One Mother’s List of Must-Reads

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

How true those words are in my life…though my “library” is Amazon, sites like Goodreads and the multitude of bookstores within a 15-minute drive of my home.

We all deserve to take a break from the daily grind and to immerse ourselves in a captivating story. This Mother’s Day, I offer some of the books that have made me laugh and cry — stories that keep me up reading late into the night.

Depending on my mood, I enjoy a good biography, romance, historical fiction, or fantasy novel, as well as a smattering of Civil War narratives. I’ve listed some perennial favorites as well as a few new titles at the top of my reading list.

What books make your all-time favorite list? Share them here.

Biography

Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi with J. R. Moehringer, Jr. (Read my book review.)
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived by Andrew Wilson

Romance Classic / Contemporary

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Green Darkness by Anya Seton
Splendor of Silence by Indu Sundarsan
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
The Orchard by Jeffrey Stepakoff (read author interview.)
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypus

Historical Fiction

The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War by Michael Shaara (This Pulitzer Prize winner topped my list of three must-reads of the war-time experience.)
11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
The Dovekeepers: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

Fantasy

The Talisman by Stephen King
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Sherrilyn is quoted in my 2010 and 2011 DragonCon posts.)