Ha! By renaming this post, I’ve fooled you all into thinking I’m on time (except that I just told you I’m not…hmmm, I’m not very good at deception). This week, Chris Allen-Riley, Leigh Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I are looking at our favorite books. Ooh, where to start…
How about here? Tolkien! Both The Hobbit and the trilogy. Hobbits, dwarves, elves, glowing blue swords. Throw in a ring, a dragon, some Cracks of Doom and some beautiful writing and you have an epic.
What about The Stand by Stephen King?
He can rock a killer plague like no one else. This book is really a foundation piece for me…good versus Evil (and yes, that’s with a capital E!).
Then there’s Rebecca. Who doesn’t get the shivers from Mrs. Danvers? I never dream of Manderly, but I sure wish I would.
Oh…To Kill a Mockingbird. I won this gorgeous copy in a library reading contest. I even named one of our horses Scout (although DH also pointed out that was the name of Tonto’s horse).
Then there’s Catch-22. This particular copy has been to both Vietnam and Laos–packed in my footlocker and DH’s as well. Looks like it. Probably smells like it too.
So those are some of my favorite books. If you haven’t read any of these, I encourage you to choose one of them and dive in. All of these books have inspired me in one way or another: Good versus evil, the power of one individual to change the world, suspenseful settings, irony. I think my own writing carries the stamp of some or all of these books.
Lastly, I want to mention this book: 
Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan. I picked up this copy at a library book sale. I remember reading it as a kid (and rereading it!), but as an adult I remembered nothing other than I liked it. I paid a whole quarter for it, brought it home and popped it on the bookshelf. Over Christmas break, my daughter was looking for something to read so I grabbed this one for her. She finished it in a few hours. I asked her what she thought, and she proclaimed it “Very good and very creepy.” I took a peek through it…and realized the main character’s name was Kit. Guess it impacted me more than I remember! I’ve moved it onto my TBR pile. When I finish it, I’ll let you know how it was.
How about you? Have you read any of these? Did you like them? If not these, what’s your recommendation?
Tess Grant 
Of these, I’ve only read To Kill a Mockingbird and The Stand. When I first read The Stand, I was disappointed in the ending, but now that I think about it, I like that evil destroys even itself. Rebecca, Catch 22, and the Lois Duncan are on my TBR list.
Some of my favorites are Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but after that the list gets rather crowded. 🙂
Start with Rebecca. I think you’ll love it. I’ve read Austen but not Stegner. Will put it on the list.
I think the part I like most about the Stand is how Mother Abigail sends them out into the wilderness to confront evil with nothing but who they are. Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.
I think I read The Stand years ago, and To Kill a Mocking Bird. I’d like to read Catch-22.