Friday 3 October 2014

The Prompt

I bumped into @mumturnedmom's prompt on her blog a few weeks ago, then lost the details, have now found them again and am finally joining in!  The fact that this weeks prompt was 'Books' was an added bonus.  As an English Literature graduate, English teacher and bibliophile I was instantly hooked and my brain began to whirl with ideas.

Naturally the first thought was a list of my favourite books.  Boring, predictable but it has to be done!
This is not really in 'like' order but Number One is my all time favourite book, ever.

1. Wuthering Heights - I first read this as an impressionable, hopelessly romantic teenager.  Although I've grown up and modified my requirements re the ideal man, my heart still beats a little faster when I think of Heathcliff.  I know, I know - he's a bit of a bastard but there's something undeniably romantic about the force of his love for Cathy.

2. Bleak House - this is a recent favourite.  I've always had a soft spot for Dickens dating back to my first encounter via Christmas Carol and Scrooge.  Bleak House has such wonderful characters - Esther Summerson, John Jarndyce, Harold Skimpole, Lady Dedlock - and the wonderful, scathing attack on the legal system which allows case to drag on over generations, sucking all the life and wealth from those caught up in its ever turning wheels.

3. Lord of the Rings trilogy - I've read this trilogy three times so far and I'm never disappointed.  Or as my son would have it, I've not yet outgrown my love of elves!

3. Being Dead - this is the  first Jim Crace who has become a favourite author (Harvest is awaiting my attention at the moment) Being Dead has an interesting narrative structure, working both forward and backward in time.  It is upsetting and unsettling in places but I still loved it.  Maybe a re-read soon.

4. The Night Circus - I adored this book from the first page, I was mesmerised and enchanted, reluctant to put it down and distraught when it ended.  It is a soaring fantasy revolving around a magical circus which appears and disappears seemingly at will.  Fantastic things happen in the circus and I wanted to visit, to stay and to be a part of this wondrous world.  I hope Erin Morgenstern writes either a sequel (hard to see where she could go with it but, hey, it's magic!) or another book so I can enter a magical world again.

5. The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - wow, what a title  How could I fail to love this?  A tale of a feisty old man who refuses to be defined by his extreme age and travels through some of the defining moments of the Twentieth Century.  A joy from start to finish.

So there you are, five of my favourite books.  There are many others that I love and have loved reading that I would recommend others to read but these are the five that I adore and will re-read.   

16 comments:

  1. I first read wuthering heights as an A level student and fell in love instantly and it's been a firm favourite ever since!
    AliceMegan

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  2. It's great isn't it? Love so strong it tears people to shreds - every teenage girls fantasy!

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  3. The last two sound brilliant-I've not heard of either. They are going on my reading list :)

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  4. Love this post.
    Being Dead sounds like my cup of tea and I have The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared ready to read (at some point).
    Love a bit o' Dickens. :)

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    1. I do hope you enjoy The Hundred Year Old Man, I loved it! I believe there's another by the author but I've yet to track it down.

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  5. I do like Wuthering Heights, too. I struggle with Dickens, though I love the plots, I find them hard going to read - maybe I'll try again some day! I do like the sound of that last one, though - thanks! Thanks for sharing with #WotW x

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    1. It took me a while to get into Dickens but once you get the hang of the way he writes it's not too difficult. Most people recommend David Copperfield or Oliver Twist as a good starting point, although Christmas Carol or Pickwick Papers would be my recommendations.

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  6. The Hundred Year Old Man... That was a brilliant book! The imagination of the author astounded me, so much so, at the end I couldn't help but wonder if it was true! Ok - obviously not, but it was good! #ThePrompt

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    1. I'm looking forward to reading another by that author - need to hit Amazon soon!

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  7. Is it awful to admit I haven't read Wuthering Heights, and I too struggle a bit with Dickens... Love Lord of the Rings, an absolute classic. I am a huge fantasy fan :) The last three all sound great, adding them to my must read list! I love seeing other peoples lists of favourite books, there are often a couple of overlaps, but it always introduces you to new books that you might not have found otherwise. Thanks so much for linking to #ThePrompt, lovely to have you join in x

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    1. Thanks Sara! It was lovely to think about books and reading for a while. Hard to only pick a few favourites though! I'm already looking forward to the next #ThePrompt.

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  8. I'm jealous at how well read you are. What a great list #theprompt

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    1. Why thank you! I'll try to share some other books I've enjoyed as the reaction has been better than I could have hoped!

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  9. I love the night circus. Its so magical. An escape while reading it. One of the book that I am so sad when it ended. #theprompt

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  10. It was such a shame it had to end. I'd like another in the same vein!

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