Being bookwormy and bossy

Ok, so my midget wants me to write a blog suggesting books for others to read. Not that she has the time to read, but whatever... I aim to please. Haha. I figured I should probably stick to books that I have already read... which means that I reserve the right to add to this list at a future date, probably multiple future dates. For now I am suggesting my absolute all time favorites and a few that I have recently read. So here goes: (These are in no particular order...)

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- I'm going to be honest and say that this is not my favorite Jane Austen book, however, it is most people's and a good gateway to reading Jane Austen's other works. Which, if it didn't sound overly ambitious, I would just say read the complete works of Jane Austen because I love all the rules and I love how everything turns out just right in the end... I frequently wish the real world was like a Jane Austen novel.
2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte- you had to know I was going to slip my classics in... Here's the reason I love Jane Eyre, it's a classic love story/mystery. It has it all. Including a crazy lady living in the attic.
3. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett- This book is like a combination of all my favorite classics, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, etc. However, there's this wonderful plot twist of magicians and witches and all sorts of lovely magic and bad guys.
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- I just love the imagery in this book. Fitzgerald paints this beautiful picture of life in the 1920's and I want to go there.
5. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger- This book has haunted me since the first time I read it. Some parts are a little inappropriate I suggest skipping over them, the book is totally worth it. It's probably one of the most beautiful and complicated love stories I've ever read.
6. The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan- This book is about a child who thinks she can fly and solve a murder. Anyone who has ever met me should understand why this appeals to me... The way the novel is written is almost like a song in itself- it's beautiful.
7. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier- This is probably my favorite book of all time. But the first chapter is really hard to get through so just bear with it for a while. This novel has a love story, a crazy mystery, and it is also kind of haunting. My three favorite things in a book.
8. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz- This is a book about a fry cook who can see ghosts. Thomas is so charming and so awkward and the story is different from anything else you will ever read. Which is why I love it.
9. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks- in a way, I hate this book. Like really hate it. But, the story stays with you for a long time after you finish it and after a while it seems like it might have ended right after all.
10. Atonement by Ian McEwan- I love this story because it starts from a child's point of view. I also love this story because everything goes gloriously wrong because a child's imagination goes wild. The characters in this book seem real to me, they are probably the most real character descriptions I have ever read.
11. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale- This is a nice, light, easy read. It is entertaining the whole time. And as opposed to most of my favorites, it doesn't make you think too much and it doesn't leave you feeling haunted by the story. It's just a really fun fairytale.
12. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous- This is a journal written by a young woman who becomes addicted to drugs. If you've ever had an interest in the mind of drug addict this is a fascinating read. It also describes what it's like to do LSD and serves as a cautionary tale.
13. The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman- This book is written backwards. I love that. It starts now and then tells the story of the generation before. I like it because you start out knowing the end, but not the beginning.
14. The Givenchy Code and the Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner- This is actually two books. But they are by the same author so I counted them as one. These books have the cyphers and codes of an awesome mystery combined with cool locations in New York and fashion... need I say more.
15. The Work and the Glory by Gerald Lund- amazing stories that actually teach you church history.
16. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks- Everytime I pick up an old book I wonder who made the book, how it was made, and I wonder about the people who read it before me. This book is about a special book and tells the stories of all those different people. Plus, there is a mystery!
17. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell- I'm going to admit upfront that this is a really long book but it doesn't seem like it while you're reading it. The main character is so flawed in this book, but you are still drawn to her and her story. Plus, it's an excellent way to get interested in the civil war.
18. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood- probably my favorite dystopian novel. It shows you what the possibilities are when the world goes crazy. It's not a world I would want to live in, but I found it incredibly interesting.
19. 1984 by George Orwell- It's a pretty easy read and I support anything that encourages a healthy suspicion and questioning of authority. It might make you a little paranoid of big brother for a while, but who says that's a bad thing?
That's it. I hope you find something on my list that you want to read or at the very least that it inspires you to pick up a book. Happy Reading!