Top 5 (now 10) Books

[catorman]

Even though I've cheated and increased this to my Top Ten, this is 
very, very difficult, because I have various favourites, for 
different reasons, so I'm going mainly with things that I read at 
least once a year, and can pick up at any time, and not get bored 
with, ever.  These books are kind of like security blankets, and I 
have to take at least a couple of them with me (amongst others) when 
I travel, so I know that there's something there that I will always 
want to read.

Pride and Prejudice - a popular choice, I know, but I love it.  Emma 
is a close second.

HP of course, and if I was limited, I'd say PoA (although I generally 
have the CDs with me).

Louis de Bernieres - I reread his South American trilogy much more 
than Captain Corelli's Mandolin, but I love all of them.

AS Byatt's Possession.

Georgette Heyer - all the Regency/Georgian ones.  They're not just 
romances - IMO she's a comic genius.

Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum (again, a very funny book).

Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City sextet.

Robert Graves' I Claudius and Claudius the God.

Anything by Barbara Trapido

Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series (for serious pulp cravings)


I also love a lot of fantasy/sci fi - The Ender books (not too struck 
with Orson Scott Card's other stuff), Sheri Tepper, Mary Doria 
Russell (anyone else read the Sparrow and Children of God?), Philip 
Pullman (only read twice), Narnia, Tolkein, blah, blah, blah) and one 
offs by other writers - Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow, the Shipping 
News, Snow Falling on Cedars when I'm in a winter phase.  Keats when 
I'm feeling morbid (I love Isabella, or the Pot of Basil).  Any crime 
fiction - loads of American stuff, but my favourite is probably 
Dorothy L. Sayers.


As you can see, it's rather stupid of me to even attempt a list such 
as this!

Catherine