Friday, January 23, 2009

Top Ten

A couple of people requested a top ten fiction list from me. I LOVED composing this list--it was like visiting with old friends--so thank you for asking. I limited myself to recent works of fiction, so great classic reads like Anna Karenina and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man don't appear.

Please to enjoy:

The 500Jerk Top Ten
1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
3. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
4. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
5. Three Junes by Julia Glass
6. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon
7. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norwell: A Novel by Susanna Clarke
8. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
9. Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
10. The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
or
10. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

The Time Traveler's Wife was an absolute favorite, but it's a love story. With a Jules Verne-like twist. If love stories aren't your thing, I hope you'll find something on here that is.

Keep me posted.

6 comments:

JLY said...

http://goop.com/newsletter/18

By way of Jezebel....FWIW GP has done something similar by listing her friend's lists. You might note one of Madonna's top 3 shows up here at #1 (one of most favorite, too, and as we share 5 you've listed, I'm looking forward to reading the ones I don't know. No wonder we've enjoyed trading books so much...
Thanks for the list.

500Jerk said...

Gwyneth Paltrow has a newsletter? Weird.

I would love it if you (and others) would list their Ten in the comments; then I'll know what I'm missing!

Anonymous said...

1. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
2. Suttree - Cormac McCarthy
3. The Road - Cormac McCarthy
4. Peter the Great (non-fiction) - Robert Massie
5. Cannery Row - John Steinbeck
6. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
7. White Oleander - Janet Fitch
8. Warriors Don't Cry (non-fiction)- Melba Beals
9. Tracks - Luise Erdrich
10. Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire (non-fiction) - Rafe Esquith

I'm presently reading A.J. Jacobs's "The Year of Living Biblically," and I love it. It's thought provoking, sincere, and hilarious!

Cheers,
Debra
9.

Anonymous said...

I hope you'll prepare a top ten of your favorite classics and non-fiction!

Debra

AppyLove said...

Yay! Thanks!

500Jerk said...

I read Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie a long time ago. It was great. I need to look for Peter the Great.

Has anyone visited McKay's in Knoxville lately? Although I love to support Carpe Librum in Bearden, McKay's really has a great selection.