All Time Great Reads - The Ones I Forgot

I warned you this would happen. My deepest apologies to the following books - as soon I posted, they started popping into my head, one by one, with that mournful puppy-dog face that says "How could you forget me?" See, I told you this would be a hard post.....

Classics

The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton - Turn of the century New York City. Fascinating characters (that May sure kept you guessing, didn't she?) And a darned good movie adaptation.

The Forsythe Saga, John Galsworthy - This one might belong in the Modern Fiction category, and possibly the Series category since it's really three books (but no one reads them one at a time - it's a saga, for crying out loud!) I have seen neither the original mini-series or the remake, but the book is fantastic.

Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell - I think we've all heard of this one. If you haven't read it, do so.

Modern Fiction

Ahab's Wife, Sena Jeter Nasland - This one makes the list on concept alone. Melville mentions that Captain Ahab had a wife just once in Moby Dick, and Naslund wraps an entire story around her. And what a story it is.....Una is way more interesting than her whale-obsessed husband.

The Prince of Tides, Pat Conroy - A great southern novel about some not-so-great-but-tragic-all-the-same southerners. I love the scene where Tom meets Sally at USC for the first time....

And Ladies of the Club, Helen Hooven Santmyer - This is a long one, and it chronicles the lives of several women from high school graduation until old age in turn-of-century Ohio. Life was much simpler then, but strangely similar.

The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver - I've mentioned this in a previous post, but not in any great detail. It's the story of a missionary family in the Congo. Beautifully written, and very insightful. Kingsolver tells the story from the perspective of several different family members, each one with a unique voice. There is a scene where their camp is overrun by ants (much like in the Indiana Jones movie) and the mother has to choose between carrying her youngest child, and her child with a disability - the mother can only carry one to safety. The scene is told from the perspective of the child who isn't chosen. Strong stuff.

Children's Books

Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls - My sixth grade teacher read this aloud to us every day after lunch. She cried hysterically at the end. Great story.

Badger's Parting Gifts, Susan Vreeland - Interestingly enough, I never read this as a child. Ben brought it home from school in kindergarten, and I fell in love with it. He kept checking it out because he liked watching me cry at the end. Absolutely the best book on dealing with death that I've ever seen for young children. Quite well done.

So there's nine more. Just under the ten that I predicted. I know I will think of others, but I just have to let them go. This is it. This is the list. No more.