About a Book....or Five

In my blog follower feed, I am often amazed how many book reviews people do.  I have very little time to myself, and to be honest, I don't read much anymore.  I was actually talking to my mom about this today.  I wish I had more time to read, and someday I will.  For now, though, I thought I would share a few of my favorite books of all time.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
3. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate diCamillo
4. Beauty by Robin McKinley
5. Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  This is my all-time favorite book ever.  I reread this book again and again.  Each time, the book is as good as the very first time I read it.  This is also the only book I've ever read for which the movie was equally good.

2. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier.  Mom told me she was 18 when she wrote it.  I remember realizing at the end that you never know the heroine's name.  "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" are probably some of the most memorable first words of any book.  They might be the only first words of any book that I can actually remember.  Exciting and amazing...an adventure that is never old to me.

3. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate diCamillo.  Best elementary kids' book.  I actually read this book to my one and only fourth grade class without prereading it (very stupid in hindsight, but I just had this feeling about this book).  Towards the end, I started crying so much I almost had to make one of the kids read on.  Fortunately, the ending is a happy one, and as the years went by, I read this book to all my classes, and cried every time.  But I saw deeper and deeper levels in this seemingly simple book each time.  A really great book for grown-ups, too.

4. Beauty by Robin McKinley.  A fantastic retelling of the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.  This may even be Robin McKinley's best book.  The story we all know is retold in such a charming way, and the characters are brought to life so perfectly, I always hate when this book is over.

5. Legend in Green Velvet by Elizabeth Peters.  This is a mystery written by an author who also writes as Barbara Michaels (scarier stories).  It takes place in Scotland (which I love, being that I have a grandmother who came from there and I'm 1/4 Scottish myself....and proud of it!) and has a tiny bit of romance thrown in, just enough, plus a bunch of danger and terrible bad guys.  Even though it's not a contemporary book, I can still relate to the heroine and the other characters.

Well there you go.  A list of some of my favorite books.  I'm sure that, now that I'm posting this, I'll think of a million more, but here's a start at least.