My 5 Favorite Books of All Time
My launch party for The Rescuer is coming up in ONE WEEK. As I was planning the event, I got to brainstorming books to enter into a raffle, which got me thinking about what kind of books I like to read.
Avid readers struggle with the idea of “favorite books,” I think. I know I sure do. The question of “If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one book, what would it be?” is paralyzing to me who reads widely and loves books in a variety of genres. Indeed, I don’t know if I would ever be able to pick one single favorite…
But, there are books that hold a higher place in my heart than others. After a lot of thought, I was finally able to nail down FIVE of my all-time favorite books. These are the books I constantly find myself falling back on, re-reading for pleasure and for comfort. Each of these books represents a different facet of me and my reading tastes. The five books are completely unrelated to each other, but all of them stand on their own and won my heart for their own unique reason.
- Artemis Fowl – This book comes close to holding the honor of “My Favorite Book.” It’s the book (and the series) that made me want to be an author. The story is whimsical; the world is magical; and the main character is diabolical. The movie comes out this year. If you haven’t read the book, you’ll want to add it to your TBR list immediately.
- And Then There Were None – Mysteries were my first love and my go-to comfort. Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, Sherlock Holmes… I ate those stories up trying to solve the crime before the detective. Agatha Christie is my all-time favorite author and this book truly stumped me down the last page. Full of suspense and intrigue, it’s a mystery lover’s dream.
- Black Beauty – I read a lot of classic literature growing up, but my favorites were the books with animals as the main characters. Black Beauty is a poignant story feature a main character with so much heart. I love this book. Enough said.
- Hood – Growing up, Robin Hood was my favorite fictional character. I would often grab my bow and arrows and pretend I was Robin, or a member of his band, robbing the rich to feed the poor, aided my (imagined) exemplary skills at archery. While I’ve read the original Robin Hood stories many times, Stephen Lawhead’s King Raven series puts such a unique spin on the story that I was hooked from the get-go. Follow along in this dark retelling, and you might get sucked into the whole series.
- Kenobi – My all-time favorite fantasy world is the Star War universe. If I could wish any fandom into being, this would be it. What I wouldn’t have given as a child to become a Jedi Knight and save the universe from countless evils. This obsession is what inspired early versions of The Rescuer, which has a distinctly Star Wars feel and shared genre of space fantasy. My favorite Star Wars character has always been Obi-Wan Kenobi, so it’s only fitting that this Legends novel should cap my Favorite Five book list.
There you have it. My 5 Favorite Books of All Time. Any one of these would be a prize, but one lucky person at my book launch will win ALL FIVE books. All you have to do is purchase a copy of The Rescuer at the launch to be entered into the give-away.
Unable to attend the event in person? Never fear. If you join my online event and purchase The Rescuer during the launch, send a screenshot of your receipt to kariveenstra.author @ gmail (dot) com to enter a separate raffle to win YOUR choice of this fine selection.
I’m also giving away two copies of The Rescuer during the launch. One in-person and one online, so you don’t want to miss it. We’re seven days away from LAUNCH DAY! I’m ready; are you?
