We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are currently in our fifth year!
This month, we are sharing our top 10 books from the last 30 years. We were inspired by a blog post Jennifer Weiner wrote a while ago, but decided to extend the amount of time.
We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.
Melissa Amster:It is so difficult in general to narrow down all the books I love into a top 10 list. It doesn't mean I don't love all the books I've highly rated over the years. These are just some that really stand out for me and I still think about often. I just have to go into this without deliberating too much. I decided to extend to thirty years to encompass books that may not have fit into the past twenty-four. So....here goes!
1. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb: While She's Come Undone is one of my all-time favorites, it is outside of the 30 years. I loved IKTMIT just as much and read all 900 pages in a week, during finals at college. It was just so hard to put down. I loved the stories within the story, as well.
2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: I loved everything about this novel. It was so fascinating and captivating the entire time. Arthur Golden gets into a woman's head the same way Wally Lamb did for She's Come Undone.
3. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding: My first real foray into "chick lit". I was reading this one while waiting for a class to start and got looks from people for laughing out loud. I couldn't help it though!
4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: My review says it all!
5. 11/22/63 by Stephen King: I wrote a lengthy review about how much I loved this one.
6. The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain: Such a heartfelt and haunting story. Different from Diane's usual fare but so compelling. Reviewed here.
7. Invisible Ellen by Shari Shattuck: I gave this book a hug ten years ago and it was more than warranted. Reviewed here. (A picture of the hug is in the review.)
8. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: A more recent read that I still think about often. The TV series was almost as good. Reviewed here.
9. The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel: I love surreal stories and this one is top of my list. I also appreciate that hearing loss was included. It's one of those books where I'm jealous of anyone who gets to read it for the first time. Reviewed here.
10. Wonder by R.J. Palacio: See my review to find out why this middle grade novel is included in my top 10.
Sara Steven:Narrowing down my favorite books to ten was a difficult task for me. I have roughly 47 pages to my Goodreads account, the majority of them filled with the many books I’ve read for CLC, along with the books I’ve read on my own, or that I’ve picked up along the way since childhood. I’m sure there are plenty of books that are missing from the list.
Thirty years ago, I’d discovered Stephen King and made it my mission to read everything he’d ever written–I took a brief break when The Dark Tower series came out, and in recent years it’s been even more sporadic, but he’s still my go-to author. The one who opened a world for me that led to other genres, like fantasy, and science fiction, which is why The Stand is number one on my list.
The book is over 1000 pages in length, yet despite that, I could not put it down once I opened my borrowed library copy and dug in. I holed up in my bedroom and only escaped for bathroom pit stops, and even that was few and far between. Stu Redman; Mother Abigail; Nadine Cross; Randall Flagg, otherwise known as the Man in Black or the Walking Dude. Every single character captured me. The roving cornfields of Nebraska and the bright lights of Las Vegas, the pristine backdrop of Colorado are still scenes from the novel that I remember today, because they are places visited within the pages of the story and since then, in my own adulthood.
The Dollanganger series is one I go back to every once in a while, even as an adult. It never fails; if I end up in a library, I look for Flowers in the Attic. Along with my King obsession, V.C. Andrews provided me with a way to read something that went far beyond my own experiences.
The Veldt was assigned reading in high school, but it’s a story that has stuck with me, particularly now with the modern age we live in. I know there are more popular stories by Bradbury, like Fahrenheit 451, but The Veldt was the one that chilled me the most.
Harrison introduced me to a world of mythical creatures who are more than real, spanning out the Hollows series with its central character, Rachel Morgan, a witch who has a major attitude and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Not a demon. A vampire. A werewolf. Or pixie.
This is a book my husband recommended, and I’m really glad he did. It’s a bit of a horror story that really isn’t horror at all–we learn that amidst the evil there is beauty in being different. And the girl who is to be feared ends up not being the one who is the most fearful. A movie was based off the book in 2016, but I can tell you, the book is way better than the movie.
The Arcana Chronicles is another series I really enjoyed. The books are based on Major Arcana, and the characters discover after an apocalyptic event that they themselves are actually the Arcana, left behind to save the world.
Seven days? More like one day. That’s how long it took for me to read the book, because I couldn’t put it down. I was riveted by Eva and Shane, and there are plenty of hot and heated moments that really draw a reader to the characters. Reviewed
here.
I didn’t pick this just for name alone–I picked it because the writing style is raw, and edgy. Sara is true to view and tells it like she sees it, a trait I wish this Sara (me, personally) could pick up on sometimes, in my own life. Reviewed
here.
The way all of the characters are woven together so intricately to perfection is a true testament to the writing behind this story. Plus, it was an emotional experience based on real-life events. Reviewed
here.
Mechanics combines the best of everything I love most in a good book: Science fiction. Fantasy. Romance. All bottled up inside a psychological mind bender that really hit close to home for me and is the best book I’ve read so far this year. Reviewed
here.
What are your top picks from the last 30 years?
No comments:
Post a Comment