Ok, so I am answering a question you didn’t ask. For some reason I think you want to know this anyway. You have been sitting there thinking, What is Jeff Dunn’s favorite fiction title of all time? What else would he recommend? And if you haven’t been thinking that, now you are. So I am now obligated to answer your question. Glad to do so.
(By the way, each of these books are available by clicking on the links below and ordering through Amazon. When you do, you help support InternetMonk.com. Or you can also visit our resource center, iMonkPublishing. Thanks for your help!)
A couple of honorary mentions before we get to my top five. And, yes, I am going to cheat by lumping some books together as a series and calling them one book. Why? Well, why would you read only one book in a series? Besides, this is my list.
The entire Harry Potter
series is fantastic. Yes, you can see the Gospel clearly if you are looking for it. Or you can settle for simply the issue of good vs. evil. The virtue of loyalty is on display in every book. Or you can simply read them to see how simple prose can be made to sing and soar. Jo Rowling does not waste a single word, at least not until she gets to books six and seven. And even those, while somewhat uneven compared to the rest of the series, are better than 99% of everything else you will find on store shelves these days.
Please put down your Twilight series books. If you want to read vampire lore and have already read Dracula five times, move on to The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostova. It is the search for Dracula who happens to be very much alive. The first time I read it I slept with the lights on for a night.
The other honorable mention is Edward Abbey’s Brave Cowboy
. This was made into the movie Lonely are the Brave staring Kirk Douglas, who said it was his favorite role of all time. The hero is a cowboy who refuses to enter into the modern era. Set in the 1960s, Jack Burns refuses to accept modernity, instead holding onto the life of a roaming cowboy. I can’t tell you some deep lesson I learned from this (message books are, for the most part, poor reads. If you want to send a message, call Western Union. Great fiction relies on a great story, not trying to preach a message.), but the characters will stay with you for a long time.
Ok, now to the top five in reverse order:
5. Death Comes for the Archbishop (Virago Modern Classics)
by Willa Cather. This is not what won her the Pulitizer (that was One Of Ours) or her most famous work (My Antonia). But I would say it is her best by far. The simple tale of the very real first bishop of the New Mexico territory, this is as relaxing and enjoyable a read as you will find. Definitely hammock material. Don’t go looking for some involved plot. It is more a series of vignettes strung together. If you want to read the real story of this bishop, you can check out Lamy of Santa Fe
by Paul Horgan.
4. C.S. Lewis’s space trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet
, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength). Again, you cannot read just one of these books. And yes, you need to read them in order. Otherwise the character growth you see in Elwin Ransom doesn’t make sense. At first, Ransom was patterned after J.R.R. Tolkien. But by the end of the series, Lewis has in mind Charles Williams as his model for Ransom. Lewis was a huge fan of both space and time travel literature. He was not pleased with the first and third books in this trilogy, but he considered Perelandra one of his best efforts. Warning: I love the final book in the series above all, but I have never recommended it without that person coming back and saying “I don’t get it.” Just so you know.
3. Ok, I am going to break my little rule on a series of books. Karla’s Trilogy (John LeCarre’) is made up of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
; The Honourable Schoolboy
; and Smiley’s People
. Skip book two. It is long and pondering and laborious. The ending is not worth the work it will take to get you there. And it is not needed in the least for the other two books to take hold. That said, TTSS and Smiley’s People are the best spy novels ever written. Don’t bother debating that–just take my word for it. LeCarre’ spent time in the British Secret Service in the late 50s/early 60s. When he first read Ian Flemming’s James Bond books, he thought, “What a crock! This is nothing like real spy work.” So he set out to create the anti-Bond. George Smiley is one of my favorite literary characters. There are no fancy gadgets, no car chases, no beautiful babes. There is a lot of thinking, of reading of files, of putting two and two together to come up with “purple.” If you think it sounds boring, then go back to your Bond books. Or more likely, your Bond movies. If you want to enjoy a journey you will want to take again and again, get TTSS and Smiley’s People. I read each of these books once a year just because.
2. Back to Lewis. Chronicles of Narnia (Books 1 to 7), This is not children’s literature. Don’t let anyone fool you. It is some of the deepest theology you will ever tackle. You could read each of these books 20 times or more (as I have) and not get close to plumbing the depths. If you think, “I saw the movies. I don’t need to read the books,” then turn in your iMonk decoder ring as you leave. Get this series. Read them. Read them to your children. Read them to your grandchildren. There is not a bad book in the bunch, not even a good book. There are only levels of greatness. I personally think The Last Battle is 1) the best view of Heaven we will have on this side of life, and 2) perhaps Lewis’s greatest literary effort.
1. Susanna Clarke is a cookbook editor living in England. Her first–and to date, only–full-length novel was released in 2004, making it the newest book on this list. (The first Harry Potter book was released in 1999.) Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
is the history of English magic and the two men who restore it to England. Set in the early 1800s, it helps to know a bit about the Napoleonic wars going on in Europe at the time, but that is not a requirement. I don’t know much about Clarke other than her father was a Methodist pastor in England, but after reading this book at least four times, and listening to it on audio at least that many times, I am fully convinced she must be a believer. This is the most “Christian” novel I have ever read. (You will not find it in the Christian section of your local store. It is filed under science fiction/fantasy.) By the fourth paragraph I knew just what she was writing about. (“In short, he wondered why there was no more magic done in England.” Read that and tell me what she means.) Read this book, then let’s discuss just who Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange each represent. And for bonus points, who is the Raven King?
Ok. There’s your list. Hit the library, or order online to have them delivered to your door. Yes, I know I left off this list your absolute favorite. But that’s what the comment section is for below.
Happy reading!
The Internet Monk Archives 
Sorry, I didn’t see this question until this evening- I would suggest you follow the suggested link to http://www.willvaus.com and ask him the question- he is so much better informed about this than I am. Agree there are many, many references to various mythologies about the planets, sun and moon, which is understandable as Lewis loved all the classics. The issue is whether, as Ward suggests, each of the Narnia chronicles is deliberately modeled on or influenced by a particular planet or celestial body and the mythology associated with it. A careful reading of each book, as well as what Lewis himself said about the influences and how they came to be written, does not seem to suggest such a deliberate pattern. In fact, his good friend JRR Tolkien criticized the series for its jumbled mix of this and that myth throughout the books. Talk to Will Vaus!!
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So many great books mentioned here! Zipping through them, I don’t think I saw these mentioned as well:
One Hundred Years of Solitude and also Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez and Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I haven’t yet read any of Anne Lamott’s novels, but I have read two of her non-fiction books and I am hoping her novels are just as good.
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I read 1984, Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 in a row when I was in middle school. I’ve since re-read all of them. The three distopias felt like three of the ways that the current culture could fall. After the fall of the USSR, 1984 fell off the list, but I’d heartily recommend Fahrenheit 451 as a companion to brave new world (or vice versa).
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Oh, the Don Camillo books! I read them and loved them a long time ago! Yes, add my recommendations to yours.
This is a great post – reminding me of all my favourites and giving me new ones to check out.
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I don’t know, maybe it’s because they’re perceived more as children’s/YA books. But pretty much every PTerry has written could go on this list, so we’re all just cherry-picking our favourites.
🙂
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One passing reference to Faulkner? Read everything he ever wrote and you’ll realize that sometimes God puts a talent on this earth just to show off.
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what about louis l’amour?
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Speaking of Chesterton, Manalive remains my favourite of his.
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Well, to follow your analogy, Jeff, let’s make a quick distinction. When you ‘just read and absorb Scripture,’ isn’t it helpful to learn about and understand the context the words were written in, considerations of genre, and so on? That isn’t making it more than it is, as Bible Code speculations are. It’s understanding the ground and center from which the texts emerge, rather than tacking on some eleventh-hour schemata.
Now, if Ward is correct, the link between Narnia and the seven planets isn’t something superficial or tacked on; it is something that comprises the very ground and purpose of the books. Lewis believed that the planets were, in his own words, ‘permanent spiritual symbols’ of great value. He lamented the loss of most of them – Jupiter in particular – and was discouraged that most modern literature followed the pattern of Saturn (that is, it largely addressed themes of mortality, calamity, corruption and death). It’s all, if memory serves, in his book ‘The Discarded Image.’
He explored these themes throughout his literary life. Most explicitly in the Space Trilogy, where the planets, under different names, are actual characters and correspond to the medieval ideas about them. They are, as Ransom discovered, where the ideas of the gods and the astrological planets came from.
In ‘The LIon, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,’ Lewis decided to address the lack of Jovial literature in the modern canon. His purpose for writing the book was to convey the mostly-forgotten concept of Jupiter that he felt was so valuable – the idea as he put in in his poem ‘The Planets,’ of ‘winter past, and guilt forgiven.’ (As I mention in a comment below, this is basically the plot of ‘Wardrobe’ in a nutshell.) In time the project expanded to encompass the other six planets as well, though he saved his least favorite for last.
And so this theory, if true, is not a matter of indifference for those who want to understand Lewis. Or Narnia, for that matter. There was always a lot that didn’t really make sense to me before I began to consider it in light of Ward’s theory. I don’t suppose it is, in any respect, essential – Lewis himself evidently didn’t think so – but understanding this theory has, for me, greatly increased what I get out of the series. It has also raised my literary estimation of it a great deal, for whatever that may be worth.
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Ah, so we have disagreement rather than ignorance. That’s good.
I would be very interested to know why you find the theory lacking. For me, it seems to answer so much about why the books have so much inconsistency in tone and theme and literary style. It does take a bit of an intuitive knowledge of Medieval ideas, but I honestly have difficulty seeing how ‘Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ and ‘The Silver Chair’ could not have something to do with the sun and moon, respectively. Just for example; those seem to me the clearest examples. And the link between Lewis’ poetic treatment of the planets and Narnia is at times very clear. Think of Jupiter: “Winter past, and guilt forgiven.” That’s ‘Wardrobe’ perfectly described in a single line.
But now I’m just citing arguments you are no doubt familiar with. Again, I’d be interested to hear why they don’t convince you.
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If you’ve not read Shardik by Adams, it’s well worth it. I still remember the quote at the beginning, “Circumstance and superstition manifest the will of God.” Or something like that. The book poses the question as to whether something is circumstantial or truly God’s will. By the end you never find the answer, but you realize it doesn’t matter. God’s will is not something to be discovered or even discerned but something to be lived. This book was wonderfully instructive in helping me interpret the Old Testament.
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Re: That Hideous Strength- it is one of my favorite books. First couple times through, it felt like plodding through a lot initially just to get to the really great stuff at the end- especially Merlin casting the spell of Babel on the assembled bureaucrats and wanna-be’s and self important so-and-so’s, and Mark with the fake Merlin, and Mark’s transformation from “whatever the inner ring says” to recognizing and wanting the real and the true. Each time through, I get more out of that book – but I do love Perelandra at least equally as much.
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Yes, read Michael Ward’s book, our CS Lewis group had him as a speaker, we discussed the book another month, none of us were convinced. Interesting ideas, but doesn’t hold up very well. Our leader is a Lewis scholar and has written 3 books on Lewis, the last one about the spiritual themes in Narnia. Check out http://www.willvaus.com
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I know Ward’s theory–that each of the seven Narnia books are tied to a specific planet. Just haven’t been intrigued enough to explore it further. Maybe someday…
The Narnia books are so rich in themselves that I see no need to speculate on what else they could mean. Kind of like the Bible Code nonsense. Just read and absorb Scripture instead of trying to make it more than it is.
But I would be glad to hear your thoughts on Ward’s ideas, Lukas…
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I would also add Manalive.
I read/enjoy more of Chesterton’s nonfiction but The Ball And The Cross would easily make it at into my all time top ten list in fiction. Loved Manalive and Thursday as well.
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Well, I say that because it was The Raven King’s spell that brought Norrell and Strange onto the magic scene in the first place, at least that’s what Vinculus (ie. the Book) thought.
So in other words, it was the Raven King’s sovereignty over Briatian that motivated the whole story. When I thought of it like that, I thought of the concept of God’s sovereignty over our free will. Norrell and Strange both chose their paths, but at the same time there’s the tension of their choices versus The Raven King’s spell. Ultimately they both make choices that send them into outer darkness, but again, was it the Raven King’s choosing or their own? The book would seem to me to indicate that it’s both. (I’m a compatibalist, can you tell?)
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1.) C.S. Lewis- NARNIA- esp LION and LAST BATTLE.
2.) Ayn Rand- ATLAS SHRUGGED- an epic of creative individual liberty against parasitic collectivism.
3.) Taylor Caldwell- DEAR AND GLORIOUS PHYSICIAN- Luke wars against God by giving aid & comfort to His victims, and on the way discovers God has become the Ultimate Victim.
4.) Aldous Huxley- BRAVE NEW WORLD- Less horrifying than 1984 but far more unsettling because its “Big Brother”, His Fordship Mustapha Mond, is just so very nice.
5.) Mary Shelley- FRANKENSTEIN- Man plays God & his Adam can’t surrender to Christ & so abandons itself to become a mournful Lucifer.
Honorable mention to-
Stephen King THE STAND- the best Apocalypse novel ever
Walker Percy THE SECOND COMING- An aging man looking for Apocalyptic signs finds the Real Presence is a slightly crazy, extremely practical young woman.
WP- LOVE IN THE RUINS- predicted the Culture War of the Religious Republican Right vs. the Secular Democratic Left.
Bram Stoker- DRACULA- Onward Christian soldiers!
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I posted an initial reply but it apparently got lost… So now having read all the other comments, I am amused at the similarity of responses on this thread! I was surprised by the similarity of our tastes (Le Carre on the same list with Jonathan Strange and That Hideous Strength?? I thought no one would do that but me!) but apparently there are a lot of folks out there who fall in that category. 🙂
And props to the other suggestions–I’d put ‘Til we have Faces above the Narnia series, but that’s my bias. But A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, The Count of Monte Cristo, Canticle for Leibowitz, the Hitchhiker’s Guide series, Watership Down–y’all are singing my song. 🙂
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was one of the best books I read in 2005, but it lost out to The Left Hand of Darkness and the Gormenghast trilogy. I, however, did not see anything Christian about it, and I found the Raven King character to be unpleasant and dangerous. But I was reading it really fast by the end…
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Absolutely.
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This.
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Sounds interesting – I’ll look out for it…
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The Moviegoer…read it as a college student…still think about it to this day. Percy’s understanding of Kierkegaard and despair is amazing.
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Oh, in case you’re trying to puzzle it out, I left out what the theory actually is. I’m being cryptic, you see.
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Hmm. I may be a day late and a dollar short here, but let me offer my two cents. Then I’ll just be 98 cents short, plus one day’s interest.
‘Phantastes,’ George MacDonald: A book that has changed my entire existence. I have little idea why.
I really liked Amy Tan’s ‘Joy Luck Club.’
Thomas Mann considered his book ‘Joseph and his Brothers’ to be his masterpiece. I agree; from a technical standpoint, that is the best book I have ever read. As a writer, I sit with mouth agape after nearly every page. Often I have no idea how he accomplishes it all. And it’s a Bible story!
The 70-page novella he wrote about Moses as an epilogue may be a good way to test the waters here; the book is very dense, and runs over 1500 pages.
Aaand…let me spout a bit of something about Narnia, since it seems such a popular topic here. A Lewis scholar named Michael Ward recently wrote a book called Planet Narnia that has changed the way I look at the whole series. He discovered an underlying pattern to the books that explains beautifully the apparent haphazardness of the stories, and their themes. Lewis accomplished something greater than most realize. There is a constant thread from Medieval philosophy, to Medieval astrology, to the Space Trilogy, to Narnia.
Did you think it was a coincidence that there were seven in the Narniad?
I was very skeptical at first. I didn’t even want to read what I thought would be a bunch of nonsense from some fellow out to make a name for himself. But darn it if it doesn’t fit neater every time I think about it. It passes Lewis’s own test that a literary theory should enrich rather than destroy the efficacy of a work.
I am shocked to find that I have never heard a single mention of this theory. Not one. This should be everywhere. Has someone – anyone – else read the book?
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I’ve seen two mentioned so far: ‘Ball and Cross’ and ‘The Man who was Thursday.’
I would add ‘The Poet and the Lunatics,’ personally.
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The Tiffany Aching books are my favorite. This isn’t an opinion I’ve ever heard echoed, and I’m not sure why. Are they considered a sort of extension of the Witches books? I could see that.
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I think I’ve read far too many of the books on this list for my comfort.
Anyways, I don’t know what it is about Lillith. Or the Phantastes. Take a step back, and I don’t think they’re actually very good as works of literature. But every time I read them, all the world seems to be remade.
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This brought a tear to my eye. Thanks for quoting that passage, Christiane. It’s been many a year since I’ve read that, but that flood of emotion just hit me again full force.
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Hi! This is also a DAC, Dan Crawford’s wife.
I so agree about “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”. And why has no one mentioned Le Carre’s “A Perfect Spy”. Beautiful
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How dare Patrick O’Brian die when he did? Twenty books wasn’t nearly long enough.
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The witches are good, but Vimes is best! “Jingo” and “The Fifth Elephant” are my favorite. Have you read “Good Omens,” written by Pratchett and Neil Gaiman? Really good and very funny, especially how every bit of recorded music in the devil’s car turns into an eight-track tape of the best of Queen.
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Perhaps we will have a mini-writers’ roundtable on JSMN. I know a few of us have read it. The Raven King as God the Father. Interesting…
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Hopefully there isn’t some sort of theological criteria for the list. If there is, then please ignore my post (though there is plenty of theology within it).
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Simply epic.
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That, and a Swiftly Tilting Planet. Great books, both of them.
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The Baroque Trilogy by Neal Stepheson is one of the greatest things i’ve ever read.
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. In one fell swoop he inevents an entirely new genre of fanstay. (one that has nothing to do with Tolkien-esque worlds. I cannot agree more with Tolkien as being one the greatest things EVER, but he has been so imitated that it’s refreshing to see new visionaries go somewhere else.
House Of Leaves by Mark Danielewsky. Simply amazing. And haunting. REALLY haunting.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Different stories from different points in history (including the future) that tie together in the most brilliant way imaginable.
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A Wrinkle in Time has haunted me since my childhood:) I really should read that again.
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A Canticle for Liebowitz… wow… I loved that book.
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Wow, so many of my favorites already here 🙂
1. LOTR and the Hobbit. The Silmarillion I don’t believe I’ve ever really read all the way through, I just use the book as a reference when applying for my Tolkien geek membership renewal.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird.
3. All Jane Austen, all the time. I’m currently reading Persuasion.
4. I read most of Lewis’ fiction and non fiction. I must say I think I like his non fiction better but maybe I need to re-read the Narnia series as an adult. I recently read ‘Til We Have Faces’ and I think I’m going to have to read that a few times for it to really sink in. I loved Pilgrim’s Regress.
5. If poetry were allowed, I’d say Emily Dickenson. Oh, I did say it! Oops!
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If the list had been about short stories, Flannery O’Connor would be first on my list, and A Good Man is Hard to Find at the very top. Flawless.
Her two novels are good, but I didn’t quite get them, as some people have said about Lewis’ That Hideous Strength (which I love) . Flannery’s character Hazel Motes is pretty memorable, though, the preacher who started “The Church without Christ—where the blind don’t see, the lame don’t walk, and what’s dead stays that way.”
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Oh, and the Raven King is God the Father. I got that one right I think…
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Duuuuude…no way. I thought I was the only one who would say his favorite Lewis Space Trilogy book is That Hideous Strength. As a matter of fact, I call it my favorite book I’ve ever read.
AND Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell? Can we discuss that one on iMonk? The theology in it is sooooo freaking rich. God’s sovereignty versus our free will…the concept of choosing hell…crucifixion. And who do Strange and Norrell they represent to you? I didn’t pick up on any comparison, but I’m a novice by any standard…
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1. Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky. I read this book in college and thought about it for years afterwards. There’s an updated translation of it I intend to read one day.
2. All the King’s Men – Robert Penn Warren. It was assigned in American lit class as an example of a political roman à clef, but I remember it as a story about grace
3. Instance of the Fingerpost – Iain Pears. Historical murder mystery with a huge payoff.
4. A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving. Made me cry.
5. Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas. Historical page-turner, all 1,000-pages of it.
Honorable mention:
1. To Your Scattered Bodies Go – Philip Jose Farmer
2. Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime – Mark Haddon
3. Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
4. Farseer Trilogy – Robin Hobb
5. The Wishbones – Tom Perrotta
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I need to thank both of you for introducing me to that series. I’m now on the last book.
Many, many thanks.
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Amazing Book!
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Nothing by Chesterton??
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It’s a secret! Where I live is almost a secret also. And no red phones here.
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By the way, David, do you know John Le Carre’s real name? Yep–David Cornwell.
Say…are you actually HIM? Do we have the one and only spymaster himself as a commenter on iMonk?
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Wow…just mention books, and we all come out of the woodwork!
1) The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Tolkein)
2) The Education of Little Tree (Forrest Carter…I’ve given this one as a gift many times)
3) All the King’s Men (Robert Penn Warren)
4) The Sure Hand of God (Erskine Caldwell…my mom was almost expelled from high school in the 1950’s for bringing in a copy of “Tobacco Road”)
5) Lamb in His Bosom (Caroline Miller)
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…and I thought there hadn’t been a decent NOVEL written since Michener passed away! I have some catching up to do, so I’m off ot the library …right after I burn all those old history books on my shelf. :>)
Would if be fair to say that novels teach “depth” while history teaches us the “breadth” of the human condition?
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Hearty amen and hallelujah to mention of those books mentioned I already know and love, and thanks for all the recommendations. Our local CSLewis group is discussing The Great Divorce tomorrow night- it is both fiction and non-fiction IMHO. Love all of his books (well, almost all) and am enjoying getting in to books by some of the other Inklings. One book that I have read recently, and found deeply affecting, is The Reader. The movie is also amazing; for once, the movie and book seem to complement each other, telling truth and asking questions in different forms.
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C.S. Lewis… Till We Have Faces.
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The first time I read That Hideous Strength I had to stop around page 30 then started over. I found that the difficulty with that story involves running into so many new characters within the first few pages that it’s easy to forget who is whom and/or space out while reading because of it. I found that by starting over made all the difference in the world. I need to read the Trilogy again. This will be my third or fourth time.
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So many of the books we count among our treasures are there because we read them at an important time in our lives. Just like our favorite songs can be tied to pivotal times in our lives, so can books. They become “milestone” books. So many have said, “My mom read this to me when I was young.” Thus the book reconnects you to the safety of your mother’s lap. Amazing that a book can have such power in us. Well, maybe not so amazing considering how much importance God places on words–and The Word in us.
I could list many more books that have meaning to me, but you all are doing a great job. Someone mentioned Wallace Stegner. He is on my list to read, starting with Crossing To Safety. Yes, I could have placed Flannery O’Connor on this short list, though I think her short stories are her best work and thus didn’t meet my own requirement of a novel.
Next up when I get a chance…my favorite non-fiction titles. But I think for now you have plenty of reading to keep you busy! Great job, monks. Great, great job…
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Here are five I’d recommend to just about anyone:
The Little World of Don Camillo, Giovanni Guareschi (and yes, count this as standing for the whole series)
A Canticle for Liebowitz, Walter Miller, Jr.
Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
Perelandra, C.S. Lewis (fwiw, I’ve read That Hideous Strength and am pretty sure I got it, but I didn’t much care for it)
36 Arguments for the Exisitence of God, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
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I love anything by Chaim Potak (The Chosen, The Promise and My Name is Asher Lev mentioned above). I also love anything by Agatha Christie as well as the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Peter Wimsey stories by Dorothy L. Sayers and the Father Brown mysteries by Chesterton.
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Have you read In the Beginning by Chaim Potok? So far I have loved everything of his that I have been able to get my hands on!
Life of Pi is also excellent.
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Jeff: GREAT post….I wouldn’t mind hearing your list #’s 6 thru whatever…… don’t be shy. I don’t read nearly enough fiction, so I need good recommendations because I don’t want to waste my time with mediocre reads…though I quickly waste it with mediocre “self-help” and “church-help”…..go figure.
some that might not have been mentioned:
Ken Kesey: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
“A Separate Peace”
Keller’s “Catch-22”
London’s “White Fang”
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The mention of Cather delightfully surprised me. She doesn’t often make it to people “favorite” lists. I read “Death Comes for the Archibishop” and enjoyed it, although I prefer “O, Pioneers” and her short stories.
My mom read the Narnia books to my brother and I when we were in elementary school – a chapter each morning, over breakfast. I have read them on my own at least 10 times since then. My favorite quote of all time comes from “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” – Safe?” said Mr. Beaver, “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
I would add Lewis’ “Till We Have Faces” as one of his best as well.
As far as my favorites, I highly recommend
Lying Awake by Mark Salzman (I re-read this one every 6 months)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm or The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Happy Reading!
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I don’t know how many people I’ve gifted with a copy of “Lamb”. Didn’t know it came in a leather cover and all. That’s classic. Enjoy Christopher Moore a lot, too.
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Your bookshelf looks a lot like mine! Another one of my favorites is “Crossing to Safety” by Stegner.
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Terry Pratchett! I knew I’d be going “I should have remembered X!” 😉
Specifically, for the purposes of religious edification *ahem* “Snall Gods”, “Carpe Jugulum” and “Monstrous Regiment”.
I like the Witches novels best, but Sam Vimes is up there with the great literary coppers – yes, Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, Sherlock Holmes and Sam Vimes.
A snippet of a quote from “Carpe Jugulum” regarding music in church and the new hymnody 😉
“The singing wasn’t very enthusiastic, though, until Oats tossed aside the noisome songbook and taught them some of the songs he remembered from his grandmother, full of fire and thunder and death and justice and tunes you could actually whistle, with titles like ‘Om Shall Trample The Ungodly’ and ‘Lift Me To The Skies’ and ‘Light The Good Light’.”
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Lewis said the only books we will have in heaven are those we either loan out or give away here on earth. That’s why I give so many books away–I want a library in heaven!
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Jeff, this has been lots of fun, thanks. The morning I read all the new entries. My reading list now extends far beyond this life and into the next. Can we take our books with us?
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I think about the Great Divorce often. It greatly impacted my way of thinking, along with Lewis’ other writings.
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Neuromancer is typically considered to be the first cyber-punk novel and is often credited with coining the term “cyberspace.” Futuristic, dystopian, highly technological. And waaaay ahead of its time.
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I can’t believe no one has mentioned Flannery O’Connor’s novels, Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away. Two of my favorites.
This post would never occur at Jesus Creed because Scot McKnight doesn’t read fiction. Another reason I gravitated to Michael Spencer.
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The fourth novel of the Starbridge series, Scandalous Risks, is my favorite, and if there’s a “stand-alone” novel in the series, this is probably the one, but it would be better to start at the beginning of the series.
Scandalous Risks might even be a good “antidote” to Between Noon and Three [insert shouting match here] because it charts the utter destruction of a young woman mixed up with a married clergyman who deludes himself into a very liberal interpretation of a very liberal theology that allows him an adulterous affair while denying that he’s in one. Great character studies. The people in the novels become like old friends to the reader, at least to this one.
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Don’t stop. Go for the Asher Lev stories.
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A couple that haven’t been mentioned:
The Sun Also Rises by Hemmingway
The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder (author of Sophie’s World, this one is his masterpiece)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (I’m 28 years old and I still try to re-read this regularly)
For those of you who like both spy thrillers and H.P. Lovecraft, check out Stross’s Laundry books: The Atrocity Archives, The Jenifer Morgue and The Fuller Memorandum.
Recommendation for all of Lois McMaster Bujold. She’s won one less Hugo than Heinlein did, and frankly, she’s a better writer. I’m particularly fond of The Curse of Challion and The Paladin of Souls. The third in the series (The Hallowed Hunt) is still pretty good, but not nearly as masterful as the first two. The Curse of Challion is a fantasy retelling of the ascent of Isabella of Spain.
And I’m well past my five.
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I’d forgotten about the ‘Starbridge’ novels by Susan Howatch. They are really good with a theological and psychological depth to them. It’d be interesting to see what I make of them now I’ve studied a bit of theology – I think a lot of it went over my head before.
I read ‘1984’ at school and the images it left me with were so disturbing I used to have nightmares – don’t think I will be revisiting that one again!
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Read ‘The Abolition of Man’ along with ‘That Hideous Strength’, though not sure which should come first.
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Sorry – should have made it clear I’m refering to ‘The Name of the Rose’ – I haven’t read the other one…
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Couldn’t agree more – superb book. Definitely one to read and reread.
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John, I love Great Divorce, but I think of it as a non-fiction. I know, but I just do…but you are right–it’s a great book!
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I credit The Last Battle with being the first book that ever made me look forward to heaven. Though I never would have admitted it at the time, the view of heaven that I was taught in fundamentalism never sounded that great to me. Lewis completely changed that.
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Also for all you Douglas Adams fans, have you tried Haruki Murakami? Not quite as laugh out loud, but more sophisticated humor and surrealism.
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Huh… Jeff, I wouldn’t have pegged you as a fantasy kind of guy, but C.S. Lewis of course explains it. Strange & Norrell and the Historian are great.
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1) A Christmas Carol – by far my favorite, as I read it every few years.
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2) To Kill a Mockingbird – simply perfection.
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3) The Killer Inside Me (Jim Thompson) – yeah, I wrestle with the dark side sometimes.  It makes you appreciate the light even more.
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4) A Lesson Before Dying (Ernest Gaines) – probably the only book that made me cry. Oh wait, Of Mice and Men did that too… but this is the better book.
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5) City of Truth – takes place in a dystopian future where people have been conditioned to only speak the literal truth, so a father who’s son has developed a terminal illness tries to learn how to lie to provide words of comfort and hope.
Peace
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It’s To Kill a Mockingbird’s birthday. Gotta give that one props.
If I aim for novels that haven’t been mentioned yet:
Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams and Poisonwood Bible
McKinley’s Blue Sword
McCall Smith’s #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Hugo’s Les Miserables
Oddly, I keep very few books in the house, and check them out from the library for re-reading. But of my maybe 50 novels, I would say 25 of them were listed here 🙂
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I think that’s what got me when I read it in Jr. High. It was really hard to figure out how That Hideous Strength related to the others. At least at that time. One of my friends and I tend to use each other as our alternate libraries. As soon as she finds ’em I’ll reread ’em. Or I’ll borrow my mother’s copies next time I visit.
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I usually read the Hitchhiker’s “trilogy” (all five books in it) once a year or so.
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Or L’Engle?
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There are a bunch of stuff mentioned above that I regularly re-read (usually on an annual basis). But here are a couple of series that haven’t yet been mentioned:
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. This is probably my favorite current series. Every time a new one comes out it’s like Christmas for me. I usually reread all the others a few weeks before the new one also.
I also read a lot of stuff by Christopher Moore. They’re not technically series’ (most of ’em, anyway), but the characters do tend to overlap into each others’ stories. His stuff is irreverent, a bit bawdy, and very, very funny. His last couple have been a little too bawdy for my tastes. But overall, I really dig ’em. The best, of course, is Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. An old girlfriend bought me a copy of that in bonded leather with gold leaf and a ribbon… i.e. looking like a bible.
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Oh, the Silmarillion. T’is either considered a masterpiece, or the most confusing book on Earth. I think a little bit of both 🙂
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Well, I have to give a lot of credit to a friend who works at an independent bookstore. I like to think of her as my “literary pusher.” Every time I need something new to read, she has just the right stuff to get me hooked on another series, author or whatever! There was a time when I was dead broke and in between series…. she turned me onto the free download section of the Sci Fi publisher Baen. Downloaded tons of great new Sci Fi and Fantasy that way.
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Been a long time since I read The Chosen or it’s sequel The Promise. Really fun on both accounts.
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Exactly!
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Also one of my favorites. “The enemy’s gate is down”
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Well, I, for one, definitely had a hard time with the space trilogy. Add my voice to the chorus of people saying, “I don’t get it…” Of course, it may have been just a little over my head in the junior high. It’s been on my re-read list, and I’m hoping to get a lot more out of them this time. I just remember that part from the last one about objectivity vs. subjectivity and thinking, which one is which now? Ya, I think I’m read to do ’em over. Can never get enough Lewis (…or Packer, or Webber, or Wright, or Capon… those darned Anglicans!).
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I’m beginning to like you Isaac. 🙂 You obviously have a good taste in books.
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Great list, Martha! The Ball And The Cross is my favorite Chesterton novel. I think most on this site would love it too.
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Oh, I can’t believe I forgot about the Ender’s novels! I’ve got pretty much all of that series. I actually thing I like the “trilogy” that starts with Speaker for the Dead even more than the original, ‘cuz of the interesting theological stuff it brings up.
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Reading list? But you’re already making us read Between Noon and Three! And it’s a good read, too. A bit extreme in the portrayal of grace, but… we’ll talk about that later in the month.
Lewis’ Space Trilogy is fantastic. My favorite of the three is That Hideous Strength, and even though many believe this to be his best work, he didn’t like it as much as Til We Have Faces, which is very different from anything.
Chaim Potok’s novels, particularly My Name is Asher Lev and the sequel, The Gift of Asher Lev; also Davita’s Harp.
Susan Howatch’s “Starbridge” or “Anglican” novels, a series of six interlocking stories about clergy families from the 1930s to the 1960s and the theological challenges of the period as well as personal scandals. Something like the PBS TV series Upstairs Downstairs.
I just picked up 1984 again. Probably on account of something the Headless Unicorn Guy said… And don’t forget Animal Farm.
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My top five is different, but here are a few novels I’ve loved:
The Chosen, Chaim Potok (I love his other books, too)
The Accidental Tourist, Anne Tyler (one of my favorite authors)
The Life of Pi, Yann Martel
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
The Natural, Bernard Malamud
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“The Ball and the Cross†by G.K. Chesterton.
Yes! I’m a huge Chesterton fan but The Ball And The Cross is my favorite Chesterton novel. I think most on this site would love it too.
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That Hideous Strength is my favorite of the trilogy. One of the many things I love is the numerous allusions to George Macdonald’s fantasy novels. And speaking of Macdonald, Phantastes is one of my all time favorites.
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Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is probably one of the best science fiction that has ever been written. It talks about the “Nets” long before the conception of the Internet, and I believe influenced the writers of “Lost” with the characters of Locke and Desmon(thina).
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Thanks Jeff. So much of Lewis is delightful and profound. I agree w/ so many, but no one mentioned The Great Divorce. One shld read it every year. Pastor M thanks- Walker Percy if my favorite as well and, like you, Love in the Ruins my favorite of the novels. Jeff…open up The Moviegoer-soon. And The Last Gentleman is as good as Movieigoer or better. The great Peter Kreeft shows us how the trousered ape the Lewis predicted is best addressed by Walker in the late 20th century.
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Ah, Watership Down! I read and re-read that one several times. Brilliant.
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This is hard.
‘A Wrinkle in Time ” by Madeline L’Engle
“A Warlock in Spite of Himself” by Christopher Stasheff
I had and loved the Horatio Hornblower series
I enjoyed the Narnia series.
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One important thing to realize, Isaac, is that the three books of the trilogy are three different genres. The first is classic science fiction, the second mythology, and the third an apocalyptic cautionary tale like 1984. They are all excellent books, but I sometimes think it’s better to read them separately, so the style shifts aren’t jarring — kind of like going directly from “The Hobbit” to “Lord of the Rings.” “That Hideous Strength,” I now think, is a truly great book. The older I get the more truth I see in it.
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Ah yes, Captain Horatio Hornblower – I grew up on those. Still have them, even.
How could I have forgotten the archetype for Captain James T Kirk?
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All right, guys, this is eerie. You’ve gone through my bookcase. Sheesh, even Dirk Gently! I almost quoted that book on Chaplain Mike’s Bach post. The favorites of mine that you’ve missed are “Watership Down” and “The Gate to Women’s Country.”
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Lloyd Alexander’s “Chronicles of Prydain.” The second book, “The Black Cauldron” is stunningly good. It’s a wonderful series to expose your children to, particularly young boys.
Patrick O’Brian’s “Aubrey/Maturin” series – starting with “Master and Commander” (the book the Russell Crowe movie was named for). The pillory scene in “The Reverse of the Medal” was beautiful.
Well, that’s 26 books, so I’d better stop.
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Oh, how could I have forgotten Douglas Adams? I like his Dirk Gently series better than Hitchhiker’s to tell the truth…Long Dark Teatime Of The Soul is a fantastic read.
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Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities. Of course, a close second is the 2nd greatest theology book ever written: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. 🙂
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Two of my less famous favorite authors include Arturo Perez-Reverte (cultural/historical thrillers) and Jasper Fforde (especially the Tuesday Next Series – love the whacky British humor and alternate reality where literature is king).
Of course, on the more classic lit side, I have to read Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Catcher in the Rye and a few others fairly regularly…
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One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
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I have The Moviegoer, but have yet to crack the cover. I also have his non-fiction Lost In The Cosmos, which is deep…
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Glad to here anther person who loved Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. That book captivated my attention the entirety of reading it.
I never thought of the Christian elements to it, but now that you bring it up, it all makes sense now. I would love to sit down and discuss this book with some people. It is a wonderful, wonderful novel.
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I don’t think I can cut it down to a Top Five and I know as soon as I hit “submit comment” I’ll go “I should have remembered X!” but…
The one novel I’m always raving about and the one I’m always coming back to is G. K. Chesterton’s “The Man Who Was Thursday”.
“The Ball and the Cross” by G.K. Chesterton. MacIan’s temptation dream is so perfectly pitched to appeal to my besetting flaw in cast of mind, as well: the lure of the beautiful and the orderly, and all we have to do is hand over the messiness of human free will.
Naturally I am in agreement on “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Silmarillion”, and Lewis’ Space Trilogy.
Dickens’ “Our Mutual Friend”. I have no idea why; I can’t say I like this one better than others of his, but something in it just draws me.
This is cheating, but the Collected Sherlock Holmes (oh hush, there are novels in there as well as the short stories).
“Lilith” by George MacDonald. I know very well there are allusions in this that have gone, and are still going, over my head, but it’s wondeful and strange and wonderfully strange.
The Zimiamvian Trilogy (Mistress of Mistresses, A Fish Dinner in Memison, The Mezentian Gate) and the not-quite-a-prequel “The Worm Ouroborus” by E.R, Eddison (for obscure fantasy geek points).
“Là -Bas” by J.K. Huysmans. Not exactly pleasant in its depiction of fin de siècle French Satanism, but weirdly Catholic for all that, particularly in its proposal of the genuine repentance and forgiveness of Gilles de Rais.
“At the Mountains of Madness” by H.P. Lovecraft.
I know, I know; don’t I read any normal books?
Okay, that’s probably enough obscure/strange stuff for now 🙂
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Ah yes… we read that in college. Absolutely great. For the same class we read William Gibson’s Neuromancer which is absolutely fascinating. It was a strange class.
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I’ve been meaning to reread that series. I was in Jr. High when I read it and just didn’t get the third book. Admittedly, though, I was a bit burnt out on series at that time in my young life.
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“Chronicles of Narnia (Books 1 to 7), This is not children’s literature. Don’t let anyone fool you. It is some of the deepest theology you will ever tackle. You could read each of these books 20 times or more (as I have) and not get close to plumbing the depths.”
Yes, ‘by knowing Aslan there, we may know Him better here . . . ‘sneaking past those dragons . . . ‘
(this will only make sense to those who know the Narnia books and C.S. Lewis’ observations about his own writing.)
““Dearest,†said Aslan very gently, “you and your brother will never come back to Narnia.â€
“Oh, Aslan!!†said Edmund and Lucy both together in despairing voices.
“You are too old, children,†said Aslan, “and you must begin to come close to your own world now.â€
“It isn’t Narnia, you know,†sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?â€
“But you shall meet me, dear one,†said Aslan.
“Are are you there too, Sir?†said Edmund.
“I am,†said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.â€
from ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – Chapter 16’
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Wow! I knew we were on a similar wavelength, but this blew me away! I read the Narnia series to my boys when they were 5 and 7. But more important my wife and I read them to each other in bed in the first year of our marriage, sometimes I read, sometimes she read, but we were seriously helped and blessed! When the boys were faced with the death of a very favourite “uncle” in our church, their first response was. Uncle ….is in Aslans land isn’t he? btw I have read all the Le Carre books. And of course the Lord of the rings trilogy is great. I read the JKRowling masterpiece as it emerged volume by volume, and my 12 year old granddaughter has read the lot!!!!! We have seen the films, but the books are brilliant. Btw I agree with Michael Bell about the Name of the Rose. C.S.Lewis Space trilogy I re-read recently after a good few years, and was captivated again! I think Voyage to Venus is the best of the three! I think Jeff has hit a gold seam here!!!
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Wow! I knew we were on a similar wavelength, but this blew me away! I read the Narnia series to my boys when they were 5 and 7. But more important my wife and I read them to each other in bed in the first year of our marriage, sometimes I read, sometimes she read, but we were seriously helped and blessed! When the boys were faced with the death of a very favourite “uncle” in our church, their first response was. Uncle ….is in Aslans land isn’t he? btw I have read all the Le Carre books. And of course the Lord of the rings trilogy is great. I read the JKRowling masterpiece as it emerged volume by volume, and my 12 year old granddaughter has read the lot!!!!! We have seen the films, but the books are brilliant. Btw I agree with Michael Bell about the Name of the Rose. C.S.Lewis Space trilogy I re-read recently after a good few years, and was captivated again! I think Votage to Venus is the best of the three! I think Jeff has hit a gold seam here!!!
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I’m not a big fan of westerns, but the Lonesome Dove trilogy is tops. McMurtry is the western Melville. And add me to the list of Tolkien fans.
I have recently been reading Faulkner and that is some wild stuff.
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The Road and Peace Like a River are both great novels that I read this summer.
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Been meaning to read that. She was a guest on Mike Horton’s White Horse in radio program and Piper (before he stopped tweeting) tweeted a bunch of quotes from it. Sounds pretty awesome.
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The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco. Captivating. Much better than the movie.
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I’m with you on the Perelandra books, absolutely. And That Hideous Strength is Lewis at his terrifying best.
But why does no-one ever seem to mention Charles Williams’ own books? Descent into Hill and All Hallows’ Eve are utterly wonderful novels. (The other five novels aren’t bad either…)
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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell sounds right up my alley. I’ll have to check it out.
Outside LOTR, Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin is perhaps my favorite work of fiction. Its set in a fantastical version of turn of the century New York City and is a beautiful story of love, adventure, grief, and an ultimate search for justice. Underneath it all is an innate magic that comes from the city itself as well as the characters. And Helprin’s prose is almost lyrical. I highly recommend it
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I am a Walker Percy fan, especially Love in the Ruins.
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Without spending a lot of time thinking about it here are the ones that I’ve always loved:
I share a love for John LeCarre’s books with you.
Tolkein’s: The Hobbit and “Lord of the Rings” as well as others
When I was around 14 I started reading C. S. Forester’s Hornblower series in the Saturday Evening Post in serialized form. After that I had to have everything I could find about Hornblower and his adventures. I learned about every British ship of war, how many guns, how large, etc. and the hardship of life in the Royal Navy.
In high school during my senior year English Lit class we read a bit of John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” It made such an impression that I had to read it all. I’m assuming that allegory falls into this fiction classification. I couldn’t put it down until finished.
These are at least among my favorites and had an impact on my life from early on (except for LeCarre, which I read later. I always think of these first because they come to mind so easily.
This summer I’m reading Swedish thrillers (in English!) Plus a couple of other books.
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LOTR was my favourite – till I read the Silmarillion. The latter is exceptional.
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Tolkien – Lord of the Rings, of course. Well developed characters and the ability to keep multiple timelines straight, all within the framework of the basic story of good vs. evil.
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I would love to read your thesis! I wish my students (when I taught) could have been able to synthesize Ransom’s growth like you apparently did. Amazing how he goes from victim to sacrifice to leader. Another one of my favorite characters in fiction.
Enjoy JSMN!
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Oh, and there would definitely be something by Madeline L’Engle on my top 5 list. I’m not sure what, but she’d be there.
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I love, love, love C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy. I wrote my British Lit thesis on the character development of Ransom throughout the trilogy, stayed up all night the night before it was due typing straight from my note cards to typewriter. (You know, that old clunky machine where you couldn’t go back and change stuff after you wrote it.) Got an A. Not that anyone on the internet cares!
I’m now downloading the audio version of your #1 selection from our library because it sounds fascinating. Perhaps it will distract me in the days ahead when my youngest heads off to kindergarten…
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Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.
Breathtaking.
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