My Top Ten

Curse you, Peder Zane! How on earth can I list my Top Ten books of all time? I haven't slept in weeks.

After much (literal) teeth-gnashing and (figurative) hair-tearing-out, I finally whittled my not-so-very-short list down to ten and let it steep for a while. I initially felt pressure to include lots of Important Books as opposed to "lesser" books that, for whatever reasons, knocked my socks off. I ended up with a pretty good balance in that respect, and I still like my ten, but I reserve the right to make changes at any time. In fact, I might shriek in horror at the very instant I post this list—why didn't I include To Kill a Mockingbird? No Moby Dick? What was I smoking?

Then I had to make matters worse by forcing myself to write an explanation for each one. I should get college credit for this task.

But that's the nature of the beast. So, a disclaimer: On April 10, 2007, these were my Top Ten books of all time, listed in alphabetical order. Please join in the "fun" (if you think torture is fun) in the Comments.

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: Never before, never since can I recall reading a book that unfolded so gracefully, chapter by chapter. I remember clearly that after I read Chapter 1, I put the book down, terrified to go on. How would she ever be able to maintain that kind of writing throughout the whole novel? She wouldn’t be able to, that’s how! I won’t go on, I won’t ruin it. But on I went, and I was rewarded right to the end. Each chapter introduces a new character until we get to know all of them, along with the way they interact with the other characters. Honestly, if you’d ever told me that I’d so adore a book about an opera singer and a Japanese businessman being held hostage by rebels somewhere in South America, I’d have snorted. But adore it I did, and it’s one of those books that I press into friends’ hands, begging them to read it so we can talk about it afterward.

2. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger: I think this book would even have to be in my Top Five if some evil overlord forced me to do one of those. The simplest reason to give is that it was the first and only novel that I ever finished, put down, and then immediately picked up and reread. I must have been in high school (or perhaps middle school?), and I just didn’t know you could “do that” in a book–create a character that way, construct a story that way, just write that way. I wish I were more skilled at literary criticism (or, at the very least, less rusty than I was in my college days), because then I might be able to tell you exactly what it is about this book that makes me continue to reread it over the years. And how is it that it’s different every time? How did he do that?

3. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: I debated whether to include a young-adult book. But I had to include this one, because it was the first book that I ever read and reread and couldn’t get enough of. I think I must have even gotten myself a notebook and tried to be like Harriet, briefly (thankfully). I haven’t read it in decades, so I don’t know whether it would feel hopelessly dated, but I sure hope my kids will love this book too.

4. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: A play? Is she nuts? Well, what can I say, except that Oscar Wilde really has to have been the wittiest, cleverest, sharpest writer (and party guest, by all accounts) who ever picked up a pen. I mean, who reads a play and laughs out loud, again and again? Me, that’s who, when reading this one. I got to see a live production when I was in school in London, and it was (not surprisingly) laugh-out-loud funny, but I think the fact that I laughed while reading the thing is the kicker. (And if anyone has any clue why I would have chosen to write a semester-end paper on Wilde's long, bleak, not even remotely humorous poem "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," please speak up. Certainly my professor and I could never figure that one out.)

5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I have trouble admitting to people that I never could make it through 100 Years of Solitude, and I do regret it. I just couldn’t keep track of all the characters, and it made me crazy. Someone once suggested I let go of trying to keep track and just roll with it, but I couldn’t. One of the reasons I want so badly to read it and love it is that I so adored Love in the Time of Cholera and was hoping to recreate that response. It’s an exploration of love in all its forms, but mostly the enduring, tortured, unrequited kind—although the comfortable, make-do, happy-enough marital kind certainly figures prominently too. Toss in some magical realism, and describe it all in gorgeous language (which I think must be a credit to Edith Grossman, the translator, as well as to the masterful author himself), and you’ve got a book I never reread but never forgot either. (And perhaps I’m due to reread it, come to think of it.)

6. Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger: Include two Salingers? Does she dare? Yes, she does. How many times have I read these stories? No one knows. I'm a big fan of short stories, and this collection may very well be the one that ignited that passion. My favorite has always been “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor,” although every time I reread this collection, my 1–9 list changes. “Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes” always knocked me out too, as well as all the other usual suspects. I have a vivid memory of chatting with a guy in a bar in college and somehow discovering that we were both rereading Nine Stories at the time. What a spirited, exciting conversation we had! I’d never talked books over beer before.

7. Othello by William Shakespeare: At first I thought I had to include Shakespeare, just because it would make my list seem very Important and Credible. Then I decided I most definitely wouldn’t, because it would seem too forced. Then I remembered that Othello was both the first play and the first Shakespeare work that really got into my system. I read it junior year in high school, in a class called “Critical Thinking and Expository Writing,” and we really worked at each line, extracting every bit of meaning we could. We also listened to the recording—Who was in it? Richard Burton, maybe? Lawrence Olivier? “Oh, Desdemon! Dead Desdemon! Dead!” I can still hear him. In any event, there’s no question that it was Othello that hooked me on Shakespeare for good.

8. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: Talk about an unlikely plot line for me to warm to: A family of missionaries goes to the Congo in 1959. We learn about all the horribly misguided things that happen when people try to force their religion on others, and when wealthy nations exploit the people of poor nations in the name of democratization. The big, worldly themes are gripping, but no less so are the smaller stories of the family members themselves. This very long novel was thoroughly engrossing and ultimately unforgettable. And to think I almost didn’t read it because I thought that the subject matter wouldn’t interest me! It just goes to show you. Something or other.

9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: I love nineteenth-century British novels, and this is by far my favorite of all. (Although, for the record, I am one of those people who think Sense and Sensibility is really almost as good. In fact, when Andy and I were first dating, his mom, a high school English teacher, was telling me that she was getting a little tired of doing P&P every year. I suggested she try S&S for a change, and she said it worked great. I also suggested she sub The Return of the Native for Tess of the D'Urbervilles once in a while, which also went over well. You can see why he had to marry me.) To me P&P is just a perfect love story: smart, funny, and romantic, all without ever getting sappy or boring. I just wish I could meet Elizabeth Bennet; I think we’d be great friends.

10. The World According to Garp by John Irving: I almost didn’t include this one either, because it didn’t seem Important enough, but if you like Irving, you never forget your first Irving novel. The zany characters, the spot-on descriptions of emotions and relationships, the playful language—it was all new to me. When Irving came to Wesleyan to speak and to read from his forthcoming novel (which turned out to be The Hotel New Hampshire), I was positively dazzled. I had brought along my dog-eared copy of Garp, planning to get his autograph and, more importantly, to say something so insightful and clever that he would surely ask me to become his personal assistant. When my turn came, I looked into that beautiful face and blurted out, “I think you’re great.” Then I went back to my dorm and shot myself.

Comments

[Mir]

Someone emailed and asked me to do this recently. You and I agree on 1 and 8; rather than Garp, though, I picked A Prayer for Owen Meany. Maybe I should've put them both on the list! (I ran out of spaces, though.)

[Di]

Of your list, I would concur wholeheartedly on Bel Canto and The Poisonwood Bible (I still remember exactly where I was sitting when I finished it)...but would change the Irving to A Prayer for Owen Meany. I fought Owen for years...but when I finally succumbed, it was delightful!!!

I don't know if I can do what you have done. I think I have done it for the books I've read since I started keeping a journal in 1997...but how do you compare Little Women (which I read time and time again) with Antarctic Navigations or The Outsiders (which I recently re-read when my son read it) with A Fine Balance?

[Liz]

Funny - I just read Poisonwood Bible. It is great - possibly one of the top ten for me. I'm reading Bel Canto now and it is fabulous. I will try to compile my top ten - I'll let you know what they are. I know The Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner will be on it.

[TwoBusy]

Aargh! Jane Austen. I remember reading Emma in college and bitching about it nonstop... one day, I came back to my room and discovered that my roommate had made a noose out of a shoelace and lynched my copy of the book.

I let it hang there for days.

[susan]

Love Irving. Have read and like most your choices and will try to read the rest since we seem to have similar tastes. I could never pick my top 10. Though Tristram Shandy would make it.

[Peter C.]

Just finished bel canto and really loved it.What an original and well told story. i must get magician's assistant now. loved catcher in the rye! honestly, i found poisonwood bible irritating. For me Kingsolver has a subtly preachy tone that grows tiresome after a hundred pages or so. i couldn't finish it. I know i'm in the minority regarding her. One of my all time favorites is Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. Also Life of Pi was an absolute winner for me. I want to name my next cat Richard Parker. Take care Ms. Blogger.