Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Favourite Classic Books

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Favourite Classic Books.  How does one define a "classic"?  I have no idea.  For the purposes of this post, though, I'm going to define a "classic" as a popular, well-written book that's more than 50 years old.  Here we go:



Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (1600) - This was the first Shakespeare play that I read just for enjoyment.  It's also my favourite.  Its dialogue seems somehow modern at times, even though it was written more than 400 years ago.  The banter between Beatrice and Benedick is great.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) - I didn't read this classic novel until my first year of university.  I hadn't seen any movie versions of it up until that point, either, so the story was entirely new to me.  Even though my professor spoiled the ending for me (I wasn't reading fast enough), I truly enjoyed the book and it immediately went on my list of favourite classics.

The Light Princess by George MacDonald (1864) - This story has to be my all-time favourite fairytale.  There's not really any gore or scary bits.  It's just a sweet story about levity, love, and sacrifice.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868) - I read this, plus a number of the author's other books, when I was on a classics kick a few years back.  I really loved the characters of the girls; they were so different, yet wonderful in their own ways.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1901) - While I never had my own copy of this book, I borrowed it from the library too many times to count.  The story of a disobedient rabbit and his exploits is fun enough... but the charming illustrations just make it that much more of a must-read.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (1926) - This book was part of a set that was given to me when I was born... so it's one of the first books I ever owned.  I grew up having it read to me, so I was very familiar with the Hundred Acre Wood.  A few years ago, I read the book again as an adult.  It's still charming, and it's easy to see why it became a beloved classic.

Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery (1933) - I knew I had to include at least one L. M. Montgomery book on this list, but I couldn't decide.  I also like Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon and Jane of Lantern Hill... but, for some reason, Pat is probably my favourite L. M. Montgomery heroine.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947) - This was another book I had as a very young child, and it was one of my favourites.  Despite the simple illustrations and the weak paperback binding that eventually fell apart, it was a well-loved and often-read classic in my house.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (1948) - This might be one of my very favourite books of all time.  I really don't know why; it has none of the fantasy elements that I usually find myself drawn towards.  But it's charming and sweet, with a wonderful protagonist and a varied cast of engaging secondary characters.  If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend that you do so!

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (1955) - This is the only one of the Ramona books that's more than 50 years old, but let's face it: they're all classics.  Ramona Quimby is one of my favourite child characters of all time.

1 comment:

  1. Much Ado About Nothing, Jane Eyre, and Little Women were all on my list too! You have good taste ;) And I loved Goodnight Moon and the Ramona series when I was a kid. I always kinda wished I could be as brave and spunky as Ramona, lol.

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