
    –The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
    –A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
    –Five Quarters of the Orange and Chocolat by Joanne Harris
    –The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

    Latest favorite book: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

  402. Bridge of Birds – it’s one of the books I keep extra copies of in case someone hasn’t read it before.

  403. Oh, and anything by A.S. Byatt. Posession is great, but she also has a series of 4 books about the same family: The Virgin in the Garden, Still Life, Babel Tower and A Whistling Woman. I just reread Babel Tower.

  404. I read “The Count of Monte Cristo” when I was in the seventh grade and I absolutely love that book. I have re-read it countless times over the years (50 of them, in fact) and even though I know every bit of it I still love the book. I have it as an Audible book now so I can listen to it even when the brain weasels make it impossible to read.

  406. The dragon riders of pern series Anne mccaffrey the lord peter wimsey mystery series by Dorothy Sayers. And to the tribe: no wonder I feel at home when I’m here! All those authors that I love to read including E. Nesbit. Hooray!!

  408. “Anna Dressed in Blood” by Kendare Blake, and the sequel “Girl of Nightmares.” They are both YA horror, but are so delightfully macabre that some of the murder scenes make me laugh out loud from the dark humor of them. Also ANYTHING by Holly Black.

  409. The Time Traveler’s Wife, Little Women, Gone With the Wind. And not one that I’ve re-read but just finished for the first time and loved: The Soul of An Octopus

  412. Favorite book. I think that’s the hardest question in the world. One favorite is Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. I was never a fan of westerns but this blew me away and the length is a pro rather than con because I wanted to live in this book forever.
    A series I love is Chaos Walking trilogy starting with The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Incredible world building and characters and a dog who thinks out loud.
    A newer favorite is The Bees by Laline Paull. Thrilling. Living life as a bee and of course the ecological standpoint and I couldn’t put it down.

  413. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I first read it when I was in junior high, and it will always be one of my favorites.

  415. So hard to pick, but 2 of my faves (already mentioned) are The Art of Racing in the Rain and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

  416. The All Souls Trilogy (starts with A Discovery of Witches) by Deborah Harkness. Such an amazing series, and I especially love the audiobook version, because the reader moves seamlessly through at least a dozen or so distinct voices and accents.

  417. Other than Harry Potter, my favorite books that I am jealous of people reading for the first time are Night Circus and Ready Player One.

  418. Connie Willis: Bellwether. Technically science fiction in that it’s fiction about science but a charming read and not nearly as light as it seems.

  419. The Book of Flying by Keith Miller – it’s a quest tale that is enriched by others’ stories, and so beautifully done. Also, The Dark Tower series (if we’re counting series) – it’s my bible.

  420. Frankenstein and To Kill a Mockingbird. Then follow the Mockingbird book with the movie version with Gregory Peck. He is spectacular in that role. Almost wish I could have another son and name him Atticus. Sigh…

  421. Oh, and The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell! There are just too many to name 😆

  422. Outlander series, but they’re a big commitment. Also any A Song of Ice and Fire books, once again a commitment. I loved The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and it will probably be one I reread through the years. Growing up I don’t know how many times I reread Little Women. I need to get it out again and relive it.

  423. I read the phantom tollbooth. It’s a young adult book but there are so many good quotes in that book. I love it.

  424. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – well written BUT it also reminds me to be thankful for every penny I have.

  425. Good Omens – I have a first edition that is close to falling apart because I read it so often. I finally broke down and got it in an e-book so I can take care of my hard copy

  426. Nina Kiriki Hoffman – The Thread That Binds the Bones. I think I read it four times in a row after I first bought it and it’s brilliant.

  427. My favourite book is probably “The Tiger’s Woman” by Celeste de Blasis who died much too young. It’s a historical novel set in San Francisco, Seattle and the San Juan Islands. It’s almost 700 pages but I’ve read it over 10 times. I also reread the entire series is Pern books energy couple of years and the Anne Of Green Gables series, often starting with Anne’s House of Dreams. I also read Tamora Pierce’s YA novels(all of them!) Every couple of years.

  428. Name of The Wind and Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss ( I know that’s technically 2 books… but they are a matched set and cannot be separated.)

  429. Since childhood it was A Secret Garden, but I think the shine has finally worn off and now it’s the Lord Peter short stories by Dorothy Sayers. And the Mrs. Pollifax stories by Dorothy Gilman.

  431. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
    A Soldier’s Duty by Jean Johnson
    Feed by Mira Grant

  432. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods. I embarrassed myself on a plane laughing inappropriately the first time I read it. Seat mates on a plane don’t appreciate the person next to them snorting apparently.

  433. Well, it’s technically a children’s book – but the book I’ve read the most times and loved every single time is Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. It’s one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read – in the best way.

  436. Forgot a couple:
    “Magnificent Obsession”
    “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”

  438. The books I read over and over are:
    Jane Eyre
    A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
    The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer both by Barbara Kingsolver

  439. History of Love by Nicole Krauss. It’s so beautiful. It has my favorite line of any book, “Her kiss was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”

  440. The Devil,s Advocate by Taylor Caldwell
    Behind Closed Doors. B. A . Paris
    Lisa Geneva books
    The nightingale and magic hour. Kristin Hannah
    The Alice network
    Emma bombeck books

  441. With you and everybody else on Bradbury, of course. But since I haven’t seen it mentioned yet, pretty much any of James Baldwin (particularly his fiction) always makes me happy that he exists and intensely aware of my own limits, writing-wise. Sonny’s Blues, Giovanni’s Room, or (if you can find it) The Manchild has the most incredible opening pages I know of.

  442. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I read it so many times growing up that it fell apart – my mother had to buy me another copy. Even though I lived in southern WV – I was able to identify (in good ways) with the young book loving Francie growing up in the early 1900’s Brooklyn.

  443. I know I’ve recommended this before, but I have read it soooo many times I had to scotch tape/glue the first copy I ever bought at a church bazaar multiple times until I caved and bought a new copy that also ended scotch tape and glued back together. “The Eagle And The Raven” by Pauline Gedge. I also have read and re-read these by Sheri S. Tepper: “The Gate to Women’s Country”, “Grass”, “Raising the Stones”, “Sideshow”, & “Beauty”.

  445. I love it when you do this! A lot of my favorites have already been mentioned, but here are a few more:

    Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban
    Our Lady of the Lost and Found by Diane Schoemperlen
    If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie

  446. Anything Jack Ryan by Tom Clancy or Laurell K.Hamilton. I know they are two very different genres, but they give me something new every time I read them. I have read and re-read all of them. I am also possibly adding the Outlander series to my list, but I have only read the series three times. It takes four or five to get on favorites list…

  447. My favorite is actually a tie: “The Good Earth Trilogy” by Pearl S. Buck (yes, it’s a trilogy, most people don’t know that, “The Good Earth” continues in “Sons” and concludes in “A House Divided”) and the absolutely brilliant “The Scarlet Pimpernel” by Baroness Emma Orczy. Both are books I read over and over, but I’ll never get the surprise from reading the Pimpernel’s twist again. However, there IS a whole series of “Pimpernel” books if you like them.

  449. (Also Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart, the Alienist by Caleb Carr, My Antonia by Willa Cather, and The Bone People by Keri Hulme. I HATE narrowing down!)

  451. A fool free by Beate Grimsrud, one of those books where you don´t know whether to laugh or cry.

  452. The Hobbit
    The Lord of the Rings
    The Heart of Darkness byUrsula Le Guin (collection of short stories)

  453. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

    I know its not a novel book, but its a comic book so I say it counts. Sometimes when Im really depressed. Or anxious. Or just overwhelmed I cannot handle a whole novel (even though I love novels and read them all the time) Sometimes they are just too daunting. But a small book, with pictures, is just perfect. So. Nimona is my pick.

  454. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. I still have the same dog-eared copy I bought from my elementary school’s book fair when I was six year’s old (more than 40 years ago!), with my name written inside the front cover in bad kindergartner handwriting. It was the first book I bought with my own money. I read that same copy to each of my three boys when they were small, I read it at least once a year now, and I still cry every time.

  457. Can’t do just one, but will do three as good things come in 3’s -right?
    The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
    Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (or anything in her writings–so good!)
    Clay’s Quilt by Silas House

  458. Stoner, by John Williams. (NOT about drugs. The main character’s last name is Stoner.) A classic — not to be missed.

  460. Anything by Tamora Pierce. My favorite specifically is the Beka Cooper trilogy (Terrier, Bloodhound, Mastiff) but I have read every single book she’s written multiple times. They’re that good.

    I read Terrier again every few months it seems like.

  462. Love Ray Bradbury! His Martian Chronicles are still some of my favorite short stories.

    If you’re interested in SF/F, I think the Grimnoir Chronicles by Larry Correia is my favorite series- I love introducing people to it.

    For a mystery with a bit of Romance, I recommend The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

    And if you’re looking for something to cheer you up, try the Mercury series by Robert Kroese, and/ or Fool by Christopher Moore. Love them both!

  464. AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES by Leah Bobet and THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS by Karen Lord. Also THE BLUE CASTLE (L.M. Montgomery), WIVES AND DAUGHTERS (Elizabeth Gaskell), and anything by Jane Austen.

  466. The Fever Series by Karen Marie Morning. I have two quote tattoos. One is “Furiously Happy” and the other is from the Fever Series “Hope strengthens,fear kills”.

    Also anything Jame Austen, Emily if New Moon, And To Kill a Mockingbird.

  467. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth. Long, sweating and fascinating. Basically feels like you are in India living the story.

  468. Gone With the Wind. So many complex and interesting characters; the racism is eye opening; the way people just accept the status quo without examining the inhumanity that surrounds them; the love story, with its twisted hero and heroine, who behave in the inexplicable way real people do. The movie can’t compare to the book.

  469. If you haven’t already read it, I think you might enjoy Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner. She had a very unconventional childhood, too.

  472. “The Book of the Dun Cow”. I thought a LOT about this, tossing aside first this book, then that one. Then I remembered brave, howling Mundo Cani and arrogant, crowing Chanticleer, and… well, I don’t think any book has ever made me laugh and cry quite so reliably. (I haven’t had the heart to read the sequels, which were written much later and have mixed reviews)

  474. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I have read it maybe 3 times. Love it.

  475. I read Adam and Eve and Pinch Me while I was in high school….a loooong time ago. It has stuck with me since then. I loved it.

  476. So very many wonderful books. BTW, the Bradbury collection is great, but there is real value reading The Martian Chronicles or the Illustrated Man. There’s the magic Bradbury does around the theme – that gives me a thrill every time I read them.

    The “book” I’ve read the most is the Lord of the Rings, but I’m sure you’ve read that, and probably L’Engle (fiction and nonfiction) too, which are my most brilliant and go-to books. Kim Stanley Robinson, however, is probably the most-underrated amazing writer there is. His book, the Years of Rice and Salt, is a book that continues to intrigue me, even when I’m not reading it. Although he’s one of the best SF writers, this is more like Bradbury – Speculative Fiction, and wonderful. Well worth your time.
    Booklovers Unite! – separately, in our own nooks, with a cat and something refreshing to drink.

  477. I went and read over the recommendations and my heart is full because I’ve read and enjoyed so many of them. I found myself saying “Oh YEAH! I loved that one!” over and over. But somebody who did not seem to get mentioned is Tom Holt, a funnier, British version of Christopher Moore. Really read him; you’ll bust a gut. Any of his are wonderful, but I personally think well of “Here Comes The Sun”, “Faust Among Equals” and “Ye Gods!” What he does is take common myths/stories and turn them on their head. Like, what if the whole of nature is run by a bureaucracy and has a severely strapped budget? If Faust escapes, where does he go and how do you catch him? When Hercules was growing up, how do you deal with an incredibly strong toddler who has an all-powerful father?

    Also in the “bust a gut” category is Dave Barry, rightly called “America’s Funniest Man”. He’s retired now, and tends to write books about family life, my favorite of which is “You Can’t Date Boys Until You’re Forty”, but I’ve reread his collections of his columns over and over, probably my favorite being a tie between “Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up” and “Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits” He’s hilarious; really, read him.

  479. My favorite books of all time (besides yours, of course), are Outlander Series, Diana Gabaldon and The Stand, Stephen King

  481. I’m a political junkie.
    Michael Hayden’s “Playing to the Edge.”
    Christmas Fanatic.
    Rhys Bowen’s “Twelve Clues of Christmas.”

  482. My favourite is A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeleine L’Engle. Always manages to comfort me.

  483. Twelve Little Cakes by Dominika Dery and The Satanic Mill (also known as Krabat) by Otfried Preußler (Preussler.)

  486. There aren’t too many books that I haven’t read multiple times. If I e only read them once then it was because they were a) awful or b) the book sucked me in too deeply to go back to.
    Favorite read of 2016 was The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, though. I’d recommend it.

  487. For me, the “A Wrinkle in Time” series. It’s been my go-to for 30 + years. 🙂

  488. There are several, depending on my mood. Today it’s The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler.

  490. Beginner’s Luck by Laura Pedersen: not a book or author most people have ever heard of but it feels like putting on that favorite pair of old jeans every time I read it! There are too many good books for me to read anything more than once, but I keep coming back to this one every couple years.

  491. Modoc by Ralph Helfer. A lovely romance adventure novel about “the greatest elephant thatever lived”. Hands down my favorite book ever.

  492. You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero
    Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
    A Million Little Pieces by James Frey – I don’t care what Oprah says!
    The Shack by William P Young

  493. Paula by Isabel Allende
    Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
    Giant Bones by Peter S. Beagle
    The Tiffany Aching Series by Terry Pratchett

  494. Animal Husbandry by Laura Zigman. I find it utterly (see what i did there? lol) hilarious. I adore this book. Its irreverent and brilliant, and the movie Someone Like You is based on it, but doesn’t hold a candle to it.

  496. I’ve read the entire series of The Dresden Files by Jim Burcher at least 3 times. I’m torn between impatience at having the rest of the series published, and dreading the inevitable feelings of grief once there aren’t more forthcoming.

  497. Definitly, that would be “Furiously Happy” And i get to relive it when I see your blog posts

  499. As a child I read Reader’s Digest Condensed Books over and over. I see many of those books and authors mentioned here but one I haven’t seen is THE GIFT OF THE DEER by
    Helen Hoover. She wrote several books about living off the grid (before that was a thing) among animals and with nature in general during the 40’s thru 60’s. Now own them all as ebooks and recommend them to all animal lovers.

  500. I could read “Comet in Moominland” by Tove Jansson a million times over – and probably have since I was seven years old.

  501. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, and Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Both transport you to another world; the characters are so well developed, and the sense of place is very strong in each, making you feel, smell, and almost taste the world within. Cutting for Stone explores religion and family in a deep way, questioning the strong ties of both. I buy copies at second hand shops so I can give them away.

  503. I like to re-read my Dave Duncans, my favourites being the A Man Of His Word series, and the King’s Blades series. Either read only one or all three of the latter, if you read only 2, they won’t make sense.
    I also love re-reading Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes, and most of Jennifer Crusie’s stuff, especially Bet Me and Faking It.

  504. The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson
    And I’m a consummate Neil Gaiman fan too so we have similar tastes. This one is right in there with Neil’s work.

  506. The Time Traveler’s Wife is my all time favorite, and I have read it a million times. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced! Her Fearful Symmetry is also amazing, as are all of her graphic novels. Her visual art is as brilliant as her writing!

  507. And I suppose you’re looking more for funny recommendations, in which case: Nick Hornby, especially About a Boy.

  508. The entire Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (comedy/fantasy I guess?) and the entire Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold (space opera/speculative fiction?). Count of Monte Cristo. Yeah.

  512. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. It’s wise, funny, is about a woman learning to be brave and independent, and there are cinnamon buns. And monsters.

  513. Friday by Heinlein is the first book to come to mind. As many have stated, though, it is difficult to choose just one. I’m currently rereading my way through the In Death series by JD Robb (Nora Roberts).

  516. Favorite book ever, of all time: American Gods. But, I’m also a huge fan of series urban fantasy (Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Kevin Hearne), and a fun one-off (or two-off, I suppose) is/are Hold Me Closer, Necromancer and Necromancing the Stone, both by Lish McBride.

  520. Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. Best underrated book. Milagro Beanfield War, Lonesome Dove.

  522. Anything by Pat Conroy … his writing is lyrical … Prince of Tides, Lords of Discipline

    Also Justin Cronin’s amazing Passage trilogy … starting with The Passage

  524. I’m SO glad someone recommended The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I read that and Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides over and over.

  526. A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Poisonwood Bible are my longtime favorites!

  527. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Blue Nowhere, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy, Furiously Happy, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

  528. My absolute favorite book of all time is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. It’s so complex! I find something new every time I read it.

  529. Archly and Mehitabel by Don Marquis. Loved the idea of a cockroach who could type (lower case only) whose best friend is an alley cat.

  530. Last night in twisted river is a haunting novel by John Irving that makes me wish I could write. Also Breakfast with Buddha & The Goldfinch. Hope you are on the mend

  535. Lord of the Rings – Before I had kids I’d read it every Christmas. Now I’ve got my Tolkien tattoo since I don’t have time to obsessively read. Also Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift from the Sea always speaks to me in just the way I need when I pick it up.

  537. Anything David Mitchell, but I’m sure you’ve probably read his stuff 😉

  538. I’m really late for this but Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris, I think everyone should read it.

  540. Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett, or Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

  542. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett AND Neil Gaiman, Digger by Ursula Vernon… it’s possible I read a lot.

  543. Any of Marian Keyes’ books, specifically Anybody Out There?, and Angels. Also Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility–I have 2 copies and both are falling apart.

  544. Lamb by Christopher Moore, hands down! I’ve read posts when you’ve mentioned it before so it is nothing new. But I reread it at least once a year and I recommend it to any and all. Another one I really love is Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key. It is really different from the Disney movie (darker and moere reflective of the politics of the time it was written) but still so good! Kiss the Girls and Make Them Spy by Mabel Maney, it is silly but so enjoyable. Its about Jane Bond, James Bond’s twin sister who is a lesbian, she is drafted to impersonate James at a meeting with the Queen but gets caught up in a big spy plot. So funny!

  546. C S Lewis -The Great Divorce, Alexander McCall Smith – The NO. 1 Detective Agency series (I am sure you will like these.),

  547. Lamb, the Gospel According to Jesus’s Childhood Friend Biff — Christopher Moore. If you haven’t read this yet, stop whatever you are doing and find it. Then set aside several hours, because it’s a big one and you won’t be able to put it down.

  548. The Count of Monte Cristo. There are several books I re-read year after year, but this one is my hands down favorite ever of all time.

  549. Stranger In the Kingdom and Nelly Blythe — Howard Frank Mosher Such memorable characters.
    Also a big fan of Laurie Colwins books and The Secret Garden

  550. Can’t list just one……
    My “Stuck on a desert island” read a million times list->
    Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wee Free Men, any of the Pern books, Catspaw (Vinge), too many more.

  553. All of your fans are siting all of these classic books or books with insight, etc. Me, I am going to say the Harry Potter series! Yes,,,,I am old..54…but I love Harry Potter! Plus anything my daughter-in-law Jen Knox writes.
    1. After the Gazebo, Jen Knox
    2. To Begin Again. Jen Knox
    3. Musical Chairs. Jen Knox
    4. Don’t Tease The Elephants. Jen Knox (A chapter book)
    5. Her newest release…The Glass City. Just released a couple of weeks ago.

  554. The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

    It’s got that beautiful sort of surreal quality to it, where it’s almost the world we know…and when I read it I get that otherworldly sensation for a while afterwards, like there will be magic around the next corner, and the world is beautiful. It’s lovely.

  555. At sixty, I feel like time is too short to re-read any books – there is still so much to read – but in my younger days I often re-read favorites. Rebecca, Atlas Shrugged, The Little Prince, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, all of Agatha Christie’s novels, Lord of the Rings. I did read or listen to Harry Potter over and over before the latest would come out. The last one was The Book Thief – I loved that book so hard!

  556. Wheel of Time series from Robert Jordan. Yes, it is 14 LONG books, but I’ve never read anything as ambitious, expansive, creative and canonical as this series. Honestly read the entire thing 6 times.

  557. You should read Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold. The protagonist is so, so broken, but he experiences healing and growth that is one of the most powerful and uplifting reads I’ve had. Plus, she’s an AWESOME author. And funny. With that black humor sort of funny.

  559. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It’s smart, informative, a bit dark, and totally hilarious. I saw that someone else has already mentioned this one, but it’s so good I had to throw it out there, too.

  561. “Possession,” by A. S. Byatt. It’s so many different books in one. A book of letters, a book of poetry, a Victorian mystery, a modern romance – each time I read it I find something new to grab my imagination and inspire me.

  562. The Child Thief by Brom. Its a dark retelling of Peter Pan. Complete with illustrations.

  563. The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon…I picked it up randomly at airport and never wanted it to end. Most unusual, told from perspective of 10 year-old girl in small, poor British 1970s neighborhood. Everyone has a secret and complicated history all revealed as story unfolds. No real goats and sheep (sorry) – biblical allusion that confuses the narrator. Great writing, with sentences you just want to linger over.

  564. I have read Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER series (8 books) twice. Hot sex, a lot of action, romance, historical fiction and more. Not much laughing, though. By the way, I have just read FURIOUSLY HAPPY and now am reading your first. I can’t remember all the things I kept saying “me, too!” to while reading them, but there were a LOT. I love reading your writings. Now I will become a faithful (or semi-faithful) blog reader as well. I hope that wasn’t on the edge of stalker-creepy. I didn’t mean it that way!
    ~Jen

  565. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
    My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Piccoult
    Lucia, Lucia by Adrianna Trigianni

  566. Ditto all the Jane Austen, but the book I’d save in a fire (even though I could get a new copy) is Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Mine is held together with rubber bands and people who are not me are not permitted to handle it. Kind of like the original Magna Carta.

    If you want something poignant and lovely, I vote for Euphoria by Lily King. It’s a historical fiction novel about anthropologist Margaret Mead. Also loved Circling the Sun by Paula McClain: historical fiction about Beryl Markham, aviator & part of love triangle with Karen Blixen & Denys Finch-Hatton (Out of Africa).

    For good fun, This One Is Mine and Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.

    I also like the cozy mysteries by Laura Durham (Better Off Wed, For Better or for Hearse, etc.). More good fun even if they remind me how useless I am when it comes to solving mysteries.

  567. I rillyrilly hope this works because I need you to see my favorite book (which is the volume of the first four books of the Myth Adventures by Robert Asprin). I’m 44; I got it when I was in 6th grade. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it. I read the later books in the series and they were ok; I just didn’t feel that “my BFF just walked in and we’re going to braid each other’s hair and do tequila shots” feeling (except the tequila shots which weren’t until 9th grade). Maybe it’s like when you get to the 5th movie sequel or the 5th TV season when it just gets pretty wonky.
    Now I’m going to try to put the link to the image and hope that 1- the link doesn’t put me in your spammer losers box and 2- you allow HTML in your comment section. And I can’t just copy/paste the link because I’m on my iPhone and it’s going to take too much energy to get up and go to my iMac right now so I’m writing it out. And writing out code? Am less than stellar in that capacity.
    Here we go — [crossing fingers]

    That took me about a half hour so I rillyrilly hope it works.

  569. I re-read endlessly:
    Lois McMaster Bujold
    Kathleen Gilles Seidel (why do more people not know about her? She is fabulous!!!)
    Georgette Heyer (regencies, not mysteries)
    If you haven’t read “Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson and Rational Arrangement by by L. Rowyn I HIGHLY recommend both. Everyone I know who has read either of them loved them.

  570. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. Also his Thursday Next series.

    Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is fantastic too. My absolute favorite is Thief of Time.

  572. All of the Tales of the City Books. Mine were so worn out that I had to buy another set!

  573. Surely you’ve read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott already? I don’t write (much) and I’ve read it at least three times so far; it’s so good. I also have a book called Tomorrow’s Children that is 18 (really old) science fiction stories edited by Isaac Asimov; I think I’ve read it a dozen times. There are some stories in there I think you might love because they’re all very strange in the best way (especially Gilead, by Zenna Henderson). I also occasionally re-read a book called Shadow Castle by Marian Cockrell (written in 1945) that is technically a children’s book but I still love it.

  574. Dances With Wolves–It was an assigned book in high school Lit class and I literally have read my copy (it was a paperback)until it was in tatters. I need to go order a new one from Amazon because I LOVE this book.

    There’s also one that I love called Child Of The Morning, which is a fictionalized account of the life and reign of the female pharaoh, Hapshetsut. 😀

  575. “A Hat Full of Sky”. Terry Pritchett, also “monsterous regiment” by the same. Both very charming and clever coming of age stories.

  577. Oh! Also “wind up bird chronicals” which is the most technically perfect book I have ever read. I wish I could read it in the original Japanese.

  578. You’ve probably read Geek Love, but if not, good lord go do it now. The other one I recommend for just strange beauty is The Gargoyle, mentioned upthread by another smart person.

  579. Anything by Neil Gaiman, which I’m sure you’ve read most. The Graveyard Book is probably my go to.

  581. I have no culture. I love to read (when I have time), but it’s “nothing to write home about”. I often get sucked into the YA books I used to buy my child.. magical, mythical, fantasy, supernatural, and dystopian. Yes, I loved and read all of the Twilight books, at least 3x each. I also have read & watched the 50 Shades of Grey books. (not bought for said child.. who is technically an adult now at 20). Right now, I should be reading and studying my pharmacy technician manuals. Test in a week’s time. UGH.

  582. The Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood and Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver.

  583. The Deborah Harkness trilogy. Witches and vampires are SO not my thing but I have read and re-read these several times. Harkness is an historian who writes well and gets the details right.

  585. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I keep rereading and I love it to bits.
    Chalice by Robin McKinley, one of my favorite comfort books, also her book Shadows, which has origami and heroic animals.

  587. Definitely “Desert Flower” by Waris Dirie. Desert Flower is an amazing autobiography about an African nomad who escapes her horrible life and travels Africa with the hopes of one day coming to America. She ended up being one of the most famous fashion models of all time and eventually became a speaker for the United Nations. I don’t want to give too much away but It’s an amazing story and it’s so well written that it’s hard to imagine it being real. I recommend this book to everyone so I guess it’s my favorite book. It was also turned into a movie a few years back. I haven’t watched it yet so I can’t say if it’s any good or not, but I’m sure it opened people’s eyes to the cruelty to women that goes on in African cultures.

  589. I’m with Team “To Kill A Mockingbird.” I read it every couple of years. Clutch it to my chest at the end, every single time. Even when I’m reading it on a Kindle.

  590. I go to my favorites from childhood: A Wrinkle in Time (and all Madeleine L’Engle books), The Velvet Room (and all Zilpha Keatley Snyder books), From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (and all E. L. Konigsburg books), and The Chronicles of Narnia and the Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis.

  591. armistead Maupin tales of the city, because family isn’t just biological x

  592. The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth by Roger Zelazny
    A collection of amazing stories.

  593. I love love love The Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It’s about books and reading and writing in a postwar Gothic setting. Like an operatic horror movie with literature and mystery 😄

  597. Well, your books, actually, haha 🙂 but for a good laugh Chelsea Handler’s Are you there god it’s me, Vodka

  599. for general well written intelligent goofballiness:

    The Eyre Affair – Jasper Fforde — and all this other stuff too, but Eyre is the first in the series
    100 Year Old Man who climbed out the window and disappeared – Jonas Jonasson

    Both of these books are ones that make me sad I can never read for the first time again.

  601. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell; and then also Watership Down by Richard Adams. I have read each of these books at least twenty times. Love love love!

  603. Omg just totally burst out laughing at #nationalthankgodwearenotonfireday! Let’s see, favorite books… It’s hard for me to recommend “favorite” books because most of the books I actually read repeatedly are old YA favorites, and not popular ones either. I think I’ve recommended ‘City of Hope and Ruin’ to you before, it’s a beautiful lgbt sci-fi novel about two women who live in different worlds, both fighting against literal monsters, and how they connect. My newest favorite YA series is Horse Diaries, where each book is told from the POV of a horse at some point in history. The Catalyst, by Helena Coggan, is another really awesome sci-fi book where the main character has to hide the fact that she’s a “hybrid” while working with the very people who kill hybrids.

  604. Travel’s With Charley by Steinbeck. Favorite book of all time, hands down!

  605. Amazing list—how are you going to choose??!!
    Franny and Zooey by JD. Salinger

  606. Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series. Rereading it right now! And sharing my copies with a friend who is in the midst of a highly stressful family situation.

  607. Don’t Fade Away, by Peter Barton. It’s a memoir of someone who crammed more into his life Rohan any gen normal human beings. Educated at Columbia and Harvard, all on his own dime, he was a ski bum, beach life guard, aide to a NY governor, musician, liberal wild man who became an early cable TV gazillionaire. Home Shopping was one of his many ideas.
    Almost as an aside, he recounts his battle with stomach cancer, to which he succumbed in his early fifties.. I dated him more than forty years ago, and he was the single most interesting, talented (not to mention hot!) man I’ve ever known. And an excellent writer and philosopher as it turns out. I keep having to buy new copies, as the ones I lend out have a tendency to not return.

  608. Not sure I’d re-read, it’s very sad, but wow is All My Puny Sorrows ever beautifully written

  609. A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness. This is just the first book in a trilogy. They are all amazing, and I’m going to read them again after I finish the series I’m reading now

  611. Books from my childhood….Magic by the Lake, Half Magic, Knight’s Castle, all by EDWARD EAGER, also Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh. The Once and Future King (T.H. White)…there are sooooo many. I can’t even think of them all!

  614. Books not written by you:

    My Sisters Keeper or Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult
    Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
    Still Alice by Lisa Genova

    And the books I recommend to not you:

    Let’s Pretend This Never Happened
    Furiously Happy

    🙂🙂🙂

  615. It’s hard to choose ONE favorite, but the one I’ve probably read the most times is Richard Bach’s Illusions. For the pure beauty of the language (and a wonderful story), I have to say I really love Mark Helprin’s Winter’s Tale.

  619. Have you heard of Inspiration Sandwich by Sark? I haven’t read it in years and it’s entirely possible that I loved it simply because of where I was in my life at the time, but I wore those pages out. It’s quirky and imaginative and encourages risk taking and creative bravery. You might just love it ❤️

  620. Heartburn by Nora Ephron. I re-read it every few years. It is a truly perfect book.

  621. The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan is a fabulously funny and touching memoir. I laughed and cried and made my husband read it and he laughed out loud too, and loved it. Of course, I go to Furiously Happy too but that’s probably all in your head already. If you want a scary fiction my absolute favorite is The Dark Half by Stephen King. I read it in two days and dreamed about it.

  624. i have five; hope that’s okay.

    a head full of ghosts by paul tremblay
    instructions by neil gaiman
    one hundred years of solitude by gabriel garcia marquez
    lamb by christopher moore
    let’s pretend this never happened by jenny lawson (yeah, i know it doesn’t count but it’s on my list)

  629. An old one would be Evergreen, and more currently A Man Called Ove. I’m sure there are a lot in between, too.

  630. I’m currently reading “The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair: A Novel” by Joel Dicker. So far, so good. It’s hard to put down.

  633. Hmm…600+ comments and none of my favorites mentioned yet? I really am a weirdo. :). Ok – when I need to be inspired by fantastic words, William Gibson is my go-to. I love the way he strings words together. His prose makes me stop and savor sentences.

    For comfort reads, I usually go back to my grade school favorites: Birth of the Firebringer and The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce; The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (?); and Tomorrow’s Sphinx by Clare Bell.

    My absolute favorite, throwing it at everyone I know, book is Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey. It’s dark, dark humor and lots of supernatural mayhem. Its surreal, and horrific, and crude, and damn funny, and I can’t resist it. love this book so much!

  634. Oddly, I’ve read Voltaire’s “Candide” many times throughout my life. It’s meant to be satire but, from my first reading at a very naive 18, I’ve always read it as truly meaning everything happens for a reason and that things work out for the best.
    But if that’s not your bag, I agree with many others above who recommend Christopher Moore’s “Lamb” as one of his best, if not the best. I also love his Bloodsucking Fiends series.

  635. Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins.
    I read it the first time when I was 13 (yes, waaaayyyy to young to reading such a book, but most of those parts I didn’t understand anyway. Yet.) I have read it at least once a year since… and there’s been a lot of years since 13!

  636. Oh, and A Dance for Emilia by Peter S Beagle. warning it deals with grief and loss, but it is the best cat story I have ever read.

  641. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingslover, your books but that doesn’t help you…The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, Memoirs of a Giesha, Harry Potter & Life of Pi

  642. This is a free e-book by Elise Sax titled An affair to dismember. It is free at Amazon. She is a funny writer. I read the book and then bought the next five books in the series.

  643. Ray Bradbury also wrote a FANTASTIC book about writing and creativity called “Zen in the Art of Writing.” Its a very slender volume, but it is chock full of wisdom and inspiration. I high recommend it.

  644. I love this because we all get all kinds of new book recommendations! My two favorites are “Sophie’s Choice” by Styron and “The Stand” by Stephen King. Have fun reading, and write faster!

  645. Jenny, I think you would love All Our Wrong Todays but Elan Mastai! It’s a newish book and has everything a good book should – plus time travel! Give it a try and I’m sure you won’t be able to put it down.

  646. Mira Grant – The Newsflesh Trilogy (plus many short stories and another full-length novel)
    Anne Bishop – The Others
    Have them as audiobooks and the narrators are excellent.

  648. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis! Sci-fi, time travel, history, one of the funniest books I’d ever read before “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.”

  649. Too many to list, there are so many books that I have reread in the last 40 years, and still love.

  650. The Liar’s Club, by Mary Karr (I’m sure you’ve read it), The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls (you’ve read that one, too?) Calling Invisible Women, by Jeanne Ray, and my niece’s YA adult book (for your daughter, but funny enough for an adult to enjoy) WHO’S THAT GIRL?, by Blair Thornburgh!!!

  651. furiously happy 🙂
    also the alchemist by coelho or any other one of his works.

  654. I always go back to Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the only story I have read more than 3 times.

  655. The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld – it’s a dark story but written so poetically.

  656. Cloud of Sparrows, and Autumn Bridge, both by Takashi Matsuoka. They are historical, supernatural love stories, set in Japan. I keep waiting for his next book, but he hasn’t written one yet.

  657. I have 2 – Beggars in Spain and The Sparrow. Both a little science fiction and a lot of deep thoughts.

  660. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. -Written by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman.

  661. I’m actually an adult but I still wish I could be best friends with Toad of Toad Hall, so I re-read Wind in the Willows and pretend. It’s very helpful.
    Gael

  664. David Eddings The Belgarion series. Any Lois McMaster Bujold ‘Vor’ series.

  668. Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Rules for Making it Work
    By Tim Gunn

  669. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb, The Power of One
    by Bryce Courtenay, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, and Wilderness tips by Margaret Atwood are my “comfort reads”. I can re-read them ad nauseum.

  670. The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay. Honestly the best Canadian fantasy writer ever. Even if you are not a huge fantasy fan, this book is definitely worth the read. I promise you will love it!

  671. I have two:. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenedis, and The Eye of the Dragon, by Stephen King. Happy reading!

  672. Two books I read over and over:
    People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks and
    Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

    I also read and reread Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

  673. I have a recommendation of interest to the tribe. It’s a book about depression, refugees, secrets, superpowers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It includes a quote that “sometimes stories are the medicine.” I also happen to be the author of that book — it launched only this week — but genuinely, this book might be for you. Maybe download the Kindle preview chapter, help an indie author out? https://www.amazon.com/Transference-Kate-Jonuska/dp/0692913920/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

  674. My go to is Tiny Beautiful Things, but I just finished Sherman Alexie’s You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, and uff-da, all the feels.

  675. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. It’s got an exotic location, wildlife and crazy people. It makes for hilarious reading.

  676. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert E. Barry. (It’s a children’s book.)

  677. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. I read it to my students every year. In a nutshell, it’s about a young girl with cerebral palsy who is stuck in her head and desperately wants to get out. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll think, you’ll feel.

  678. I just reread Martha Wells’s raksura series and it’s even better as a reread. If you haven’t already read them, I think you’ll love the characters. Ditto her new Murderbot series. And you almost certainly know about her since she’s been writing sf/f forever and is awesome and Texan, but if not you absolutely must.

  680. Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible or Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird.

  681. Some not already mentioned:
    A constellation of vital phenomena
    The orchardist
    Small great things -Jodi picoult
    The nightingale
    The interestings
    Ruby
    Beautiful ruins – jess Walter

  682. The Riddle Master Series by Patricia McKillip. A trilogy that I read over and over. Treason by Orson Scott Card. His best book imho. Character development in both is beautiful done.

  683. I’ve been reading (and re-reading) Steven Brust non-stop for months. Fortunately, he’s both brilliant AND prolific, so there’s a lot to read and enjoy.

    If you’ve never read “Between the Bridge and the River” by Craig Ferguson, DO SO. It’s full of seriousness and silliness and humor and sadness and all those good things. And it’s a cracking good first novel for a guy who makes a living telling dirty Scottish jokes.

  684. The books that I had to hunt down to read again cause it left such a positive mark in my memory was the enchanted forest chronicles. Yes they are young adult, but I still love them.

  686. “To Kill a Mockingbird”; and while YA, book club unanimously agreed that “The Serpent King” was beautiful and relatable; and always always always “Alice In Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass (and What Alice Found There)” – totally wish I’d written ‘Jabberwocky’!

  687. Jo Nesbo! Everything he’s written is crazy fucking bliss! Love you Jenny!

  688. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts – it’s a biggie but isn’t that preferred?

  690. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. Super different journey than the movie, so don’t compare too much. I go back and re-read it every few years and I never get tired of the Absolutely stunning use of language as well as emotional journey.

  691. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. It is only 149 pages and it is actually two short stories. I try to read it at least once a year.

  692. This House of Sky by Ivan Doig. A memoir of a boy raised by his father and his mother’s mother (who didn’t get along) after the death of his mother on page one. Love permeates the book. Rich, lush language. Autobiographical.

  693. So many suggestions! I don’t re-read books very often (so many books and so little time), but I keep books that I love in case of a reading “emergency”. I recommend Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall. Engrossing stories of misfits making their way through life.

  695. To Kill a Mockingbird
    I could finish reading the last word and then start over again at the beginning and be perfectly happy. And now that I’ve seen the movie, I can’t help but hear Gregory Peck’s voice.

  697. I know that it’s a kid’s book, but I always really love reading Adam Gidwitz’s ‘The Inquisitor’s Tale (or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog)’. It’s always nice to go back to some good old funny adventures with a few magical children. My mother insisted that when she needs some help with writing, she goes back to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood. Not sure why or how it helps her, though.

  698. One of my most favorite books I’ve ever read (beside your books) is the Name of the Wind by an author I’d never heard of: Patrick Rothfuss. He’s working on the third of a trilogy. I LOVED this book. Also, one of my all-time favorite authors is Anne Rivers Siddons – any of her novels. If you’re into audiobooks, the one I loved so much I didn’t want to get out of the car, was read by Peter MacNichols (the “Biscuit” from Ally McBeal), and written by Pat Conroy – Beach Music. Still one of my favorites, and I’ve been an audiobook fan since 1997.

  700. I’m a sucker for classics….The Thorn Birds, Dr. Zhivago, Gone with the Wind…

  701. Vampire High by Douglas Rees. It is a quick read, but so incredibly humorous. I read it fast the first time and missed most of the puns and funny things in it, so second time reading it was even better! (Law firm of Leach, Swindle, and Twist). I’ve read this book at least a dozen times.

  703. To the person who likes Red Adam’s Lady by Grace Ingram, a Kindle version will be released March 1, 2018 on amazon.com. I plan on buying it

  704. So, my current favorite (because I hate to commit to just ONE) is still Stephen King and Peter Straub’s joint effort, “The Talisman”. It kept me uplifted on my most recent hospitalization for being suicidal… The boy is the hero and he’s so courageous, it makes me want to be braver. And his Mom will die if he doesn’t defeat evil and save her life. I relate to both of them. It makes me feel better when I’m really depressed…

  705. When I was in high school, a great teacher told our class to read The Little Prince at different times in our lives, saying that each time, we would see the story in a different light. So every decade or so, I pick up this little gem and, well, the teacher was right. A truly inspiring tale that is ageless.

  707. Across the nightingale floor – Lian Hearne
    Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas
    Finnikin of the rock – Melina Marchetta

  709. #Outlander. I read the first book in 1992 and have read and reread as favorites all ever since.

  710. Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod. By Gary Paulsen. Nonfiction, fascinating, some of it is snort-out-loud funny, some just incredibly memorable and moving. The one we keep several copies of, one for ourself and the others to give to the very best people.

  711. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – I went through 2 copies before I went to a hardcover copy as I read the crap out of the two paperbacks, The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – I… um… I kind of killed my dad’s hardcover copy… <_< The Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer – I’ve read those a few times, and dang it, I’m hoping there will be more… there are whispers of the author penning another series of Enola… and The Lisbeth Salander books… initially created by Stieg Larsson… I read the originals a few times, and I am going to try to read the fourth book again before the fifth book comes out next month….

  712. The Alienist by Caleb Carr
    IT or Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
    Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
    When You Reach Me

    Just depends on my mood.

  713. Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors ever. Something Wicked This Way Comes and Fahrenheit 451. I also read Beowulf followed by Grendel -John Gardner. I love Grendel as a character so much, I named my cat Grendel.

  715. Jenny,

    I have several stories I can just read over and over. They are not necessarily inspirational but are easy reads that are just plain fun. They are :
    “Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones”
    ” One Hundred and One Dalmatians”
    “The Witch of Blackbird Pond”
    “Cheaper by the Dozen”
    Love the blog! My favorite post is about Halley and the Banana Man.

    Maureen

  718. Start here: The plant paradox by Dr Gundry- useful material for dealing with autoimmune hyperactivity.

    The case against sugar by Gary Taubes.

    The speaker for the dead by Orson Scott Card.

    14 and Fold by Peter Cline. Should be made into movies…

    The bobiverse series. Pure sci if popcorn.

    Sharon Shinn’s Samaria series. Fun combination of music and flight, also with evolution of cultures.

    Joel Salatin’s Folks This ain’t normal.

    The Gut. First chapter on the mechanics of pooping. A friendly introduction to gut biology and random gut trivia.

    Jacqueline Carey Kushiel’s series. For intrigue and culture building. “That which yields is not always weak.”

    Any James Herriot stories. Heart warming tales.

    Rabid: the history of the worlds most diabolical virus. Ever wonder where vampires, werewolfs and zombies come from? Check this out.

    Have fun!

  719. I have a tie between The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) and The Flying Sorcerers (David Gerrold).

  720. “A Dirty Job” by Christopher Moore. It’s hands down my favorite piece of fiction. It’s funny and cute, while still maintaining that feeling of this-is-for-adults.

  721. The Circle really messed with me but it’s a really good one. Enter Whining by Fran Drescher spoke to my soul and her other book Cancer Schmancer.

  722. Any book by Elif Shafak
    Birds Without Wings – Louis de Bernières
    Carter Beats the Devil – Glen David Gold
    The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures – Malba Tahan
    Testament of Youth/Friendship/Experience – Vera Brittain
    The Neapolitan Novels – Elena Ferrante
    Letters from Italy and Switzerland – Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (translated by Lady Wallace)

  723. Housekeeping and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
    Both are amazing, as is Home.

  724. Rhe Physicain by Noah Gordon, The Flavia De Luce books by Alan Bradley… Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Heinlein, Gabaldron, L K Hamilton, Anne McCaffrey, Pratchet and Gaiman, William Gibson, Scott Lynch….

  725. I would say Worldwalk by Stephen Newman. It may be out of print by now but worth a search. It’s about his four year trek around the world (during which his mother dies). What I especially loved was at the end of his walk when he returned to the U.S. and EVERY town he walks through had something special going for it. It was so uplifting! Big book though, but worth it.
    On the subject of National booklover ‘s day (yay, our granddaughter Hailey ‘s birthday btw And she is a reader) I say if you’re a reader then reading is Not what you do in your spare time. Everything else is spare time, reading is what you’re doing anyway!

  726. So many that have already been mentioned but that my Type A-ness mandates be put into one list:
    The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Cider House Rules, and Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
    The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series
    The Discovery of Witches trilogy
    Station Eleven
    A Man Called Ove
    Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
    Lonesome Dove
    The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
    A Walk in the Woods
    We Have Always Lived in the Castle (best unreliable narrator EVER)
    The Secret Life of Bees
    Ready Player One
    Beach Music and Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
    Beloved by Toni Morrison

  727. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (I know y’all are buddies but still a top favorite) and Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. Love love love both of these and I give them away every chance I get.

  728. Another vote for My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell and also for Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Childhood favorites with regular revisits: Where The Red Fern Grows, Ender’s Game, The Hobbit, The Horse and His Boy. Nonfiction: Mary Roach Authors currently being rationed so as not to run out too soon: N.K. Jemesin, Louise Penny Kept near at hand for a smile: Lobster is the Best Medicine by Liz Climo.

  729. Christopher Moore’s A Dirty Job makes me snort-laugh. A close second is his book Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve read them, I still laugh!

  731. The Count of Monte Cristo has been my favorite book since I first read it as a teenager. Vastly more interesting than the movie (of course).

  732. I so enjoyed books by Tucker Max. funny as hell. Just finished your books and loved them so much. You are a kindred spirit.

  733. Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams or the sirens of titan by kurt Vonnegut. its def a tie but i love reading books by authors who write like i think which is why i love your books so much jenny!

  735. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It is like Harry Potter but even better-and I don’t say that lightly.

  737. Well, in my house the go to book is usually either “We’re going on a Bear Hunt” or “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” or “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” …. but I have a 3 yr old. However the one I read to myself to put me in a good mood would be any of the Harry Potter series, Shopaholic Series (you would probably enjoy these, I think the story was semi-written about you… kinda) or Lord of the Rings/Hobbit. But if I ever want to feel like my life could definitly be much worse. I go for Edgar Allan Poe – Tale Tell Heart (thump, thump), Pit and the Pendulum (torture chambers are cool right?), The Fall of the House of Usher… Those are my faves but I love almost ALL of his stuff. I feel much less stabby after some Poe reading.

  738. Oh, another great series where sarcasm, hilarity, space adventure, and general hilariousness ensues… Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. BEST SERIES EVER!!!!! i love love love love it!!

  740. 1) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
    2) Breakfast At Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
    3) High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

  741. It’s hard to pick just one, but I think it has to be “The Brothers K” by David James Duncan.

  743. I’m so happy that you did this. I’m stealing this input to add to my own “possible” list.
    My contributions (if you even make it this far!)

    Note: I have a hellish commute, so I’ve listened to all these books!

    Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts – ” sprawling epic about an ex-bankrobber making a new life for himself in the poverty-stricken slums of Bombay.” Yep, it’s epic.

    Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver – Changed my life! Eating with the seasons.

    The Cellist of Sarajevo – Steven Galloway – Amazing book about the human toll of the Bosnian war in the 1990’s. We heard about what was happening over there, but this is the human side of it.

    Halfway to the Grave – (& all the Night Huntress Series) – Jeaniene Frost — Vampire porn.

  745. I honestly don’t know about favorite (I mean, Harry Potter is hardly a unique answer), but I have recently loved a few by Charlie N. Holmberg that I think you’d love!

    Followed by Frost, Magic Bitter Magic Sweet, and The Fifth Doll are truly unique stories when many books these days have similar characters, plots, themes. All three of these were completely charming and kept me curious until the very end! (How often do I finish a book without having figured out the ending halfway through? Not often.)

  746. The early Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich could keep laughing. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh stays in my digital library.

  747. I reread the Bujold Vorkosigan series (now getting close to 20 books) every year or so, and at the risk of sounding like a suck Furiously Happy is another go to.

  748. The only books I read over and over are The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings. I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for though.

  749. I don’t read them over and over, but I think Maeve Binchy was a fabulous storyteller and I get absolutely absorbed in her books (Circle of Friends, Nights of Rain and Stars, etc.). (DH interrupted me once while I was reading one, and I answered him with an Irish accent – totally transported!) I do read the Night Watch arc books from Terry Pratchett’s Disc World series over and over. Especially Thud. And Toni McGee Causey’s Bobble Faye series is a rollicking good read. But beloved favorite would have to be The Velveteen Rabbit. Oh, and Calvin & Hobbes, and…

  753. The Blue Place
    Stay
    Always
    by Nicola Griffith. It’s a series. Great character development, suspenseful, can’t-put-down-able.

  755. Holy crap there are a lot of comments! Well, for me it really depends on whether I’m a) being grown up or not and b) sick or not. If I’m a healthy adult, my top books of all time are Catch 22, American Gods, The Pyrates by George MacDonald Frasier, and The General Danced at Dawn also by George MacDonald Frasier. You should really read that last one. I am betting you will snort milk and/or wine out of your nose and love it excessively. I also have to recommend for you personally the book Everybody’s Favourite Duck by Gahan Wilson, who was a cartoonist for the New Yorker. I don’t know whether you’re into sarcastic action mysteries, but it’s strange enough that it might not matter if you aren’t. It is kind of tough to find, though, or it used to be.

  756. It’s a bit of chick flick but I have read it so many times now: “Lucy in the Sky” by Paige Toon. It’s a feel good romantic comedy but with real life relationsship-problems.

  757. The Keeper’s Chronicles (book 1 is called Summon the Keeper) by Tanya Huff. I love all her stuff but this series is the one I read over and over and over, and each time I still can’t put it down til I’ve devoured every word. They’re a quick read, super funny, and there’re talking cats.

  758. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is completely amazing!

  761. My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris. A GORGEOUS, epic graphic novel about a nerdy kid trying to solve a murder. Seriously…it’s gorgeous.

  762. My go to feel-good books are Georgette Heyer novels. They are really well written historical romances with lots of wit, and heroines and heroes who are neither vapid or perfect! Perfect rainy day on the sofa fodder 🙂

  764. My go-to genre is post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction. For some reason reading about a horrible, dark, future-world calms down my anxieties about the horrible, dark, present world. My favourite, go-to book that I have read repeatedly (I’m on my second copy because the first one fell apart) is Watership Down. Which may seem weird, but it’s pretty much post-apocalyptic fiction but with a cast of adorable, fuzzy bunnies. My husband refuses to read any of my recommendations so I once read it out loud to him on a long road trip. He really appreciated my thoughtfulness, I think.

  765. It’s hilarious that you think I can pick just one book. I can’t even narrow the list down to just one title by Ellen Raskin. But one book I love to recommend is The Last Samurai</> by Helen DeWitt, just because it’s so odd and wonderful and so obviously couldn’t have been written by anyone but Helen DeWitt.

    Also, it’s becoming obvious, from everyone else’s suggestions, that I need to finally start reading The Night Circus.

  766. If you haven’t read Geek Love by Katherine Dunn yet, you must drop everything and read it right now! Other favorites on my list are The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, and Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enwright which I’ve read at least 50 times since the 4th grade. Two new faves are Swamplandia! by Karen Russell and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

  767. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman -this book ruined other books for me for a long time. Not just a good story but beautifully written.

    Honor Among Thieves by Jeffrey Archer -very clever book. Would make a great movie if done well.

    The Alice Network -don’t remember the author, but I just finished reading this and it was really enjoyable.

  770. I have a 3-way tie – “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Rebecca” and “Ender’s Game.” “To Kill a Mockingbird” because, well, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Rebecca” because of it’s haunting, menacing beauty and “Ender’s Game,” it works on a many different levels because it’s such a great story.

  771. George Saunders’ Pastoralia. They’re the weirdest, most wonderful short stories.

  772. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (first of eight to date). Incredible writer, best I’ve ever read.

  773. Lucky Jim by Martin Amis. No matter how many times I read it, it makes me laugh out loud and I would get embarrassed for laughing but it’s so funny I don’t care.

  775. The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Steven Brust. About art and life and taking on big projects and finding balance. And also a Hungarian folktale.

  776. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (I made my now-husband read it before I would agree to marry him) The Sparrow (but you may need to find a support group afterwards) and Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris.

  778. Jeanette Winterson – Sexing the Cherry. If Dog Woman doesn’t inspire you, nothing will.

  782. I adore The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a gothic mystery that takes place in Spain shortly after their civil war. It involves a Cemetary of Forgotten Books, which I really, REALLY wish were real.
    I’ve also re-read Speed Queen by Stewart O’Nan several times. Something about that unreliable narrator totally hooks me.
    If we’re talking audiobooks, than listen to Ready Player One because it’s read by Wil Wheaton and really, who better to read a book about video games loaded with 80s pop culture references? Or The Night Circus, read by Jim Dale. I would literally listen to this man read the phone book, he’s that magical.

  786. Actually it is YOUR books I go to. Especially Lets Pretend this Never Happened. It makes me laugh and think – two things I don’t do often enough.

  787. Outlander. And the third in the ongoing series, Voyager. By Diana Gabaldon. So much richer, of course, than the TV adaptation.

  788. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
    The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

  789. The “Warlord Trilogy” by Bernard Cornwall. It is a retelling of the story of Arthur (King of the Britons), but in a historical context of 500AD Briton, with the invasion of the Saxons and the growth of Christianity. Merlin is a Druid. I cannot express how much I love this series. But I have to throw out a trigger warning: it’s really violent. The narrator of the story is Derfel, one of Arthur’s knights, and he spares no detail of war and what happens to both men and women during the course of it. The books are “The Winter King”, “Enemy of God”, and “Excalibur”. This series sucks me in like no other.

  791. The poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver, actually any of her books. Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan…and anything by Ann Patchett, and Noah Hawley.

  792. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read 84 Charing Cross Road – a quick read and a book lovers book for sure.

  793. Here are two books I read in the last year and could not put down. I’ll wait a while, then read them again, because they are that good.

    Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (also made into a -fantastic- film starring Alec Baldwin and Annette Bening)
    The Untold Story of Howard Hughes by Peter Harry Brown and Pat H. Broeske. Old Hollywood excess, glamour, and gossip. Plus Howard Hughes had OCD before anyone knew what it was, and this amounts to parts of the story that will make you pee yourself laughing.

  794. Anything by Christoper Moore! Especially “It’s a Dirty Job” and “Secondhand Souls.” They’re right up your alley, lots of taxidermy!

  798. I’ll add my voice for the Terry Pratchett contingent. Any of his books are great, definitely good for multiple readings. If you like scifi maybe start with his Long Earth series.

  799. A Man Call Ove- Fredrik Backman, I have read it and listened to it on audio. it has become my new favorite book. If you have not read it, you must. You just must.

  801. My comfort books that I re-read as necessary:

    “This Is How You Lose Her”, Junot Diaz
    “The Robber Bride” and “Bluebeard’s Egg”, Margaret Atwood
    “When You Are Engulfed in Flames”, David Sedaris
    “A Swiftly Tilting Planet”, Madeline L’Engle
    “In a Sunburned Country”, Bill Bryson
    “I Shall Wear Midnight”, Terry Pratchett (really any Terry Pratchett but this is my all-time favorite)

    and the Harry Potter series, which I read every year at Christmas.

  803. “Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy O’Toole “Earth Abides” by George Stewart

  806. I’ve read Jittterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins more times than I can count. I originally had a paperback, that is so well-loved, it’s in 3 parts! Something about that book speaks to me.

  807. Valley of the Horses – 2nd book in the Earths Children series by Jean Auel.

  808. Pretty sure only die hard readers will get through 800 comments, but I have seen some repeats that I will read based on these recommendations – very cool! I am not a “re-reader” because just why, when there are so many to explore? Having said that, there are some books that stay with you as “the best you’ve ever read”, and here is a brief list. Some have already been mentioned:
    The Stand
    The Art of Racing in the Rain
    Tuesdays with Morrie
    The Kite Runner
    Life of Pi
    The Shack
    A Man Called Ove & Britt Marie was here
    A Dog’s Journey and A Dog’s Purpose
    I would be remiss in not mentioning Jenny’s books because funny yet serious books are so rare. Does anyone have recommendations for similar – laugh till you cry books?

  809. Jenny…I dont have a book idea but wanted to ask if you can make Rory bumper stickers. Looked on your shop didnt see one and need one!!! Whaddaya think?!? Cant wait for new book…I ADORE YOU!!!

  812. Toss up between Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, The Secret Life of Bees and Eat, Pray, Love

  814. Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
    Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
    Both make you think about what it would REALLY be like. The first made me bawl out of loving the characters.

  815. I third (fourth)* the recs for Geek Love and anything by Bill Watterson, who is my go-to when the world gets unbearable. (*To quote Watterson’s Calvin, “verbing weirds words”)

  816. I find myself returning to Bloodsucking Fiends or Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore quite often. Anything by Christopher Moore is great on the reread actually.

  818. I was almost too embarrassed to post mine because I assumed everyone was going to be posting high-minded classics, and mine are distinctly… not classics. Clearly I underestimated this community. These are the books that I wish I could read again for the first time because they were just that satisfying/moving/shocking/all-around wonderful.

    The Stand by Stephen King (say what you want about the King being a hack; this is a goddamned epic and it should be taught in literature classes. I stand by that opinion now and forever)
    Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (so much better than the “beach read” it’s been labeled as and 5000000x better than the HBO miniseries)
    We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (haunting and completely unforgettable)
    Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin (wouldn’t have believed that I’d ever have this much fun reading a story about a woman being impregnated by the devil)

  819. “A Room with a View” by E.M. Forster. The whole world is in that book. The movie version trotted right along at its master’s heels until the key scene, which was foolishly rewritten.
    One must read the book.

  820. “Illusions: the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah” by Richard Bach. It came out after “Johnathan Livingston Seagull” was published to such acclaim, but “Illusions” takes some of those thoughts and walks within in them in the form of humans. To me “Illusions” is the truer work.
    It’s currently having a rare communion with other books in my bookcase. Usually it lives on my nightstand.

  822. I’ve read and reread Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series and his Codex Alera series so many times I can’t even count anymore. I’m on my second read thru of Shayne Silver’s Nate Temple series (just found this series earlier this year.) Catch-22 is one I go back to every so often, as well as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

  823. It’s a three-way tie between Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby and the entirety of the Princess Diaries series.

  826. I don’t know what type of books you like to read. My favorite is SciFi/Fantasy. My absolute favorite book is The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey.

  827. Come, Thou Tortoise – Jessica Grant. Absolutely beautiful book. One of my favourites.

  829. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages by Tom Holt. Funny fantasy British writer- kind of like Douglas Adams. He has another book where GPS has little magical beings inside them. Good light funny reading.

  830. I have many too, depending on what I need at this very moment, and I am French… But BLUE NIGHTS by Joan Didion. Every time I turn the last page, I go back to the first one again!

    On another note, you might like BONJOUR TRISTESSE by Françoise Sagan. Written by a young female rebellious spirit in the 50’s. Some smart rebellious spirits are always up to date. Montaigne is another hero my mine. A great philosopher… but now we are back in the 16th century! 🙂

    “The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness. ”
    “On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.”
    “If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I.”

  831. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume! Or The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

  832. Love this rollicking trilogy by Louis de Bernières
    The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts
    The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman
    Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord

  833. The Things They Carried is my favorite book I read it whenever I’m sad or sick. It’s a collection of short stories (with all reoccurring characters) about the Vietnam war but as a 23 year old female I’ve found so many ways to relate it to other aspects of life. You’ll like it because a big reoccurring theme is “storytelling”.

  834. Discovery of Witches. It’s paranormal romance for grown-ups. Not because there is graphic sexy time, but the subject matter is actually beyond the romance storyline.

  835. Gone With the Wind
    The Stand
    The Dark Tower Series
    Game of Thrones
    Harry Lotter

    And obviously I’ve read both of your books. Furiously Happy has been read at least seven times whenever I can’t cope and I’m rereading it now. Thank you, Jenny, for giving the world a book that lets us know it’s a good thing to be as fucked up as we might be.

  837. Technically a play: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard.

  838. Two thumbs up for The Time Travelers Wife, The Prince of Tides, The Power of One, and The Name of the Wind. Reread all of those multiple times. My go to Stephen King books were Firestarter, Christine, and The Eye of the Dragon. Jennifer Crusie is hilarious. She writes female characters I wouldn’t mind hanging out with.

  839. +1 for Stiff by Mary Roach. Also Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

  841. I’ll Give You the Sun! Art and romance and a girl who talks to her grandmother’s ghost

  846. Did you see the giant chicken by the white house? I’ve been leaving “Knock knock, motherfucker” comments about it at various outlets. I hope you don’t mind.

  849. I’m just the lamest*. My go-to happy read is Harry Potter. Or The Golden Compass.

    *Don’t worry, I don’t think I’m actually lame for loving Harry Potter. It’s just kind of obvious.

  850. I’d recommend the space clipper series by Nathan lowell, if you like science fiction that is. The protagonist is slightly wierd, amazing oblivious and insightful, and is nothing special. No one I know could put them down.

  851. Straight Man by Richard Russo. Laughed out loud so much than the other people on the bus were giving me funny looks.

  852. The Hero & the Crown, by Robin McKinley. It’s a fantasy story, frequently shelved in YA but isn’t really, about an incredibly strong, independent young woman.

  853. In all honesty, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened! I had a very sad childhood. Before I had kids I decided I wanted laughter to always be in their lives- so I taught myself how to genuinely laugh (no small task). Recently my counselor asked me to explain to him how I did it.
    I laugh out loud every time I read this beautiful reminder that life can just be strangely fun!

  854. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
    It is a children’s book that speaks to adults. Always helps when I feel inadequate or lonely.

  856. I like books that make me laugh or at least giggle, and also that don’t take a lot of energy. Ha yes I am a lazy reader. But that doesn’t mean the books aren’t good! I would highly recommend any of Jennifer Crusie’s books, and about the first 13 or 14 of Janet Evanovich’s books. The first time you read any of these they are laugh out loud funny! Not as funny as a Jenny Lawson book but good runners up! If you want something more serious – – Rachel Caine has a new series that is amazing called The Great Library that anyone who loves books should read. There are three in the series so far and this is the order they should be read in: Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill. I loved them and it’s the first books I’ve read in quite a while that I really cared about. Of course if you want to go way back to childhood and feel that comfort and security, my favorite is and always will be The Wind in the Willows, and also the original Winnie the Pooh stories. However, I think my all-time favorite book series that I still want to go back and read all the time is the SF series by Margaret Weis called Star of the Guardians, a 4 book series, The Lost King, King’s Test, King’s Sacrifice, and Ghost Legion. They are fairly obscure but I don’t know why because they are fantastic! Strong female characters, very complex relationships, and exciting plot lines! Happy Reading Jenny!

  857. How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal. I have never been able to look at my cat the same way after reading this page turner of a book.

  859. The Golden Compass series, but especially the Subtle Knife
    Boy by Roald Dahl
    Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
    Terra Igcognito by Sarah Wheeler
    Harry Potter, particularly the last three books
    These are the ones I go back to over and over and over

    More recently Lion by Sarroo Breirly (I’m sure I butchered the spelling of that name) the movie was alright, but the book blew me away.
    Buried Giant Kazou Ishiguro
    The Kept by James Scott

  862. Silverlock because I every time I read it I recognize more references because I have read more classics (or just seen adaptations on tv cause I’m lazy).

  864. The Great Gatsby and/or The Good Earth! Haven’t read the 2nd in awhile, maybe I need to dig it out again.

  865. Watership Down. It’s a wonderful adventure story. The characters are wild rabbits in the English countryside who have become some of my best pals.

  866. My favorite book is: My name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok – it’s a little bit sad, a little bit different and a whole lot beautiful in its own way – just like the very best people.

  867. Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon. You can see, smell, taste and feel everything that he writes.

  868. I saw this mentioned before but I cannot stop re-reading Laurie R. King’s series about Mary Russel, the gene isn’t apprentice and then partner of Sherlock Holmes! The first Book in the series, “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” is easily my favorite followed closely by book #2, “A Monstrous Regiment of Women.” King’s writing is rhythmic and draws you out of your home into the lovely Sussex countryside or the center of bustling London, or even into a quiet corner of the Bodleian library in Oxford. The are lovely stories, equal parts physical and intellectual adventure and star one of the toughest females put on paper!

  869. Many of my favorites are already listed (Patricia Briggs, Martha Wells, Connie Willis, Lois McMasters Bujold, Agatha Christie, Ilona Andrews), but after reviewing all posts, most genres are represented, so I will add a couple of authors I really love in underrepresented genres.

    I have been re-reading every year for a handful of years since I found her – Penny Reid – Think of your favorite Rom-Com movie, but in a book… Her series, Knitting in the City starts with -Neanderthal Seeks Human-. LOVE this series – hopeful, funny, and touching all in one.

    Oh, I also re-read – Dick Francis – every few years, not all of his titles, but -To the Hilt-, -Decider-, -Bolt- and -Break In-, and a few others – mysteries based around the British racing world with really wonderful insight to human nature.

    Finally, another SF author – James Alan Gardner – His series, League of Peoples is really well done and interesting world building, but essentially good stories about human nature worth multiple readings – first in the series is -Expendables- I am due for a re-read of these myself.

  871. The Expanse series. much MUCH better than the TV show.
    The Laundry Files series.

  873. I reread The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis when I was a kid. Now as an adult, I reread David Eddings Belgarion series. Classic fantasy books, with fun characters.

    What great suggestions by everyone! A lot named are my favorites too! I’m reading discworld for the first time and really enjoying it!

  875. Can’t decide. I think the last time we talked about books I’d mentioned how much I LOVED and had already reread Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (I read it in May 2016 and just reread it for the 4th time before reading the next book in the series which I just started today).

    So I’m going with Uprooted by Naomi Novik. EXCELLENT! I’ve read it 5 times and if I didn’t have a library book pile i should finish I’d probably read it again because just mentioning it makes me want to go into that world again.

  876. Anything by David Sedaris – If I need to get out of my own head
    Harold & the Purple Crayon – when I feel stuck

  879. Satanic Verses. I’m serious – the humor is there, it’s a fantasy novel, but most of all, the lyrical quality of Rushdie’s writing made me want to weep because it was beautiful. I wouldn’t allow myself to read more than a certain amount per day because I didn’t want it to end.

  881. I just re-read Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journeys. Every time i pick it up again I wonder why i haven’t re-read it more often. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Jane Austen. Diana Gabaldon; I pick it up for just a passage or two and fall all the way back in every time. so yeah, plucky girls; but also almost everything by Dick Francis. And they might be too “nice” to suit you, but Rosamunde Pilcher; especially the short stories (The Blue Bedroom). More plucky girls (and boys, of all ages) overcoming adversity, but I always feel so civilized and hopeful after reading them! Everyone makes each other tea and the world is good. At other phases in my life it’s been Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave (Merlin) series.

  882. The Cat in the Mirror, MARY Stolz. Out of print, but worth finding. So happy my daughter is loving it now

  885. I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki, it´s written from the view of a cat. I won´t say too much, but it´s hilarious.

  887. I have a pantheon of favorites.

    “Some Place to Be Flying” by Charles de Lindt

    The ‘time travelers in Oxford’ series by Connie Willis… in particular “FireWatch” and “To Say Nothing of the Dog”. Although I recommend limiting rereads of “The Doomsday Book” because it’s a powerful tragedy. (( @Maggie above and any other Connie Willis fans — if you haven’t yet read Jerome K. Jerome’s “Three Men in a Boat”, you have something fun to look forward to. Read it…then go back and reread “To Say Nothing of the Dog.” ))

    “Mirabile” by Janet Kagan.

    “84 Charing Cross Road” by Helene Hanff…. with a chaser of “Q’s Legacy” by the same author.

    And to broaden this from fiction, I’ll also add “Poems to Learn by Heart” — edited by Caroline Kennedy. A wonderful selection of poetry from Ogden Nash and Robert Frost to Ovid and the Bible. The illustrations by Jon J Muth are a joy…which reminds me to add ….

    “Zen Shorts” by Jon J. Muth. And “Zen Ghosts”

    I haven’t even gotten to Garth Nix or John Flanagan or ….

  888. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah By Richard Bach. It reminds me that we can all do what we believe we can do.

  890. Oh my gosh! I have a ton of books on this list. It used to be “To Kill a Mockingbird” but then I started reading a lot of WWII stuff so I’d say “The Book Thief” and my most favorite WWII book was “All the Light We Cannot See.” Loved that book! One I just finished was “Winter Garden” and it was emotional and good too! 🙂

  891. Jitterbug Perfume, Tales of the City, The Secret Garden, Dragon Riders of Pern – Sorry, couldn’t stop. I guess I’m not good at following instructions.
    Oooo anything by Agatha Christie…..

  892. “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. A family friend gave me the book when I turned 6. I read it and thought it was odd. I read it again at 12 and loved it. I read it again at 25 and finally got it.

  894. Are you going to read all 894 books that we recommend? Yay! Marathon book reading. I love ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’ because I like unruly girls. And have you read ‘I Am the Messenger’ by Markus Cusack?

    (I’m going to be reading for years. And that is a good thing. ~ Jenny)

  896. My ‘wake up in the middle of the night totally freaked out’ comfort books are anything by PG Wodehouse. Very English and very reassuring.

  897. My choice is not a specific book but rather a series. I love to read the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich! Anytime I need a laugh, this fits the bill perfectly and apparently I need to laugh a lot because I have read the series many, many times. Also, The Princess Bride by William Goldman. A classic and much, much better than the movie (and the movie is hard to beat!). I recommend both to people all the time.

  899. OK, this is going to sound strange, but…The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss. I read it as a kid, and the imagery of the boy walking up the steps pulling a hat off on each one stays with me. I read it regularly, even if my children are adults.

  900. “Confederacy of Dunces”—– John Kennedy O’Toole
    “Earth Abides”——- George Stuart

  903. So much anxiety!! How am I going to find time to read all of these?!! Or even go through all of these comments and make lists! I’ve read many, but there are SO SO many that I want to read now.

  904. Anything by Terry Pratchett. He was such an amazing author, and he helps me through the ups and downs of life. My friends recently commented on my re-reading one of his books during an annual camping trip. I don’t care, I just love him!

  905. “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” Maria Semple. One of the funniest books I’ve ever read. (I read about three a week.)

  909. But I want to know what stories you would recommend most from the Bradbury collection? My husband has read it and I don’t know where to start.

  910. The Stand, Stephen King – not sure how many times I’ve read it. Pick it up every few years.

  911. I have a few series that I read over & over again…

    The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger

    The All Souls Trilogy by Deb Harkness

    The Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott (love the charater Mal, always makes me laugh)

    The Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward (a great vampire series)

  914. My favorite book is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I read it when I need writing inspiration, but sometimes I read it just to have that comforting reminder of, “I am. I am. I am.”

  915. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov – a highly irreverent Russian novel about the devil visiting Moscow. I don’t reread books but this one I absolutely do.

  916. Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.
    I can probably recite the whole thing, but I can read it 100 more times.
    It’s epic, weird, spans lifetimes, and has magic on every page!

  918. Miracle in the Andes; Richard Bach; David Sedaris- Me Talk Pretty; Wally Lamb; Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You I’m Sorry;

  920. Yes I know you have a thousand suggestions, but here’s one more:

    The weird and hilarious “The Butterfly Kid” by Chester Anderson. From 1968.

    Very 60’s. Very New York (specifically Greenwich Village beatnik/hippies). Hippies! Alien invasion by 6-foot tall blue lobsters. Sorry polite, nonviolent alien blue lobsters. Drugs! “The Reality Pill”–you have the hallucinogenic visions and they become real and cause physical damage until you come down. Starring Chester Anderson (as himself) and all his real hippie friends (as themselves). Includes a pantheon of 1960’s gods (no, I don’t mean Mick Jagger, I mean “Phlipout & Philpina, twin deities of disorder”, and the crewcut “Moe, the God of Tourists”.) And so much more. Opens with a newly-arrived-to-NY teenager casually creating custom butterflies out of his hand, and comes to a crazy (and sometimes horrible) surrealistic showdown at the end.

    I wish I could write like he could. “My subconscious has better imagination than me and I’m jealous”. Long out of print, but I wish they’d bring it back.

    (The real Chester Anderson was also the writer that Joan Didion searched for and never found in her famous essay “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”.)

  921. Torey Hayden ” Somebody Else’s Kids” made me want to be a special education teacher and develop relationships with kids to build trust.

  922. The Stand by Stephen King. David Copperfield and Great Expectations, Dickens. Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. Magical Thinking and Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs.

  923. I forgot to add Boy by Roald Dahl and also Going Solo and pretty much everything by him. I get out my dogeared copy of Boy about once a year. There are so many wonderful books. Also Illusions by Richard Bach and All of the Carlos Castaneda books. All…of…them…

  924. Not my favorite but current and brilliant and beautifully written. Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow. For those of us who fight the demons daily.

  925. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Beyond the Beautiful Forevers. Any Narnia books or anything by Michael Crichton. That is all, for now.

  926. Heinlein’s ‘Stranger in a Strange Land”…ok, it’s a harder read for me now because his perspective was definitely sexist by today’s standards. You have to keep in mind that he started writing this in the 1940s but ultimately he defined the sexual freedom in the 1960s – I got that the first time around. But re-readings get you to the liberation of religious constraints as well. With an open mind (and forgiving of his biases based on his early 1900s upbringing), it is an incredibly thought provoking book. Kinda like reading your blogs…they ALWAYS make me think and get me out of my personal funk. Thank you m’dear!
    Cindy

  927. I read “A Year in Provence” every summer. It’s my pretend-you-are-vacationing-in-France-not staying-at-home escape.

  928. The Crow Road by Iain Banks. Any book that starts with “It was the day my grandmother exploded”, just has to good

  929. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. One of the many things I love about it is the way it talks about music and how it can be found everywhere in nature. Plus, it deals with Dodo birds, electronic monks, the beginning of life on Earth, impossibly-stuck sofas, the perils of changing the past and more.

  934. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstren Is the best novel I’ve read in over a decade. The imagery is spectacular and I’m dreading the day it’s made into a film because they’ll never get it right.

  936. Lamb by Christopher Moore.
    The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.
    Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen.
    The Bachman Books by Stephen King (yes, the unabridged version with “Rage” and “The Long Walk” in it.)
    Agnes and The Hitman by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer. Fluff is necessary.
    The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

  942. This book has had only one other person recommend it:
    A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, by by Anthony Marra.
    A stunning book. I used to think All The Light We Cannot See would be my number one choice but this one far out does it. Poetic writing. Fascinating story. I normally speedread/skim through most novels but for this one I let it set for days between reading spells, just so it wouldn’t end.
    Ambrose Bierce said this: War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.
    This book, just like All The Light, sent me to Google Earth. And Wikipedia. Anytime a story makes you want to learn the historical framework, you know it’s good.

  943. I love the Elizabeth Peters, Amelia Emerson book. I reread them and also now the Alan Bradley, Flavia De Luce series. They are humorous and fun and well written.

  944. I don’t know if this will appeal to you, being as you are from Texas (Land Of No Sled Dogs) but Winterdance : The Fine Magic of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen is my favorite book ever. Hilarious and spiritual at the same time.

  945. The All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot are my comfort reads.

  946. Try “Quest of the Snow Leopard” by Roy Chapman Andrews, kind of YA, any Kenneth Roberts but “Rabble in Arms” and “Northwest Passage” are favorites. “The Face of Battle” for critical thinking and if you can read about the Kitchener (pals) battalions and not loose it you should turn in your membership card in the human race. Shakespeare for the language, the hell with the plots.

  947. M.R. Carey’s Girl with All the Gifts and Boy on the Bridge

    Also The Dollhouse and The Address by Fiona Davis (not a series)

  948. It’s an Indian author book and a 3 part one . ‘Shiva trilogy’
    Starts with ‘ the immortals of meluha ‘ then ‘ the secret of nagas’ and then the last part ‘ those oath of vayuputhras ‘
    I’m sure you would like it .

  953. I have my first book contract, and I do the exact same thing–I read my favorite writers for inspiration. Right now, I’ve been on a binge of Ruth Reichl–her writing is amazing, even if I’ve probably gained 20 lbs reading her books, because she makes me hungry!

  954. Anything Martha Wells writes, I read and re-read, but especially her Raksura books. They are SO good. They are fantasy novels, and I am usually not a fan of fantasy, but I love the world building, the humor, and the characters are like old friends.

  959. The long way to a small angry planet, found out recently that there’s a sequel and I’m so excited for payday!

  960. A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving, Feirce Invalids Home From Hot Climates – Tom Robbins, Lamb – Christopher Moore, Songs of the Doomed – Hunter Thompson.

  961. Not really one book, but any or all of the DiscWorld series by Terry Pratchett. Out of that, I have to say HogsFather, ReaperMan, and Thief of Time. I usually read them as one very long book (all 35 of them)

  962. I haven’t re-read these books yet, but I rewatch the series they were made from a lot. Though I devoured all 20 in the series in short order. The Phryne Fisher Mysteries by Kerry Greenwood. Show on Netflix. Phryne Fisher kicks ass and an absolute inspiration. Series takes place in late 20s Melbourne. (Teensy bit too adult in the books, but the character is so awesome I just ignored it.) She also has another series about a woman baker that’s quite good.

  965. “Out of my Mind” by Sharon M. Draper. It’s a children’s chapter book, but amazing and everyone should read it. It’s narrated by a girl with cerebral palsy who can’t walk or talk, but is a genius.

  967. The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison. The only books I have finished only to immediately start reading it again form the beginning. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. The best vampire killer who is also a kick-ass baker book ever.

  968. Mama Day by Gloria Naylor. It’s mysterious, touching, teaching, and will stick with you. It’s beautifully written. When I think of it, I can feel the weight of a hot and humid SC/GA summer.

  971. My Name is Ove by Fredrik Backman. This is the best book I have read in the last 20 years!
    “Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

    A feel-good story… a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others. “If there was an award for ‘Most Charming Book of the Year,’ this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down” (Booklist, starred review).

  972. I have to recommend The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. This book has been giving me life for the past ten years at least.

  973. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. And Creatures of Light and Darkness for the weirdness factor.

  974. My roommate had several volumes of “The Hugo and Nebula Award Winners” which I gathered was a yearly award. I knew zero about Sci Fi ans Fantasy before I found those, and learning about all those worlds out there was a delight.

  976. The Glass Castle. I’ve read it so many times, loaned it out, had people buy me new copies because they lost or damaged it, and I lose track of who I last loaned it out to because I want to share it with everyone. And apparently now it’s a movie so I guess I will have to go see that. I never like movies as much as books but I’ve heard good things about the movie as well.

  978. I just finished My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman… it’s fantastical and sentimental and beautiful.
    Also, any time I’m asked my favorite book, I think of my childhood favorites: Anything Ramona Quimby, and Cat Walk by Mary Stolz. “Yearning to be more than just a barnyard rat catcher, a young cat in search of a name embarks on a journey that finally leads him to a special place he can call a home.” I read this book so many times as a kid.

  979. Chronology of Water by Lydia yuknavitch. So freeing to know that other ppl with fucked up lives pasts and stories are surviving in wonderfully weird ways

  980. Anything by David Sedaris. I was just thinking about how you are like the female David Sedaris!!!

  981. Favorite of all time is “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving. I do not have the words to describe how awesome this book is.

  984. Mine is the entire Harry Potter series. It’s cliche, I know. The movies were complete trash to me, but the books encompass everything that is good about the world…the power of love, family, friendship. I usually reread them one every year or two.

    Also, the Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I don’t have to explain why.

    When I was younger, it was A Wrinkle in Time and the Witch of Blackbird Pond.

  985. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. He finally wrote a follow-up/sequel about a decade later but I have yet to even crack it open nearly 18 months after getting it because I want to keep Shantaram exactly as it always is. Breathtaking book.

  986. Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers, and much more recently — the Three Pines mysteries (Chief Inspector Gamache) by Louise Penny. For a complete change of pace, when life was slower but the human condition still the same — Enchanted April.

  987. The book that I’ve read and reread the most is A Bridge to Terabithia. I read it for the first time in 4th grade, and I’ve read it more times than I can count and cry every time.

    When I want to reread something now, I listen to the Half Moon Hollow Series by Molly Harper, narrated by Amanda Ronconi. The crew in these books becomes their own family by choice and listening to the books makes me feel like apart of that family. These books are my warm blanket, or soup for my soul.

  988. A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle), The Giver (Lowis Lowry), I’ll Give You the Sun (Jandy Nelson), Wool (Hugh Howey), The Night Circus (Erin Morganstern), and Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz).

    Sorry, I couldn’t pick just one.

  989. The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It’s a masterfully written novel with fantastic, complex characters. It also has the best opening line I’ve ever read:

    “The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.”.

  991. The Time Traveler’s Wife.

    990 comments as I post. How am I ever going to get through all
    these recommendations you’ve gathered for us?!?!

    😂 ❤️❤️❤️

  992. Pillars of the Earth. So glad that I’m not the only one. I also really, really love anything by Wally Lamb.

  997. Almost all of the books I re-read constantly are children’s books – for a boost of joy or just to remind me of what’s really important in life.
    Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton
    I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
    All of the “Nate the Great” series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
    The “Crayons” books by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers
    It’s a Book by Lane Smith
    And my 2 absolute favorites : “Little Bird” by Germano Zullo & “Elsa & the Night” by Jons Mellgren

  998. Ulcerative Colitis here. Nice to meet you RA. This post was hilarious. These autoimmune diseases are the gifts that keep on giving, am I right ?
    And it’s especially fun when people don’t understand why my bowel disease causes joint pain, depression, and about 50 other symptoms. Which may be caused by the disease, OR the treatment, which is equally toxic. Oh, good times ! I wonder if you nut allergy developed from your RA or your RA treatment. Did anyone address that ?
    Down with Big Nuts !
    Knock,knock motherfucker,
    Jennifer

  1002. Ok then, I had to stop reading at comment 400 b/c I have to get back to work, so I’m not sure if anyone else has suggested this title. The book that meant the most to me while reading it and has stuck with me the longest is “The Brothers K” by David James Duncan. It is laugh-out loud-funny at times and it will devastate you with heart-break at other times, and this book will, no shit, make you stand up in the room you are in and cheer. It is an absolute masterpiece. I cannot recommend it enough.

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19534.The_Brothers_K

  1003. Delicious Foods by James Hannaham! Half of the book is narrated by crack, like yes, the drug crack-cocaine, who btw, is pretty hilarious.

  1004. This might be a weird one but I love The Hottest State by Ethan Hawk. It’s so simple and beautifully written.

  1006. All Neil Gaiman. Ahab’s Wife by Sena Naslund. Cannery Row by Steinbeck. Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie (then watch the movie Smoke Signals).

  1008. A Walk in the Spring Rain, by Rachel Maddux. I can lie in bed at night and see whole pages of it in my mind. Beautiful. (P.S. the movie version was lousy.)

  1009. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, Barkskins by Annie Proulx, and The Essex Serpent are all recent reads that I’ve throughly enjoyed

  1012. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie- Muriel Spark. It’s short and has one of my favourite lines in a book, ever. ‘Favourite’ has a ‘u’ because I’m Canadian and my BA in English makes my typing very snobbish. When my GAD is flaring, it’s “Furiously Happy”- read first on my kindle then again in Hardcover. Every time, it always helps.

  1014. The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden, Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondely, The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope, or Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.

  1021. And for something completely different: check out MICHAEL SLADE. horror/ mystery/ I didn’t know that. I think Ripper might have been the 1st. Truly compelling every time.

    Also have to say Jenny Lawson is the only author I have ever bought multiple copies of-> says the psych nurse with numerous psych diagnosis! lol

    But seriously……. Slade, you’ll be impressed and left wanting more ( thankfully there are more)

    Stacy

  1022. Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea Trilogy (later expanded to five books total). I’ve read it a dozen times or more. I’ve actually bought extra copies when I see them at a library sale because I can’t bear to see these books homeless.

  1023. I re-read Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” every year because I love it so much. I’m not really a proper Christian anymore and I still adore it. My favorite edition is this one:

    https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Carol-Charles-Dickens/dp/0713912006/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503443619&sr=1-1&keywords=a+christmas+carol+fluck

    …which is wonderfully illustrated and also very cheap in Amazon’s marketplace. I have a copy and have given copies to both my adult children who happily sat through my re-readings aloud every December until they moved out and sometimes even after, so they have their own fantastical version, too. This edition was out before the Jim Carrey movie came out, just in case you’re interested as they have a similar caricature-ey style.

    Sending lots of love and peace and happiness and health vibes your way,
    Diana (The Library Goddess)
    P.S. — If you’d like something shorter and slightly amusing to read in the interim times, I wrote a little post about my experience becoming an informed wino here:

    http://bookerbus.blogspot.com/

    P.P.S — I do know that you are supposed to underline the titles of books, but this forum kicked me off into another page with html and that freaked me the eff out so I hightailed it outta there, sister and went with the next best thing which was quotes, though, now I am wondering if they really are the next best thing or if I have bought into the thinking and should have considered some other option like an original thinker…

  1024. Well, weird! The link I left in my comment that took me to the proper edition on Amazon doesn’t go to that page after posting the comment, but shows a different edition entirely! Here is the ISBN for the edition I like the best: 978-0713912005.

  1025. The Once and Future King. The book not the crap movies about King Arthur. This is a semester of learning.

  1027. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book more than once. My all time favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo
    oh wait! I’ve read One Thousand Gifts more than once! 🙂

  1028. In case 1027 suggestions is not enough for you, my favorite is Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton). Just a classic action adventure story.

  1029. A short book of even shorter stories filled with a quiet magic: The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant. A small treasure that I return to again and again.

  1031. Not like you truly need another recommendation… the 1031st recommendation might be low on your list of priorities… but here goes:

    The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

    “Manuscripts don’t burn” wound up tagged on bathroom stalls and train station walls in Russia much the way “Frodo Lives” was tagged elsewhere in the world.

  1032. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly suggest The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch. It’s an interesting time travel thriller that I picked up on a whim a few years ago, and it’s always stuck with me.

  1035. Where The Red Fern Grows. I loved that book as a kid and I still love it now. The ending makes me cry every single time. Such a great book. The movie is good too, as long as it’s the original one, from like the 70’s.

  1036. The Internet is what I read compulsively but Diary by Chuck Palahnuik and the Sookie Stackhouse series are my main escape pod. I read books a few times before I even decide if I liked them.

  1037. HIs dark materials by Philip Pullman. It’s a trilogy and you may cry at the last installment. I know I did. In public. Also the Chaos-trilogy by Patrick Ness. Brilliant stuff all.

  1038. For me, Jandy Nelson’s “I’ll Give You the Sky.” For my daughter, it’s the entire Harry Potter series at least once a year.

  1039. This is the first comment I have EVER posted on line. I have had many comments in my head, and I may even say them out loud (to my computer screen) but I have never posted them. I say this in order to make you understand how strongly I feel when I say “YOU MUST READ A PRAYER FOR OWNE MEANY”!!!!

  1040. oh heck…my first comment ever and I make a spelling mistake. It should read a “Prayer for Owen Meany”. I will now creep back into my hole.

  1042. Furiously happy! I’m serious, it’s the probably the best- and definitely the funniest- book I’ve ever read.
    I was reading it in school and I kept on laughing out loud in class so I got lots of weird looks- but IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT! I seriously wished you got to keep the raccoon smile as the cover because then the whole situation would have been even better.

  1044. This is sort of late. But I love the magic and fantasy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. Total escape!

  1045. Songs for the Missing by Stewart O’Nan is a more recent favorite. But “Housekeeping” by Marilynne Robinson is my most favorite book ever.

  1046. A Man Called Over or anything else written by Fredrik Backman. I also especially liked My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologies.

  1047. A fantastic audio book for days when your eyes are too tired to read would be Cats in the Belfry by Doreen Tovey. It’s silly light reading that is just perfectly hilarious.

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