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18.Aug.2010 Claire’s Best Books Ever

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The Best Books Project

Continuing my Best Books Project, this time it’s Claire‘s turn! (My project is a bit off schedule, but as long as I keep going, right?)

At first glance Claire and I may seem very different from the way we represent ourselves on our blogs, but we actually have so much more in common than I (or possibly anyone) thought. Claire is a big reader (around 650 books recorded) and she can be very convincing when talking about books she loves!

When asked about her favorite books ever, Claire couldn’t stop listing, so here’s her top 17! :)

Moby DickGreat ExpectationsOne Hundred Years of SolitudeLove in the Time of CholeraSilmarillionSong of SolomonThe House on Mango StreetThe History of LoveI Capture the CastleWuthering HeightsTo the LighthouseThe Moor's Last SighHow Late It Was, How LateThe Temple of Golden PavilionThe Name of The Rose2666Life of Pi

1. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
2. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
3. One Hundred Years of Solitude, GGM
4. Love in the Time of Cholera, GGM
5. The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien
6. Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
7. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
8. The History of Love, Nicole Krauss
9. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
10. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
11. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
12. The Moor’s Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
13. How Late it Was, How Late, James Kelman
14. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Yukio Mishima
15. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
16. 2666, Roberto Bolaño
17. Life of Pi, Yann Martel

I have read and LOVED The History of Love, Wuthering Heights, and Life of Pi. So what are the chances I’d love any book from this list?! There are some on the list that have been on my mental tbr list, such as The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, The House of Mango Street, I Capture the Castle, Great Expectations, and both Garcia Marquez. And the rests definitely intrigue me. There’s one though that I have no plan to read ever, which is Moby Dick. Haha. But who knows, maybe the day would come :)

If you paid attention to my side bar in the past few weeks, you’d know which one I chose to read for this round. Yes, yes, it’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. Stay tune for my review tomorrow.

Have you read and loved any of the books on the list? Have you disliked any of them?! Do share!

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There are 21 Comments to "Claire’s Best Books Ever"

  • Stujallen says:
    18 August 2010 at 11:54 pm

    just what I d expect from claire ,I love her blog and the breadth of her reading ,see couple of my favourite on her list ,always hard to define a top 10 even top 50 at time sure when asked on different day I come up with different lists slightly every time ,all the best stu

    Reply
  • JoV says:
    19 August 2010 at 1:36 am

    I have only read Life of Pi from her list. These are what I want to read:

    1. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
    2. One Hundred Years of Solitude, GGM
    3. Love in the Time of Cholera, GGM
    4. The History of Love, Nicole Krauss
    5. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
    6. The Moor’s Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
    7. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Yukio Mishima
    8. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
    9. 2666, Roberto Bolaño

    proves that I have a long way to go before I become a good reader. :(

    Reply
    • mee says:
      1 September 2010 at 7:46 pm

      JoV, I can definitely vouch 100% for The History of Love, Wuthering Heights, and One Hundred Years of Solitude from your list :) (but the last two won’t appeal to everybody I think)

      Reply
  • Steph says:
    19 August 2010 at 1:49 am

    Oh, you really can’t go wrong when claire is suggesting books! Several of my favourites are on that list for sure, although I admit I’m not a Dickens fan nor was I able to finish 2666. I get why claire loves them, but they are not for me. Glad you picked 100 Years to read, it’s AMAZING.

    Reply
    • mee says:
      1 September 2010 at 7:48 pm

      Steph, I haven’t tried many Dickens, only A Christmas Carol, but I’m willing to try more, and Great Expectations happens to be the one that appeals to me the most. I’m not sure yet if I want to read 2666, because it’s damn thick. I’m glad we agree that 100 Years is amazing!

      Reply
  • Jackie (Farm Lane Books) says:
    19 August 2010 at 2:22 am

    Fascinating list! It is a real mixture of books I loved (Life of Pi, 2666, Great Expectations) and books I hated (Wuthering Heights, The Silmarillion) I think all those I haven’t read are already on my wishlist, most I already own. I look forward to reading the rest and seeing whether they fall into the love or the hate pile :-)

    Reply
    • mee says:
      1 September 2010 at 7:50 pm

      Jackie, it’s interesting to know that you hated Wuthering Heights and The Silmarillion. WH tends to attract mixed reactions, but I don’t imagine Tolkien’s book does. Funny thing, I’m more intrigued now!

      Reply
  • Michelle (su[shu]) says:
    19 August 2010 at 11:33 pm

    Of the list, I’ve only read The History of Love, and you know how I loved that one as well. I don’t share Claire’s love for Toni Morrison though. But definitely interested in the Rushdie and Mishima. Also, I had read the first few pages of 2666, but I had to return it to the library the next day. I’ve been itching to get myself a copy since then.

    Also been meaning to read Wuthering Heights and Life of Pi. =)

    Reply
    • mee says:
      1 September 2010 at 7:54 pm

      Michelle, thought everybody has read Life of Pi! :) It’s a must read! I have yet to try Toni Morrison. I think I’ll start with The Bluest Eye, which according to Claire is a good one to start with. Rushdie and Mishima are on my mental must-read authors list too.

      Reply
  • claire says:
    20 August 2010 at 2:40 am

    Lol. I’d forgotten I gave you an odd number of 17 books. Love that number though.

    I know, it’s weird, right? It doesn’t seem like we share the same interests (bookwise) but then we actually do! I promise you, Moby Dick is NOT boring! :D

    Reply
    • mee says:
      1 September 2010 at 7:56 pm

      Claire, when I get to read Moby Dick, I will surely remember of you :D

      ps: Actually it doesn’t seem like we share the same interests non-bookwise too, but we do :)

      Reply
  • claire says:
    20 August 2010 at 2:51 am

    P.S. How could I forget Dave Eggers’ What is the What.. I love it SO much! Definitely one of my faves.

    Reply
  • Mark David says:
    20 August 2010 at 6:17 am

    I’m curious what you’ll think about Love in a Time of Cholera… And yes, Claire is very convincing :)

    Reply
  • Novroz says:
    2 September 2010 at 8:33 am

    Wow…that’s a lot of books. Claire seems to like Classics. Some of her books are not my kind of read, but I’d love to read The Silmallirion.

    Reply
    • mee says:
      6 September 2010 at 9:36 pm

      Novroz, what I like about Claire is that she doesn’t classify books. If it’s good it’s good, classics or not. Classics do intimidate me sometimes, but I try not to let it!

      Reply
      • Novroz says:
        17 September 2010 at 9:31 am

        Yeah I am in the same position as you are. The most classic book I ever read is The Lord of The Rings and this book is not THAT old.

        I bought Hunchback of Notredame recently because I want to try reading classics too.

        Reply
        • mee says:
          19 September 2010 at 8:47 am

          Oh I have the impression that Hunchback of Notredame is super thick. Good luck with that! :D
          I wonder what is the oldest book I’ve read. For English novels, I’ve read a few books from 1800s. I don’t think I’ve read anything from 1700s.

          Reply

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