# Your favorite book of all time?



## timskorn (Nov 7, 2012)

No lists or "Top 3". Having to choose more than one is the easy way out. There can be only one, Highlander. There is one book, for whatever reason, is and always be #1 for you.

Mine?
*
Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West*

The violence is off-putting for some, but the pure beauty of the prose is unmatched in my opinion. It is a truer account of Manifest Destiny than nearly all "Westerns" put together. It can be re-read multiple times and not lose its power.


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## MLKatz (Sep 8, 2012)

I stared at your post for 5 minutes, sure I could come up with the answer. I can't. I think when I was younger I may have been able to come up with answer, but I can't now. I could just be senile though.


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## AnitaDobs (Sep 18, 2012)

timskorn said:


> No lists or "Top 3". Having to choose more than one is the easy way out. There can be only one, Highlander. There is one book, for whatever reason, is and always be #1 for you.


That's a tough question, and quite honestly perhaps it depends on what age you were when you first read it, or in what state of mind.

I'd have to say Papillon is one of my all time favorites. The true story of a criminal who ends up in the French penal system and obsessively plans and attempts to escape time and time again, even though everyone says it can't be done. It's an amazing book that speaks to one of the will of the human spirit to survive and seek freedom... and also to renounce vengence.

The film's great, but the book is ten times better.

http://www.amazon.com/Papillon-P-S-Henri-Charriere/dp/0061120669/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352868431&sr=8-2&keywords=papillon

Another book which I'd recommend to every single person on Earth (I'm not exaggerating) is 'It's not you, it's Biology', a highly, highly underated book on human relationships, romantic and sexual.

It's not like 'Men are from Mars and women are from Venus', which basically repeats itself ad-infinitum. Instead it's a book that'll change your view of relationships _forever_. It's also hilarious but chock full of so much research it makes the conclusions undeniable. It's not chick-lit, the author has somehow managed to tread to the fine line between what men want to read and women.

I love that book!

http://www.amazon.com/Sperm-are-Men-Eggs-Women/dp/B000W946CW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352869063&sr=1-1&keywords=its+not+you+its+biology

(I just noticed the author has changed the title, personally I preferred the previous one, but hey, whatever works.)

Those are the two that spring to mind at the moment. So they'll definitely do.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

The Stranger by Albert Camus.


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## thedavebright (Sep 8, 2012)

Gotta go with IT by Stephen King


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

_Nine Princes in Amber_, by Roger Zelazny

Since I've read the original 5-novel "Amber" series at least 20 times, much more than any other book(s), I figured I'd pick the first book of that series -- or I could have cheated and picked the single volume omnibus edition that includes both "Amber" pentologies (to coin a word?).


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## Kenneth Rosenberg (Dec 3, 2010)

_Moby Dick_. Really, I know a lot of people hated having to read it in high school, but I thought it was great and have read it again several times since. I actually signed up as a merchant seaman because of it, and read it while I was at sea, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

The USA Trilogy by John Dos Passos. I own all three books in one volume and that is what I am sticking with.

If I am in a slightly less intense mood: Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher (although I have never found it as one collected vloume darn it)


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## Anisa Claire West (Sep 19, 2012)

Just one?  Hmmm.  I'll say The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Ward Radcliffe.  It's the quintessential Gothic mystery of epic proportions.


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## ZanderBooth (Nov 14, 2012)

I think my favorite had to be Bram Stoker's Dracula. I loved the way it was written from multiple points of view. It gives your a real depth for the environment it takes places in. The reader gets a great flavor of Victorian era England, and what were considered moral norms. Dracula in particular embodies everything Victorians through were evil.


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## timskorn (Nov 7, 2012)

This is great.  Every single one of these books I want to read now.


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## deckard (Jan 13, 2011)

East of Eden


Deckard


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## LaRita (Oct 28, 2008)

_And Ladies of the Club_ by Helen Hooven Santmyer. Alas, not yet Kindle-ized.


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## HLWampler (Nov 14, 2012)

The one book I can go back to over, and over, and over and never get sick of is The Shining. I love the book and the movie.


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## thedavebright (Sep 8, 2012)

The Shining is fantastic. The book and movie are quite different but both so addicting


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Has to be "Gone With The Wind"...


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## Robert B. Marks (Nov 15, 2012)

Very hard to say - one of the problems with being an avid reader and a bibliophile is that you end up somewhat overwhelmed.  I think my personal library broke a thousand books some time ago.

That said, there are a few books I keep wanting to come back to, if I ever get the time.  Key among them would be the Robert E. Howard Conan books - amazing storyteller, Howard, although the stories being from the 1930s, you do occasionally end up walking face-first into the wall o'racism.

Best regards to all,

Robert Marks


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

How to choose? I guess they would have to be divided by genre for me.

#1 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - Fantasy
#2 Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - Historical Romance
#3 The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo - Literary Fiction

I love the prose and fantastical lands of LOTR, the characters and their interaction and growth in GWTW (who can not believe that Scarlett actually becomes sweet little Melanie's friend in spite of the fact she is married to Scarlett's beloved?!) and the cry for justice in Hunchback. This latter book may not be read much these days, but it's worth a dip into for the uninitiated. I think I would actually rank it as one of the 3 greatest books ever written, but it's not to everyone's taste as it is heartbreakingly sad and haunting.


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## Jarrah Loh (Oct 8, 2012)

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
or Outsiders by SE Hinton (when I was younger anyway)


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## danteexplorer (Nov 15, 2012)

Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh. PBS actually did a great job with this quite a while ago with Jeremy Irons. The book was also made into a movie in 2008, unfortunately it was hideous (imho).

http://www.amazon.com/Brideshead-Revisited-Evelyn-Waugh/dp/0316926345


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## House Divided (Oct 14, 2011)

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - I can read it over and over again. It used to be House Divided by Ben Ames Williams - a lengthy Civil War novel - it's a great read.


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## Jarrah Loh (Oct 8, 2012)

House Divided said:


> Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - I can read it over and over again.


  It's the greatest


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Robert B. Marks said:


> Very hard to say - one of the problems with being an avid reader and a bibliophile is that you end up somewhat overwhelmed. I think my personal library broke a thousand books some time ago.


hehehhehehe
    
When I we got our first 2 Kindles 4 years ago, we got rid of over 2000 books from our home, and couldn't tell a difference. We have boxes of books in our shed that we haven't even opened after moving here 8 years ago.

I couldn't pick 1 favorite book, ever. but there are series that I go back and re-read periodically.

Piers Anthony.. well pretty much anything by him that is 15+ years ago or older
MZB's Darkover series
Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath & Cannery Row
Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels when he was the only author
most anything by Stephen King.


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## MLKatz (Sep 8, 2012)

This question has been nagging at me since I read it! I am going to have to go with a children's book. I think this is fair since it is the book that has stuck with me the most. Over a lifetime, since I haven't been an actual child for a long time, I have seen it influence many other writers. 

Ta Da: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle

I think this is fair since L'Engle once said that whenever she thought of a topic that was to complicated to write for adults, she made a children's book.


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## JezStrider (Jun 19, 2012)

1984 by George Orwell


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## R.G. Adams (Nov 16, 2012)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman.


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## timskorn (Nov 7, 2012)

Jez:  1984 was my other choice.  It's the one book (other than Blood Meridian) that impacted me so strongly that it affected how I viewed the world.  Great pick!!


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

The Fermata, by Nicholson Baker


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

I can never decide between _To Kill A Mockingbird_ and _Of Mice and Men_.

B.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

I don't have a single favorite book ... there's no way for that to be possible.

But is anyone else familiar with _The Once and Future King_ by T.H. White, a retelling of the Arthurian legend and one of the best (and most overlooked) fantasy novels of all time?


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I love that book Tony! I think we have 3 copies here.


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## John A. A. Logan (Jan 25, 2012)

Joint first place:

HUNGER by Knut Hamsun

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Mikhail Bulgakov


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

danteexplorer said:


> Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh. PBS actually did a great job with this quite a while ago with Jeremy Irons. The book was also made into a movie in 2008, unfortunately it was hideous (imho).
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Brideshead-Revisited-Evelyn-Waugh/dp/0316926345


One of my favorite PBS series.. the cast was spectacular. A young Jeremy Irons and
Anthony Andrews has always been a favorite. I once tried reading the book but it didn't have as much interest to me as the series..


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## JezStrider (Jun 19, 2012)

timskorn said:


> Jez: 1984 was my other choice. It's the one book (other than Blood Meridian) that impacted me so strongly that it affected how I viewed the world. Great pick!!


Thanks! I've read it several times and lately I've been wanting to read it again.


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## dkrauss (Oct 13, 2012)

Man, this is tough. Probably _Knee Deep in Thunder_. I haven't read it since middle school (about a thousand years ago), but that last scene on the beach still gets me.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

The Stand, Stephen King

The long version


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

No can do. Impossible to pick just one. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## Tom S. Figueiredo (Sep 1, 2011)

*The Labyrinth of Ksar el Kebir* by Jorge Luis Borges.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

The next one.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

^^^ Good Answer! 

Though . . . . . sometimes. . . .it's "the last one".


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

Lots of good choices here, but I have to go with To Kill A Mockingbird.


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## Carrie Rubin (Nov 19, 2012)

"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry. A beautifully written novel about the struggles of life in a caste system India.


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## carolineluvs2rt (Mar 31, 2011)

How can I pick just one? If I'm feeling depressed, I read Louis L'Amour's FALLON. If I'm feeling whimsical, I read Julie Garwood's PRINCE CHARMING. If I'm feeding my brain, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee.  If I'm reading to improve my own descriptions in writing, Loretta Chase's LORD PERFECT. Each of these writers is amazing for different reasons.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

This is always an easy answer for me. _Outlander_, although Gabaldon is not my favorite author. Susan Howatch is, but I love all of her books and couldn't possibly pick a favorite.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

If there can only be one, then it has to be The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. I have no idea how many times I've read it....


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## HildaR (Nov 17, 2012)

Mine is one which is sadly overlooked and neglected - Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann. A great sweeping 19th century family saga. One of the most impressive things about it is the wisdom and depth of psychological understanding which Mann brought to it although he wrote it while still only in his early 20s.


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## brianjanuary (Oct 18, 2011)

I love the classic Conan tales by Robert E. Howard from the '30's.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Angelique by Anne Golon. Historical fiction at its best. 
My mother back in Germany shared them with me when I was 12 or so. 

But I am a bit heartbroken since I have no way of reading them now. I been waiting for 20 years for them to be released again in english. The last time they were printed on cheap paperback was 1970 or thereabouts I think. I managed to get the series in paperback used, but I can't read it. They smell horrible and are very very dark yellow. And the print is tiny. The pages are barely holding together. 
They have been released new in German as new paperbacks. The first book is even in the US Kindle store, in german. But irony of ironies, I have lost the ability to read german fiction.  

So here I wait, hopefully not another 20 years.


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## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

The Lord of The Rings, though I have a lot of well-loved books competing for top position.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Here's what we have so far:

1984 by George Orwell (1)
And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer (1)
Angelique by Anne Golon, translated into English by? (1)
Blood Meridian / Evening Redness in the West (1)
Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh (1)
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann (1)
Conan by Howard (2)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (1)
East of Eden (1)
Fermata by Nicholson Baker (1)
Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (1)
Gone With The Wind (1.3)
Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (0.3)
Hunger by Knut Hamsun (0.5)
IT by Stephen King (1)
Knee Deep in Thunder (1)
Labyrinth of Ksar el Kebir by Jorge Luis Borges (1)
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1.3)
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (1.3)
Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (0.5)
Moby Dick (1)
Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Ward Radcliffe (1)
Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny (1)
Of Mice and Men (0.5)
Once and Future King by T.H. White (1)
Outlander by Gabaldon (1)
Outsiders by SE Hinton (0.3)
Papillon (0.5)
Princess Bride by William Goldman (1)
Shining by Stephen King (1)
Stand (long version) by Stephen King (1)
Stranger by Albert Camus (1)
To Kill A Mockingbird (1.5)
USA Trilogy by John Dos Passos (1)
Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (1)
Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1)

I cut anything that got less than 1/3 of a vote because triage was needed. 
Someone else can do the KB links because I'm lazy. 

B.


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## Carrie Rubin (Nov 19, 2012)

B. Justin Shier said:


> Here's what we have so far:
> 
> B.


Thanks for making the list! Fun to see the diversity.


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## timskorn (Nov 7, 2012)

Justin, great that you compiled a list!  Although, Blood Meridian or The Evening Redness in the West is the full title of the book and not two different novels.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Fixed it, Tim.

B.


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## Kristine McKinley (Aug 26, 2012)

I've started to post in this thread several times and actually thought I had already but I checked and I haven't. If I have to chose only one then I'm going to pick Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I read it every couple of years and each time it leaves me with a very happy uplifting feeling.


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## Suz Ferrell (Jan 29, 2012)

I've read so many good books, and even reread a few of them, but if I need a "comfort read", that one book I read to feel like I'm catching up with old friends? Then it has to be *SAVING GRACE* by *Julie Garwood*.

I've read it 27 times and each time it makes me laugh and cry and want to shout HURRAH for the heroine!! Thanks to Ms. Garwood for such a perfect story! http://amzn.com/B004XFYIEM


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## VioletVal (Jul 26, 2010)

My favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  I'm not much of a rereader, but I've read Jane Eyre at least a dozen times.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

No way I could name one. Mary Renault's _The Charioteer_ which saved my life in my twenties? _The Count of Monte Cristo_ from my teens, the best historical novel ever written? _The Shining_ by Stephen King that scared me witless? Martin's _The Game of Thrones_ that renewed my love of fantasy?

Nope. Not possible.


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## Johnson.Books (Jun 11, 2012)

My favorite book of all time is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! It's so good!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Johnson.Books said:


> My favorite book of all time is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! It's so good!


Interesting. I thought that was the weakest of the series. Much preferred _Goblet of Fire_ and _Half-Blood Prince_


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Wow!  Blood Meridian as an all-time fave?  That does surprise me.  It is amazingly violent and disturbing.

It is so hard for me to choose an all time favorite. I guess King's The Stand is still there at the top.  But I have read so many books lately that I just loved, it's hard for me to even try to rank them.


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## StephenLivingston (May 10, 2011)

The Lord of the Rings.
Best wishes, Stephen Livingston.


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2012)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a fantastic book. It's nothing like the monster movies. A great read - both an adventure story and an introspective on the human condition.


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## LarryWilmot (Jul 31, 2012)

Illusions by Richard Bach  RIP.


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## Aya Ling (Nov 21, 2012)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Interesting. I thought that was the weakest of the series. Much preferred _Goblet of Fire_ and _Half-Blood Prince_


Funny. I loved Goblet of Fire, but didn't care for Half-Blood Prince. Too depressing, I suppose.

I find it hard to pick one favorite book, but I absolutely adore L. M. Montgomery's books. She writes so beautifully, makes the characters live and breathe, and has a sense of humor! I make it an annual ritual to re-read the Emily of New Moon series and a couple Anne books.


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## brianrowe (Mar 10, 2011)

Boy's Life, by Robert McCammon. I read it twelve years ago and just fell in love. I haven't had the same kind of reading experience before or since. It's sat on my shelf ever since and I've been meaning to read it a second time. But I'm almost positive I'll ruin that perfect experience somehow if I go back to that world again. Maybe in the next few years. We'll see.


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## Starry Eve (Mar 10, 2011)

"The Last Unicorn" by Peter S. Beagle. Seems like he's a one-hit wonder though (and he's milking it for all its worth). I have the audiobook, the paperback, the hardcover, and the graphic novel versions!

Speaking of which, why don't we add our favorite one hit wonder authors of all time to this thread too?


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## Rob May (Jun 18, 2012)

_The Lord of the Rings_-I recently found a set of mint hardbacks from the 70s at a car boot sale. Cost me £5. I'm just about to start reading them&#8230; it's going to be a bit of a contrast to my kindle!

Rob


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## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

Such a great thread! I love the list and several of the books on it. It's so hard to pick a favorite - I have several books that are faves of their genre or for a particular aspect.

Forced to choose only 1 all-time fave - I have to pick _To Kill a Mockingbird_.

So tough, tho.


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