My Favorite Books at Age 24

It's my 24th birthday today, and in honor of that fact I wanted to write about my all-time favorite books, the ones I try to answer with whenever anyone asks me the dreaded question, "What's your favorite book?" I hate that question because I love all kinds of books but when I answer with just one favorite, I feel like the person asking me pigeonholes me by my answer. I try to give at least a couple favorites so I'm not just the girl who likes to read middle-grade books. And with that, I give you my top favorite book:

I can't tell you how much I love this book. I've read it so many times and I feel like each time I read it I catch something new. The puns, the plays on words, the literal interpretation of phrases... I love it all. I think everyone should read this book.

The Anne of Green Gable books were probably the first "adult" books I read as a young girl. I have the boxed set of all eight books and they are falling apart from how often they've been read. They are amazing and that's all I can say.

Aside from the awesome cover, I love this book because it's so different from everything else. Reading from the point of view of an autistic teen really helped me understand autism a little more and feel for the parents of autistic children. I've read this book several times (in fact I reread it on my 18th birthday) and it brings me to tears every time.

If you had just told me what this book is about, I would not have been interested in the slightest. Luckily, someone gave it to my younger brother when I was about eleven and of course I went snooping around his bookshelf. I'm so glad I read it because I think it's one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It's the book that inspired the movie October Sky.

Yes, I'm one of those people. But I really do love this book (and I like 1984, but not nearly as much). I love the creation of new worlds and this one is pretty fascinating. I've read it multiple times (in high school, college, and when I was student teaching in high school) but I still get excited about it every time.

My parents read all of these books to my brother and me when we were younger and I've read them on my own several times since. Once again, I love fantastical worlds and strange places and the Chronicles has them in spades. My favorite (and my mom's least favorite) is The Magician's Nephew because there are multiple worlds!

I love this book, plain and simple. Male point of view, swimming, high school, diversity... I recommend this book to everyone. I love all of Chris Crutcher's books (how could you not like Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes?) but this one is by far my favorite.

Duh.

So weird. So good. I can't even try to describe this one to people without sounding crazy, but it's awesome. And I love how long it is because it just keeps getting crazier! I love me some contemporary magical realism.

One of my absolute favorite covers. How could I not include this book? It's beautiful and sweet and Jerry Spinelli! Everything he writes is wonderful but Stargirl is the best. I got my brother to read it when he was in college and he loved it too. The story is perfect for all ages.

I already knew this, but it's interesting to see it laid out like this: I generally prefer male authors over female. Some other favorites that I love but didn't quite make the top ten: The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey, Lullaby and  Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk, Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger, Tangerine by Edward Bloor and What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges. I'm also always adding to my list of "new favorites", or the books I recommend to people as soon as I finish reading them. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley is a new favorite, as well as Nothing by Janne Teller. They stuck with me.

Yay for books!