Which Beloved List Books are You Voting for?

[Lavan, moderator]

I've been voting for J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, The Lord of the Rings everyday since the premiere aired.



After I posted the topic Praise and Criticism, I decided to also begin voting for a stand-alone book—Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.



For now, these are my choices but if I should discover others that I like more, I'll switch.

Which list books are you voting for? Please share!

[Toni]

I can’t decide. Right now I’m down to three favorites ( and I haven’t discovered anything new to change my mind):

1. A Prayer For Owen Meany
2. The Giver
3. Rebecca

[Toni]

I haven’t, but I want to. I actually had to request that my library purchase Rebecca. But I live in a small town with a small library system and they have bought several books I’ve requested. I think Rebecca is one of the selections that libraries can get book club kits (including books) for interested parties. I volunteer with our library and the librarian was telling me about it the other day.

[Cindy]

For some reason I can't vote on my IPad. It is old. I will try from the desk top computer. My vote is for Rebecca. My favorite story and author.

[Bethany]

I'm randomly switching between several favorites:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The Book Thief
The Little Prince
The Handmaid's Tale
Their Eyes Were Watching God

[Bethany]

Harry Potter's birthday is tomorrow, July 31st. Show some HP love by voting for Harry Potter on the 31st!

[Toni]

Wuthering Heights is on of my favorites! I think I’ve read it three times.

[Tasha]

Today I voted for Siddhartha since I just read it this month and really enjoyed it. I think I'll also end up voting for The Sirens of Titan as well once I finish that one. Not sure which one I'll vote for tomorrow.

[Cindy]

Loretta wrote: "Cindy wrote: "For some reason I can't vote on my IPad. It is old. I will try from the desk top computer. My vote is for Rebecca. My favorite story and author."

That's a really good..."
I am a huge Daphne du Maurier fan. I have read Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel. Will probably read Frenchmens Creek in the near future. I have trouble finding some of her books. I read The Birds and always think of that story when I see a flock of birds gathering.

[Tasha]

I love her too. I've read:

Rebecca (5 stars)
My Cousin Rachel (twice, 3 stars first time and 5 stars 2nd time!)
The House on the Strand (5 stars)
Jamaica Inn (3 stars, but that could change with a 2nd read, lol)

I definitely have plans on reading more of her works.

[Tasha]

I voted for Rebecca today. I'll probably throw that one a vote more than just this one. :)

[Lavan, moderator]

Thank you for informing us of Harry Potter's birthday, Bethany!
At first, I thought you meant the book series' anniversary, then realized you meant the character. He's 48 (fictional) years old today, correct?

Tasha—I'm glad you've mentioned voting for Siddhartha. It reminded me that I want to vote for it along with The Lord of the Rings and Gone with the Wind. Now I'm voting for three list books!

[Bethany]

Harry Potter was fictionally born in 1980, so he'd be 38.
I didn't actually read the books until I was in college (only the first four were out at the time). I was one of those uptight English majors who thought I was "beyond" children's literature. My roommate pressured me into reading them and I think I read the first four in a long weekend!
Luckily, I've loosened up since then.

[Lavan, moderator]

I didn't know that J.K. Rowling gave Harry Potter the same birthday as herself. That's cute!

Bethany—That's why I should refrain from commenting in our group until I've had a cup of tea. Not sure how I counted backwards from 2018 to 1980 and got 48, haha!

Wow, reading four long novels in a weekend is impressive! I can read one novel from cover to cover in a day, but it depends on how much free time I have (and how distracted) to devote to reading.

When I watched the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with family members (youngsters) it occurred to me that I would probably like the book series (we'd watched the first six movies together as they were shown in theaters). That was in 2009, and the entire book series was published by then. I read them all in a week and loved them! They are the type of books that you don't want to put down and cannot wait to start the next in the series ASAP. I've read them multiple times and everyone in my family has at least once and loved them too!

[Tasha]

I read them all as well. The first time my son asked me to read the first one and I was reluctant but ended up loving it and moving through the series pretty quickly. He enjoyed the movies but never ended up reading the books. That was back around 2009. Then in 2016-2017 my daughter, who was then 10-11, wanted us to read through them together...not as a read-aloud, just at the same time. I enjoyed going back through the series with her...thankfully, I didn't remember all the details from the first time around. I'm not a big kids lit reader but these books are really good.

[Parker]

OK, admission time. I've read the series over 100 times. I discovered them in 2000, the year Goblet of Fire was oublished. They remain among my favourite series.

I think there are a lot of l,essons that can be learned in YA books. You can read them as a kid and simply enjoy the story. As a teen, there are deeper things to be learned, And finally, as an adult, there ard yet deeper meanings which resonate (especially if you've lost a parent).

[Lavan, moderator]

Tasha, isn't it wonderful when youngsters introduce us to great young adult books? That's why I read The Hunger Games series too. A teenager (at the time, he's now an adult) in my family insisted that I read them. He was so enthusiastic that I couldn't wait to start. I read the whole trilogy in three days and agreed with him that they are excellent. That was before the movie adaptations were made.

You're a superfan of the Harry Potter series, Parker! You're certainly not alone with your admiration for Potterverse. I have a few online friends who are huge fans as well.
I couldn't agree with you more about the benefits of this genre. Well said!

[Carl]

I've been voting for Moby Dick, A Confederacy of Dunces, To Killa Mockingbird, and whatever I just finished that's impressed me. There are so many good books on this list and I keep discovering great ones that I would have missed without it.

[Lavan, moderator]

Carl wrote: "I've been voting for Moby Dick, A Confederacy of Dunces, To Killa Mockingbird, and whatever I just finished that's impressed me. There are so many good books on this list and I keep discovering gre..."

Hello Carl, and thank you for sharing your favorite Great American Read books!
Many of us feel as you do. It's wonderful when you read a GAR book that you likely wouldn't have if not for this list and then realize how much you like it.
In addition to the three I've already mentioned above, I began voting for 1984 after finishing a reread of it with this group. Like you, I won't hesitate to vote for newly discovered list books if I rate them 5 stars.

[Renee]

I've been voting for Beloved by Toni Morrison. It is my all time favorite novel.

[Lavan, moderator]

Renee wrote: "I've been voting for Beloved by Toni Morrison. It is my all time favorite novel."

Thank you for sharing, Renee!

I've not read the Toni Morrison Trilogy yet. Have you read books 2 and 3 as well, Jazz and Paradise?