The Unanswerable Question
As a serious reader (okay, okay, someone who reads a lot of young adult romances and the occasional classic), I get asked a lot what my favorite book is.
And I freeze.
I do not have a favorite book. I just cannot pick one book out as the best book I’ve ever read.
I thought maybe I could say that I have favorite books in various genres, but then I realized even that was impossible. If you asked what my favorite memoir was, how could I possibly choose between It’s Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong or Rocket Boys by Homer Hickman? I cannot.
Favorite classic, you ask? I cannot say I love Jane Eyre more than A Tale of Two Cities.
Favorite recent young adult book, then. Ooh, The Hunger Games versus The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks versus The Book Thief? Can’t do it, sorry.
How about a fantasy novel? Ella Enchanted or Beauty. Do not make me choose, people.
Newbery winner: The View from Saturday? A Single Shard? The Giver?!
What about Science Fiction? Ender’s Game, maybe? Little Brother?
Books I’ve loved forever and ever and will read to my children. Cheaper by the Dozen is almost unbeatable in my book. The Phantom Tollbooth is very clever.
Asking me to choose is a nightmare. Ask me for my favorite book recommendation and I’ll probably just end up giving you a long list of things I love.
How can anyone really choose a favorite book? Or. . .do you have a favorite book? Am I completely alone in my absolute inability to select one single book?
I cannot answer this question. But my favorite book as a little girl was Ramona the Pest. I loved that she was from Portland, JUST LIKE ME.
And, I still really do love Ramona.
I have not read most of what you just mentioned….i will have to add them to my “to read” list!
I keep hearing such good things about The Book Thief…it is high on my list of books to read next! Also, The Giver?! How can you not love it.
I’ve always been a fan of the Ramona books. Also, The Velveteen Rabbit is also way up there. Other then that, I really couldn’t ever pick one!
My first thought is always ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, and then I add ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Those stories are endless classics. But then I always throw in a few more.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. 😉
omgoodness, i love all those you mentioned. I have about 500 favorite books-each one is my favorite in their own way;)
-amy
Can’t choose a favorite. I can, at best, list off my five or six current favorites from various genres.
I tell people that the best book I’ve ever read is The Time Traveler’s Wife, but my favorite book of all time is the Twilight series. All four of them, plus Midnight Sun. So my simple answer includes four actual books and one that has yet to be written. Obviously there is no easy answer to this question. I think you should prepare a list of your top 100 books, or maybe a separate list for all the categories, and make photocopies and carry them around with you. When someone asks what your favorite book is, you can hold up your finger, whip out a list, and hand it to them. THAT’LL show them!
Too many favorites here to select just one.
I love your list though, I agree with many of your favorites. I also found some new titles to read. 🙂
I second the motion.
I agree with you. I’m the same with movies. I just can’t choose ONE. I love so many of the ones you named in this post alone–Jane Eyre, The Book Thief (LOVED it), etc. etc.
choose? pick? I think not… growing up mine was Westing Game – I think I did 3 book reports on it. *sneaky sneaky*
but now – no way – I can just tell you what books I loved, that I would consider reading another time. 🙂
Oh – Phantom Toll Booth – I forgot about that book. I remember finding that in the Harding Elemetry School Library, bottom shelf – plain looking book. but it turned out to be so good. maybe I will put that on my reserve list at the library.
I can’t really name a favorite either. I love so many that depending on my mood something different comes out. I have a list of top favorite books, but I look at it wonder why this other book isn’t on there too.
I used to have a top 10. It was unchanging but only because I refused to think about it so that I didn’t have to change it. Now I can’t even pick a few for the fear that I’ll leave something out.
I can’t pick a favorite color either.