We recently had some dear friends from seminary stay at our house. One afternoon when we were talking, we decided to list the top ten books we would like to read in our life times. It was a great exercise and I encourage all of you to do it. The following is my current list in no particular order (which I hope to start working on this summer!):
1. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
2. City of God - St. Augustine
3. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
4. Summa Theologiae - St. Thomas Aquinas
5. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
6. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
7. The Institutes - John Calvin
8. The Divine Comedy - Dante
9. The Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper
10. Church Dogmatics - Karl Barth
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I planned on posting mine this morning, but forgot to bring it. Now it is going to look like I'm copying you!
I miss you guys already...thanks for the perfect weekend! :)
I liked that post. Now how about if you all give me your top ten books you've already read. I would love to see those lists too.
And, Jack, doesn't that just conjer up memories of US in our 20's sitting around with our friends listing the top ten books we want to read? yea,that's just how it went.
Read on.....love, Mom
Ahh...lovely words. Lovely books. I forgot my list, too. But it probably changes with the seasons and with the winds. Milwaukee was wonderful. Time with friends--just such a luscious joy. Love you, my friend.
Since I've never considered myself a devote of classics I was somewhat surprised to find that I have read four of you selections. My comments, Les Miserables -excellent, Moby Dick - torture I'd rather be water boarded, Divine Commedy - been too long needs to be reread, The Last of the Mohicans - one of my very favories but be careful, that is only one of five novels in the Leather Stocking Tales. You may have to add to your list after reading the first one.
If you like adventure/romance and comedy I recommend Dumas' The Three Musketeers by Dumas and the sequel Tweny Years After. I haven't the courage to start the final volume of the set (The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later) because at 268 chapters it is 3x the length of The Three Musketeers.
Dear Anonymous-
Thank you for the recommendations. Its interesting that you report that Les Miserables was excellent, I have never heard a bad word about the story. In fact, it was on three of our four lists (my wife's being the one list it didn't make, but only because she had already read it). I have also heard the criticisms of Moby Dick, yet it just seems like one of those books one must read. Although I had also heard that about Jane Eyre and to be quite honest, it didn't do much for me.
Three Musketeers is an interesting suggestion. I have not considered reading it, but I have for awhile now, wanted to read The Count of Montecristo. Of course the imposing page count is a bit of detraction, but why should that be?
Now if I may venture a guess as to your identity, I suspect that you are my aunt Joann Farrell whom I know to be a well read person. I'm about to post my top ten favorite books and I encourage you (as all my readers) to tell me yours. Perhaps this will give me a few more must reads.
Post a Comment