My Favorite Books of All Time

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott may be my most favorite of all the books I've ever read. It is one of the very few I've read more than once. I still own my original copy and it has a place of pride on my bookshelf.

It is hard to decide between Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, but the winning vote goes to the book that also features Emma Thompson playing the lead in one of my most favorite movies of all time.

This was the book that introduced me to my dad's favorite author of all time, Stephen King. I chose it at age 14 because it was the thickest book on his bookshelf and the sheer size of it got me curious. I've read several King books since, but this one will always be my first favorite.

A very close second, and a book that almost made this list, is 11/22/63. It touched me deeply when I listened to it on audiobook last year and it may be one of the most romantic love stories I've ever read.

It is easy to lose sight of creativity once you become an adult. This book arrived in my life at the perfect time when I needed a little more magic. It sparked my imagination like nothing else and I loved every minute of reading it.

I read this book while I was pregnant for the first time and the community of women in this book was incredibly reassuring to me at the time.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the kind of book that sticks with you for a very long time. I loved it so much, I gave it as birthday gifts to friends for a year.

My husband and I read Echo at the same time and we both agreed it is one of the most well-written stories we've ever read. Heart wrenching and beautiful.

I devoured this book by Stephen King about the art of his craft and the story of how he became an author. Even if you never plan to read one of his fiction books, this should be required reading for anyone who wants to write.

I bought a copy of my favorite childhood book as soon as I knew we were expecting a little girl. The Shoe Series by Noel Streatfeld is absolutely wonderful but Ballet Shoes is the best. I got even more out of it re-reading the story to my daughter out loud as an adult.

It is a rare book that lands on this list as such a current read. I finished this book over the weekend and immediately had to tell friends about it. While I don't usually recommend books that make me cry, this is one of the best books I've ever read.

You can read my full Once Upon a Wardrobe book review here.

This is one of my husband's favorite books and at his insistence I finally picked it up. It quickly became one of my personal favorites, too. The movie is excellent, but as usual, the book is so much better.

I remember snuggling up with this book during DEAR time in 4th grade (drop everything and read), and I loved it so much I read the entire series. I absolutely loved sharing it with my own daughters.

This was one of the first fiction audiobooks I ever enjoyed. The narrator is the best of the best. Such a detailed and exciting story, this is definitely worth all the hype.

If you're a huge Outlander fan too, you won't want to miss the Ultimate Outlander Library list here.

Can you say you love historical fiction if you've never read Michener? I don't think so. Texas was one of the first and one of the best historical fiction books I've ever read. The word "sweeping" is completely accurate.

Sarah Addison Allen is one of my very favorite authors of all time and Garden Spells is magical to me because it was the first book I ever read in the magical realism genre. It opened up a whole new category of reading for me and is now one of my very faves.

I don't read a ton of fantasy fiction but ACOTR hooked me immediately and didn't let go until I finished the multiple thousands of pages in the series.

I will always, always have a strong love for the Harry Potter series. I'm so thankful I got to experience the anticipation of each book as they were originally released.

But it wasn't until re-reading the entire series with my girls that I finally appreciated how amazing Book 5 is.

What was originally my least favorite Harry Potter book now absolutely tops the list. This is proof that re-reading books as we grow gives us whole new insight into the story.

During my freshman year of high school a beloved teacher insisted i read Les Miserables before we saw the musical on Broadway during a special school trip.

I'm so very grateful for that nudge because this book was so wonderful I insisted my husband read it while we were dating. His willingness to do so and subsequent love of the story is no small part why we're still together today.

This is one of the books I read in a speedy 24 hour session. I could not put it down! Reading it as an anxious parent of two young girls was an experience I won't forget.

I absolutely adore Jon Acuff and have read most of his books. However, as a struggling perfectionist I feel like he wrote Finish just for me. I listened to it on audio and his narration of the book had me laughing out loud and groaning with commiseration. Definitely a life changing book for me.