Below is a list of my current favorite novels. Too much is going on in these novels for me to tell you the plots, so I will just list my response. I suppose I need some manly books on here. The truth is I don’t read many new fiction books these days as I’m either reading nonfiction or too busy doing something else to read. In my TB (testimony building) days my favorites would have been Anne Rice, Stephen King and romance novels. I’ll forgo listing my old favorites.

1. Rose in Bloom by Louise May Alcott
This is far and away my favorite novel. I have some parts of it memorized from reading it so much. I still cry when I read it. Not one, but two love stories. This is the sequel to “Eight Cousins”. Reading “Eight Cousins” first would be helpful, but I don’t think it is necessary.

2. These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan
This is the third in a series of books, which show the events from the novel “Pride and Prejudice” from Darcy’s perspective. Another book that still makes me cry and I’m on my way to memorizing it as well. Probably would need to know the storyline of “Pride and Prejudice” or have read the first two in the series to get the full effect.

3. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
This book revolves around a girl from a poor manufacturing town in England during the nineteenth century. Most books from this era are about the upper classes, but Gaskell worked among the poor and so wrote a lot about how the lower classes lived and the class struggles that existed at this time. A reviewer from the time this is written said that if you wanted to understand why people become communists read “Mary Barton.” Very powerful.

4. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
A massive book. Do yourself a favor and skip the historic background chapters that don’t seem to add anything to the story. Several powerful storylines interweaving about post Revolutionary France. If you are like me you will cry when it is over.

5. Persuasion by Jane Austin
I haven’t read this book in a while so I don’t know why this is above “Pride and Prejudice”, but as I made this list a year ago I’ll defer to the wisdom of 29 year old James.

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
In my opinion the best plot ever with some of the best characters ever. I like Aidan’s retelling better because it is less dense, which I suppose makes it less impressive because Austin can say so much with so little, but at the end of a weary day I prefer easier reading.

7. Middlemarch by George Elliot
Anne Lamott described this as the perfect book. The only problem is that it is very long. That is a good thing though because you get more involved with the characters that way. I’ve only read it once, but really enjoyed it that one time.

8. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orcy
This is a fun book that is more manly than the rest. It’s really only great the first time, because there is a big twist and once you know what it is the book isn’t as exciting anymore. Still a great book.