Favorite Reads of All-Time

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I’m linking up with some fellow bloggers tomorrow to share a few of my favorite reads of all-time!  I have been an avid reader since I was, well, old enough to read.  :o)  When I was little my nose was always in a book… I read in the car, in restaurants, at home, at school after my work was done.  All.  The.  Time.  Book Fair Day at school was always one of my favorite days of the whole year… I always loved browsing the colorful covers and flipping through the pages and deciding which ones to bring home and make mine. 

To this day, I still love books just as much as I used to, but life has gotten busier the older I have gotten, and I often find myself choosing sleep over my beloved reading time.  I still read about 6-8 books per year, but the bulk of them are read during the summer months when school is out, the homework is non-existent, the sports are on hiatus, and we have the luxury of slowing down for a bit. 

I love a variety of genres, but I feel like lighthearted Chick Lit reads tend to be my cup of tea, especially the older I get.  The best thing about a good book is that you can completely lose yourself in another world, and I tend to like to lose myself in sunshine and rainbows with a small side of conflict or drama rather than envelope myself in complete darkness and heaviness… there’s already enough of that in the real world.  :o) 

Anyway, here are a few of my very favorite books of all time…

O N E – Something Borrowed (or anything else by Emily Giffin)

If there was just one book that I could read over and over again for the rest of my life, I would probably choose Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.  This book definitely falls into the Chick Lit category, but Emily Giffin is a fantastic writer, so it’s more well written than some of the other mindless Chick Lit books out there.  Her writing is thoughtful and deep and, man, does she know how to develop a character!!  I’ve probably read this book ten times and I still always find myself reaching for it first if there’s nothing else to read. 

Emily Giffin is probably my very favorite author if I had to choose one… I own every single book she’s ever written, and you cannot go wrong with any of them!  She’s one of the few authors who I seek out and often pre-order books from, and I pretty much devour anything she produces within days of it making its debut.

T W O – The Notebook (or anything else by Nicholas Sparks)

Nicholas Sparks is my second favorite author of all time and I own nearly every single book he’s ever written as well… and he has quite the selection.  The Notebook is probably his most popular due to the fact that they turned it into a movie, but as always, the book was worlds better than the movie… and I loved it long before the movie came out.

T H R E E – The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Most of the books that are on my list are older and are ones that I’ve read over and over again, but this book is one of my most recent reads (last summer) and it quickly made its way into my top ten.  I loved this book and I didn’t want it to end!  I’m still hoping for a sequel. 

F O U R – Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

I’ve loved this book since I was a teenager.  I read it for the first time right after it was released in 1997 and I’ve read it countless times since.  This one is a bit heavier, but it is also laugh-out-loud funny, and if you haven’t ever read it, you should. 

F I V E – Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

I’m not generally a huge James Patterson fan, but this book was very different than his typical mysteries and thrillers.  This was another heavy book, but it was a page turner.  It will tug at your heart strings and I assure you, you will cry, so keep some tissues handy.

S I X – The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

This is one of my favorite books from my early twenties, and I’ve read it over and over.  I used to baby-sit a ton when I was younger, so I could relate to much of this book.

S E V E N – The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

Another one of my faves from my early twenties, this is a Chick Lit classic.  This one is another that I can read over and over again.  I love books that are set in New York City, and I thought this one was particularly interesting because it offers a peek inside the fashion world.  I’ve always been enamored with fashion and big city life, so this one was right up my alley.

E I G H T – Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella’s characters and writing style are a bit quirky, but she always makes me fall in love with her books as well as her characters.  I always find myself equal parts exasperated with and equal parts wanting to be her character’s best friend.  Haha.  If you’ve read the Shopaholic series then you know what I mean. 

N I N E – The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

I first read this book in high school for an English paper, and it was heavy like WHOA.  It is graphic and very tough to read at times, but it will make you think and feel very deeply.  It was riveting and I couldn’t put it down… it’s like a wreck that you see on the side of the road and you just can’t look away.  This is another one that I’ve read over and over because the writing and character development and storyline and everything is just impeccable.  It’s an oldie, but a goody for sure.

T E N – Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Guilty as charged.  I just cannot help myself for loving this book and the whole Twilight Saga.  It technically falls in the YA (young-adult) category but I read it in my twenties and couldn’t put it down.  And by the way, I’ll always be #TeamEdward

So there you have it, ten of my favorite books of all-time!  That said, my reading wish list is miles long right now, so once I get some of those read, this list could look a little different.

What’s the one book you couldn’t live without?  If you have any recommendations for me I would love to hear them so I can add them to my list!

*Linking up with Mix & Match Mama for Let's Look.