Favorites

On October 15 and February 1, my colleagues Barbara and Joe posted items about favorite books. Lately a book of book lists has caught my eye. It’s a bibliophile’s delight: The Top Ten—Writers Pick their Favorite Books, edited by J. Peder Zane (2007). In it you learn, for instance, that popular American satirist Tom Wolfe’s favorite novels are French: L’Assommoir and Nana by Emile Zola, that romance novelist Adriana Trigiani favors Casa Guidi Windows by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and that Scottish law professor and bestselling mystery writer Alexander McCall Smith inclines toward Russian greats, notably: Anna Karenina and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Apparently, McCall Smith is not alone. On the top, top ten list (of all the author picks in the book) Anna Karenina reigns supreme as #1.

I’ve always thought that lists are a great way to share favorites and recommendations. So if you have favorites—classics, current picks, or faves from childhood—let us know. Send us your list!

—Tom