My All Time Favorite Stories

Bookworms tend to be curious little things. They always want to know what other people are reading. That one person who has her head cocked to the side because she is trying to read the title of the book a random stranger is reading. Then flushing and jerking her head away because the random stranger looked up from their book.

If you are anything like me, you enjoy any chance to add to the already ridiculously long tbr (to be read) list. So many books, so little time….

To indulge your curiosity, here is a list of my top favorite books.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Yes, I am well aware that this is an old classic that everyone and their sister knows and loves. But there is a reason that it is a classic!

Any book with strong sibling relationships is going to be high on my list. And Little Women has some of the most beautiful sister relationships out there. Sisters who squabble, annoy each other, hurt each other, yet at the end of the day they love and forgive. Choosing their sisters over their petty problems of the day.

Yes, there are some love stories (all of which are adorable), but I read it for the sisters. And for Jo, one of the most like me characters in the literary world.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

If you haven’t heard about this one, don’t worry. No one else has either. One of the least known of the Jane Austen books, it happens to be my favorite. Yes, even over Pride and Prejudice. Don’t hate me.

Northanger Abbey is about a young, sheltered girl who goes to Bath with some family friends. Like all Jane Austens, this is a love story. However this love story is about a bookworm. A bookworm with a healthy imagination. She sees love and drama around every corner, helped along with her newfound friend who also loves books.

This is the most lighthearted of all of Jane Austens books. Throughout the story it makes fun of the popular novels of the day. It would be like an author today making fun of the fantasy genre in her fantasy book. I love it.

It is a must read for all bookworms who daydream more than is usual.

The Last Dragon by Silvana De Mari

Don’t listen to the title. Yes there is a dragon, but the book is actually about an elf. One of the most adorable elves that has ever existed.

In a world that blames elves for the never ending rain, Yorsh is saved by his grandmother and told to run far away. So he does, and while he is running he comes across two humans. Humans who alternately want to strangle him and keep him from all harm.

Begin hilarious scenes. Scenes made even funnier because Yorsh doesn’t understand a lick of sarcasm. He takes everyone at their word, exactly. Cue the humans growling in frustration and Yorsh looking at everyone wondering what the fuss is about.

It may seem that this book is just one big comedy of errors, but it isn’t. Yes, it is funny. But there is so much more to it than that. The people Yorsh comes across are literally scraping by. Sometimes unsure of where their next meal is coming from.

Things are not going well for the humans, and then here comes a tiny elf who has a little bit of magic and believes everything that is said to him. He also believes that everyone he meets is good. Even if they look like the scariest scoundrel that ever lived, he likes them. It is like a living ray of hope is dropped into a harsh world. A world that alternately hates it and wishes that it would never leave.

If you need a laugh, go read it. If you just need another excuse to procrastinate on homework, go read it. It’ll be worth it.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steifvater

If you haven’t read this one shame on you! Go read it at once! This book is gorgeous and everyone should read it!

I love this book because one, it is set in Colorado and two, it is set in the desert of Colorado. I live in the desert of Colorado and before I had read that book I had not been able to find a good representation of that desert. Or any desert for that matter.

But this book does it perfectly. Maggie Steifvater brings the desert to life through her book. I love how she describes it.

I also love all of her confused, struggling, beautiful characters. All of which are trying to find their place among their family and the world. The hope that they will someday figure out why they are here diffuses the whole novel.

I say again, go read it!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Yes, I know that this book is by the same author as the last book. And?

The premise of The Scorpio Races at first turned me off. Why would I want to read a book about a girl riding in a horse race? Even if the horses are all man eating Capaill Uisce. Then I read it, and I wondered why it took me so long to do so.

I had to literally put this book down when I got to the climax for fear that my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Everything just kept building and building until the end race where everything was on the line and you just desperately wanted the main character to win.

However, what made the ending such a crazy climax was the fact that not everything in the book was tense. Sure, there were tense moments. It’s hard for there not to be when you are riding horses that would just as soon eat you as look at you. But after every tense moment was a moment that was a breath of relief. A space for the characters, and the reader, to breath.

That roller coaster of emotions made the book very, very hard to put down. (unless you were afraid that your heart was going to combust) Even when it was late and you still hadn’t gotten anything done….

Anyway. It was worth every moment, and made me obsessed with November Cakes. (still gotta make those)

Now for the honorable mentions, stories too wonderful to leave out but didn’t quite make it to my favorites list.

• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
• Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
• The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
• 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson
• A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews

If you made it to the end, congratulations! Your patience is amazing and you should go award yourself some chocolate strawberries.

Whadja think of my list? Are any of these books on yours as well? Have you heard of any or all of them? Let me know in the comments below!

Shaina Merrick