Books that took the most careful reading, but that paid off the most in the end were: Problem of Pain, Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity and Abolition of Man. (A big thank you to Carol B. for hosting the C.S. Lewis Read-Along.)
Most effortless fun: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, Katherine Wentworth By D.E. Stevenson, five of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the entire Thrush Green series by Miss Read.Best audio: News of the World
Best WWII: Miracle on the River Kwai by Ernest Gordon (renamed To End All Wars to match the unpleasant 2013 movie version)
Best new-to-me author: Mervyn Peake (I read his poetry, but he is better known as a novelist and painter.)
I read 10 Christian fiction titles and was not surprised that I did not love any of them. Kathryn Springer's The Hearts We Mend and Melanie Dobson's Chateau of Secrets were the best of the lot. I completed 8 (of 12) titles from my Back to the Classics challenge and 23 (of 26) from my Christian Book Challenge - although 5 were DNFs.
With the exception of News of the World, all my favorites were books that have stood the test of time. I sometimes wonder why I waste my time on the other stuff.
Blessings,
3 comments:
Great list! C. S. Lewis does take careful reading, but it's so worth the effort. His hold up under multiple rereadings as well. I haven't read The Abolition of Man yet, though. I enjoyed 39 Steps last year for the first time. I've heard good things about Miss Read and need to try her books. I've only read a couple of Dobson's, but really enjoyed Chateau of Secrets .
I think News of the World is a book that will stand the test of time. I do understand the impulse to stick to the tried and true, however.
I made the mistake of reading a Christian fiction title someone had given me about 10 years ago, It was short, thankfully, & it was a Christmas story but it was pretty lame. Now that I’ve been reading classics for a while everything else is a generally a bit of a let down.
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