Y’all know how much of a book lover I am, and I figured it was time to share my updated (but pretty unchanged!) favorite books of ALL TIME! Anyone who knows me knows just how much I LOVE, love, love reading – I’ve been an incredibly avid reader since I was really young, and I’m so glad this love of reading has followed me all of my life. I’ve read thousands of books (truly) and these below make the cut. I’ve been compiling this list for years (some of you know this is a bookmarked running “note” on my phone)! I’m often asked for book recommendations and lists of favorite reads, which I adore, and some friends and I finally (finally!) just started a book club here in Raleigh.
So, here we go with my very, very curated and very picky list of the absolute best books I’ve ever read:
Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis
Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
Bread and Wine, Shauna Niequist
Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis
Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah
Very, very few books have been added in recent years (though clearly there are SO MANY incredible books), and there’s little I love more than re-reading (and re-re-re-re-reading my absolute favorites. I hope you will try them all out and let me know what you think! What’s on your top books of all time list? What’s the book you recommend more than any other? I am always looking for new book suggestions, and I’m all ears!
You can read a ton more previous blog posts of mine about books: all things books, let’s talk about books, best books of 2014, best books of 2013, the South’s best books and authors, and plenty more in my blog’s archives!
photos by Kelsey Nelson Photography
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Excellent! Although I still don’t care for the book, Eat Pray Love, I agree with SO SO many of your excellent choices! too hard to pick FAVORITES. I love Anne of Green Gables. Also, Where the Red Fern Grows, I also cannot forget “River of Doubt” by Millard
Thank you!! There are so many incredible books out there that it’s hard to narrow down, but I find that these are the ones I return to time and time again! Anne of Green Gables is most definitely one of those!!