Here is a basic list of my favorite reading material; most of it is fantasy, and nearly all is fiction.
God; the Bible – All I really need in life to survive, this ultimate handbook to survival is crucial to everyone. It is the God-breathed word of life, and every word is complete non-fiction.
Jane Austen; Pride and Prejudice, Love and Friendship, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, The Three Sisters, Persuasion, Lady Susan, and e& – Yes, I am among the millions of young women who would marry Fitzwilliam Darcy in a heartbeat- or Mr. Knightly, or Henry Tilney, or Edward Ferrars; heck, I’d even take Edmund Bertrand! (I’ve never been a fan of his, kind as he was; too trusting , and too steady…) Her books are the most amazing fictional display of genius I have ever read- her vocabulary, imagery, characters, settings, plots, EVERYTHING; are the best. I don’t think I have ever seen an author to match her skill. The movie portrayals are also incredible, most notably the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma, the BBC version of Persuasion, and the 1995 (Emma Thomson) version of Sense and Sensibility (Greg Wise rocks! Yes, I know that I am not supposed to like Willoughby, but can I help myself?).
Eoin Colfer; The Supernaturalist (one of my absolute favorites, the futuristic world portrayed is so vivid and realistic you believe it might be prophetic, from the chemical filled sky to the “orphanages for the parentally challenged”), the Artemis Fowl series (hilarious, brilliant fantasy but written in a way that you could almost believe it) and Airman (also fantastic, historical fiction, very exciting and educational, you really become entwined in the lives of the characters). Mr. Colfer has other books, but these are the ones I go back for at the library.
Gerald Morris; the Squire’s Tales series – these comical and intelligent pieces of Arthurian fantasy are some of my favorite books of all time; there are some seven or eight in the series so far, and my favorites are definitely The Lioness and her Knight (Amazing book, I would marry one of the main characters, Rhience, in a trice. Also one of the funniest things I ever read, I have parts of it memorized.) , The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (very funny also-Mr. Morris knows exactly how to end a story, who should end up with who and all that jazz, but this one does deal a little with sorcery (or potions, a little) and although the main plot is not endorsing it as a practice, those who use it are not certainly shown to be the villains, and the practice is not condemned.) and The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-cart Knight (of course, hilarious; Mr. Morris never fails in that aspect, this story is also very good in its moral about revenge, and it’s also a bit touching in some parts. Yes, I cried.).
Shannon Hale; The Books of Beyern (the Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, Forest-Born) – these are amazing books- Mrs. Hale so deftly creates a completely real world (where a rider can communicate with her horse and people can use the heat in the air to burn someone) that you forget you are reading fantasy – I often forget I am reading at all! It feels like, to me, I am there with Ani or Enna or Razo or Rinna, saving the life of my best friend or riding for my life through a forest fire! I would marry Finn, my favorite character in the series, even before Rhience. I also love by her Princess Academy and the graphic novel she wrote with her husband, Rapunzel’s Revenge. The “Book of a thousand days” was not very interesting to me, sadly.
K. M. Grant; The De Granville trilogy (Blood-Red Horse, Green Jasper, and Blaze of Silver) – these are historical fiction about the crusades, and the author has some of the richest vocabulary I have ever encountered. The story took me a few chapters to become excited about but now I couldn’t even put it down! Thrilling books, touching, and heartwarming. I cried many times but loved it.
Cornelia Funke; the Inkworld trilogy (Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath) – these have a good sprinkling of language, unfortunately, but otherwise are fantastic. I bought the second and third (still haven’t found the first at a good used bookstore) and just went through with a pen so my little brother could read them. The characters, truly, I feel to be some of my best friends. Dustfinger I cry for, longing for the others to understand that he only does what he does because he must; he doesn’t mean to appear faithless! Mo is like my father. Meggie is me, in many ways, and Elinor, just please shut up! Farid I defend and the Black Prince (with his mysterious pet bear as black as he) is my hero.
J. R. R. Tolkien; The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Silmarillion, and The Hobbit – What’s a good fantasy list without these? I would know nothing of this genre- not truly- without the genius of this man to lead the way. His characters (maybe this is what I like in an author) are real. Not just real, they just are. I know them, personally, I feel. Legolas, Pippin, Strider, Merry, Eowyn, Farmir, Eomer. They are my confidents. I don’t mind admitting that the trees around my house have names like Fangorn and Fimbrithil.
C. S. Lewis; The Chronicles of Narnia and The Narnian – We all know this guy, right? The creator of Narnia, the place we all long to go and live forever. These are the books that inspired me to learn to read (I was a reluctant scholar) when my mum read them aloud at night and I wanted to taste the words on my tongue for myself. I still cry when the Dryad falls before King Tirian as her tree is felled in the forest, Tash still gives my shivers, and I still think of myself as Susan- at least what she could have been. These books are magic.
The Brontë Sisters; I especially love Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, but I also really liked (in its weirdness) Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. Jane Eyre is superb, the book and many of the movie versions (several have been made). I especially like the one with Toby Stephens as Edward Rochester. He was very cute and charming, in his abruptness.
A. J. Lake; The Darkest Age trilogy (The Coming of Dragons, The Book of the Sword, The Circle of Stone) – I am about to start the third and final book, and so far they are very exciting and intriguing. The people have flaws and personalities that make them believable. Personally, I dislike reading books centered on eleven-year-olds, but with these you forget how young the hero and heroine are. The mixing in of a Norse-like culture and different mythology is wonderful. There is also a lot of mystery…
Agatha Christie; The hollow, and others – I haven’t read much by Ms. Christie, only one book and parts of others, but The Hollow was incredible. The whole time I thought I knew who had “done him in” and in the end I was completely wrong! Fascinating dialogue, wonderful vocabulary, and thrilling twists; The Hollow is marvelous. (Gee, that sounds like a book review.)
Patrick Carmen; The Land of Elyon series- very exciting books, great, realistic characters, and the story has lovely analogy. The author is a Christian and his books are great for all ages, and are found at most libraries, unlike many Christian series.
Leslie Ludd; I’ve only read one book by this lovely author, but that was wonderful: Set-Apart Femininity. Never has a book challenged me so much, I think (other than the Bible) or revealed as much about myself to me. As a young woman herself Mrs. Ludd understands perfectly what we are all about; she gets into the hearts of young women and tells us exactly what we need to hear. I do not usually enjoy teaching-books but I could hardly put this one down. A must-read for any Christian girl who can get her hands on it! I just got the first that she wrote, Authentic Beauty and I can’t wait.
L. M. Montgomery; Anne of Green Gables (& the following stories), Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, and Emily’s Quest – I love the “Anne” books, but the movies (or at least the first two) are my favorites. What I really love to read by Ms. Montgomery are the Emily books- they are very exciting and well-written, and have the perfect head-strong heroine without her being a feminist (and the romance aspect is in perfect ratio ;) ).
Louisa May Alcott; everybody knows Little Women, but my personal favorites are Little Men and Jo’s Boys; I am one of those who very much believes that Laurie and Jo should have gotten married, despite what proof there is that I am wrong. I myself am a mix of all four March girls- I am the quiet, shy, Beth who loves her piano, the artistic Amy who longs to be accomplished, the romantic, writer Jo, and at the same time the simple, mother-like Meg, when Mum is sick. But anyway, I love the two following books, although I had a few problems with the ending of the series; I chose to believe that Dan marries Bess and Teddy marries Josie. But that’s me for you. ;)
Charles Dickens; Okay, so my favorite thing to say about this amazing man is that in one way he was an incredible author but a HORRIBLE writer! His long sentences and intense details and enormous paragraphs drive me crazy, and yet his stories are some of the most well-loved in all literature! What is with that? So, I have yet to finish reading a book by him (although I have tried several and am still searching for a copy of Little Dorrit) but I love the movies I have seen. The whole story of David Copperfield is not my favorite, but I LOVE Nicholas Nickleby and Little Dorrit, and many others.
I also love: Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Voctor Hugo (when I can understand him) and A. A. Milne, who I grew up listening to.
