Favorites?

Oh gracious, I’ve so many favorites it would take FOR-EV-ER to list them all… 😉 but I’ll give you a few. First of all, The Lord of the Rings (everyone knows who wrote that, right;)?).
I also really like ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, by Dickens, even though it’s really sad. I actually like all the Dickens I’ve read, which isn’t nearly enough, believe me :).
Um… let’s see. Several different series by modern authors, three of which are the ‘Crown and Covenant’, the ‘Faith and Freedom’ series (both by Douglas Bond) and one probably less well known, by John J. Horn called ‘Men of Grit’.
I’ve read a few of the Sackett books (read, one, which is all we have :)) and a lot more Louis L’amour, and ‘When London Burned’, though I have to say I’m a little burned out on Henty.

Hi all! Oooo! I love Lord of the Rings, too! 🙂 And the Chronicles of Narnia!! Favorite from LotR is definitely Return of the King. All of the strings are tied up and the story comes to its grand finale in it. 😀

As far as picking favorite books goes– it was tortuous to choose just one until last year when I read “This Present Darkness” by Frank Peretti, and I fell in love! It has all kinds of awesomeness packed into one book from spiritual warfare to moral issues. Another of my favorites is “The Prophet” also by Frank Peretti, and I just read that one last week.

Ouch… you had to pick the ‘which book was your favorite’ question. Well, I knew it would come. *sigh*
Ummmm… probably the Fellowship of the Ring. I probably couldn’t tell you why if you asked— but overall, I liked being introduced to the different characters in so many different ways, and of course the heartwrenching scene when Gandalf falls into the abyss. Aragorn is best in that book too, in my opinion. He sort of got lost in the Return of the King, which to my thinking was a little odd, since the whole book was about him. But I haven’t read those books in way too long— maybe my opinion would change if I did. Who is your favorite character from LOTR? Mine is Samwise Gamgee, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I have heard of both those Frank Peretti books, Sarah, but I haven’t read either of them. The only books of his I ever read were the ‘Cooper Kids Adventure’ series, which I remember liking, but not just wow, knock your socks off.
I value Henty for the rich historical insight and information, but my opinion of him as an author is not as high as it might be. But then… I’m picky. 😉

I know, it’s practically impossible to read books and discuss them with others without asking the ‘favorite’ questions. I perfectly understand that.
I like Merry and Pippen a great deal as well— and you’re right. They do go so much together that they are almost incomplete when they’re separate. I think the reason I chose Samwise above them is because, though all Hobbits have this in some sense, Sam is really so very simple. He has simple tastes, noble but commonplace ambitions, and a good, sturdy Hobbit sense that somehow seems lacking in Merry and Pippen (and this even though I consider it one of their charms, because it makes them unpredictable and delightfully spontaneous). You just can’t cling to Merry and Pippen for the same rock solid support you can to Sam. And even though he was so sturdy and stolid and low in his own opinion (or his gaffer’s opinion, which sometimes I think he valued more), he accomplished such great things that no one else, none of the ‘great folk’, could have. So that’s why I like Sam.
I so totally know exactly what you mean about Henty! I myself have said almost that exact same thing too many times to count. I have not read ‘The Cat of Bubastes’, but I’ve heard of it. One of my favorite Henty books is actually St. George for England… I think. Some of the names are so similar. The hero in that one (if it is the one I’m thinking of) was a little quieter, a little more subdued, and less of a ‘great perfect hero figure’. Not that he wasn’t perfect in every respect… but he was different than the others, and that was a great relief even if I couldn’t relate to him.
I have actually read ‘The Viking Quest’, and I did like them a great deal. I can see why they would be considered your favorites… or one of your favorites. In my opinion— which you are in no way called upon to agree with ;)— the books could have done a better job of representing the culture and flavor of the world at that time, but I loved the story. In fact, reading those books inspired me to begin writing more seriously… though it was a ridiculously long time before I even completed a book I then considered ‘real’. Now I think that same book a piece of absolute junk, but hey! I had to start somewhere.
My favorites list is also impossibly long… but one important one I forgot to mention was Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. Have you read it?

Ummm… actually, North and South is more of a Dickens type than an Austen type. It is similar to Austen in that the main plot is a love story, but that is pretty much where the similarities end. I don’t know if you’ve read much Austen, but she tends to just dump off all the information of what happened on you and leave you to your own devices as to how you wish to interpret it. Also, you may have noticed that most of her works are pretty much her own opinion and satire on a story, with not as much focus on the story itself. Don’t get me wrong— I love her stories. But Gaskell, in my opinion, is a better author all around. She’s more into live action scenes and dialogue, and there is no comparison between her skill with characterization and Austen’s. And also, speaking generally, the greatest hardship any Austen heroine ever had to face was an unrequited love or the nuisance of an unwanted suitor, whereas Gaskell’s characters all have real, material hardships and very relational, human ways of viewing them and surmounting them.
North and South is a really deep book— intellectually stimulating and intricate in its logic. It has a lot of underlying social themes in it as well, as relevant today as when the novel was written. The novel is also one of the better Christian stories I have come across, where the Christianity and faith of the characters actually was well done and did not seem fake or too awkward. If you can find time to read it, and like books that make you think, I would definitely recommend it.
My apologies— you did not ask for a book report. 🙂
And I keep remembering favorites I can’t believe I missed. One I definitely love is Gene Stratton-Porter’s ‘Freckles’. It has a little bad language in it, but it’s such a beautiful story. Have you read it?

All right, I can’t resist anymore. My top three favorite books are (in order):
1. The Count Of Monte Cristo. I love this book for its vivid characters, high suspense, how no sentence, character, or description is wasted, how it deals with deep issues, and absolutely everything in-between. I seriously can’t describe how good this book is. The author was very messed up though. He also wrote The Three Musketeers which I found sickening.
2. A tale of two cities. Wonderful for its drama, descriptive realness, unforgettable characters, and the absolute best ending of any book I have ever read. Special message to Hannah Lowe, “Read this book!”
3. Ben-Hur. This book is suspenseful, descriptive, dramatic, and gives the reader a deep impression of what it was like for a jew to experience the coming of Christ. Interesting fact, the author was actually converted by writing the book.

There are plenty of honorable mentions I could list. Here are some of the best. Robinson Crusoe, Les Miserable, Animal Farm, Crushed yet Conquering and The Spanish Brothers by Deborah Alcock, The robbers cave, and I have to admit, The Scarlet Letter ( it isn’t exactly a good book, actually it’s kind of demonic, but it is fantastic from a literary standpoint and I love the ending).

I’m done with Henty personally, but if you want to read a book by him that is positively enthralling for its historical content, read By Right of Conquest.

Hi Kate,

Definitely stay clear of the three musketeers. If you hate it, I utterly despise it (no offense to anyone who might happen to like it.) It is still surprising to me that The same author wrote my all time favorite book. I don’t pretend to understand it. Even if you are a fast reader, getting through The Count of Monte Cristo will probably take you several months, but I’d say go for it. You will be glad you did.

I honestly didn’t remember the descriptions of Roman culture from Ben-Hur, but now that you mention it, I do recall him delving into that and thinking the same thing: that it really added to the story.

I find it hard to chose a favorite character from A Tale of Two Cities. This is probably because I haven’t read it in over a year, and so have forgotten most of it. It is also because all the characters were so well defined and priceless. If Sydney Carton is the drunkard guy who took the place of what’s his name who was engaged to what’s her name (or where the married?), then I do believe that he was my favorite. Anyways, he is the center of the climax scene which I love so much.

It is also my personal goal to be able to write a scene like Dickens did in the end there. That is a very lofty goal of course, but that means it is a good goal. I’ll race you there!