Favorite Book of All Time

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie by Mary Ann Shaffer-one of my favorite books of all time!
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
1984 by George Orwell

Plus there is a newer series that is a prequel set to Peter Pan. It's kind of like Harry Potter in that it appeals to a wide audience. The books are Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. They are thick-but really fast reads.

Also-some really good books to try are the books on the founding fathers. His Excellency George Washington by Joseph Ellis is one of the most engaging historical biographies I've ever read.

Enjoy bookclub!

These are the first three of many that come to mind:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Just have to throw in The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It's technically sci fi, but really, it's social commentary and a great story.

"She's come undone" by Wally Lamb

"I know this much is true" by Wally Lamb

"The bell jar" by Sylvia Plath

Great question.

My all-time favorite is "Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole -Pulitzer Prize winner and amazing on so many levels! Here are some others that I dearly love and that are also great for book clubs (when it comes to books, I simply cannot stop at 3):

The Red Tent -Anita Diamant -breathtaking!
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (I love all of her books, but this one is beautiful and stunning.)

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb -also "The Hour I First Believed" and "I Know This Much Is True"

The Help -a current bestseller -it lives up to the hype! Fantastic! It reminded me so much of my childhood -it's very authentic.

You've probably read all of John Irving's stuff being in NH, but while I love almost everything he's written, "A Prayer For Owen Meany" is pure magic! "The Cider House Rules" is amazing as well.

If you want a very original and really authentic take on New Orleans and Louisiana characters, life and great mysteries too -read James Lee Burke. He also has some novels set in Montana that are great. He's a wonderful writer.

Pat Conroy's "The Water is Wide", "The Great Santini" and "The Prince of Tides" are near-perfect.

The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx -BEAUTIFUL -had part of it read at my wedding!

"Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" by BeBe Moore Campbell is another fine novel.

For pure fun and hi-jinks, check out Carl Hiaassen -hilarious suspense novels set in Florida and full of complete nuts!

It's hard to stop, but that's the list I give everyone when asked. All of the above books are books I couldn't put down that struck something in me and left a lasting impression.

I've loved reading all the responses, and you can tell there are some obvious favorites of almost everyone's! I left one out that never should be left out -"The Source" by James Michener. A lot of Michener doesn't do it for me, but this is one amazing book! 20 years ago I found it sitting on the edge of my apartment in-ground garbage dumpster. It was a first edition, specially bound SIGNED copy that is now worth $4000! That pales in comparison to the story inside though!

The Prince of Tides, The Red Tent, and The Poisonwood Bible.

"A prayer for Owen Meany" John Irving
"Great Expectations" Charles Dickens
"Sense & Sensibility" Jane Austen
"The Thorn Birds" Colleen McCullough
"My sister's keeper" Jodi Piccoult
"The Fountainhead" Ayn Rand
"And then there were none" Agatha Christie

Man, I could go on for days.....this was a great question! I will definitely check back to get some suggestions for new books =)

Time Traveler's Wife (skip the movie...the book is lovely)
Year of Wonders or conversely, Prayer for the Dying (same general topic)
Weight of Water
The Virgin Blue
The Historian
The Stepford Wives

I could go on but I have already broken your "Top 3" limit = /

I love all three of Wally Lamb's books:
She's come undone, I know this much is true, The hour I first believed.

They are my favorite of all time. He is amazing author!

chocolat - joanne harris
geek love -katherine dunne (it's pretty disturbing but LOTs to talk about)
east of eden - steinbeck

runner up: felicia's journey

Funny, as I read your question, a book popped into mind (maybe not the best of all time, but it was good), and then I hit the vampire part. Oh well, I will give you the name anyway, though, and you can always check out the jacket and discard the suggestion. The Historian.

Anything - ANYTHING - by Jane Austen. Even her unfinished and early works.

I would suggest "The Help" about black maids in the South who catered to the white families. Historical, yet there is humor. "The Glass Castle" is a memoir and a look into a family, the Walls. The children had learned to take care of themselves because the father was an alcoholic and the mother had her own problems. The parents were brilliant, yet dysfunctual and ended up homeless in spite of their children wanting to care for them. It's a true story that will capture your heart!

S. H.

I love all of the Beverly Lewis books. I don't know if I could narrow it down to just 3!

:)

Wuthering Heights--One of the Brontes
Possession--A. S. Byatt
The Mermaids Singing--Lisa Carey

and I want to add a vote to The Red Tent that has been mentioned already, powerful and uplifting book.

What a great question! And a hard one. Three of my faves are The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Shantaram by Gregory Roberts and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Always looking for a good/different read...can't wait to see the answers you get.

I loved " The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series.
"The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
"Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is an old but overlooked classic....."Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier.
"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortensen
""Hidden Places" by Lynn Austin

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver, "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, and of course, my ultimate favorite, "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

This year...my bookclub read The HELP by Katherine Stockett and it was a huge hit. I myself loved it. I aso loved The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

A recent hit was Beneath The Marble Sky (I forget Author's name. but it might be John Shor
The Red Tent is a big book club choice although I have not read either.
Hope this is helpful! HAve Fun.
M. H.

The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder

I love this question, I can't wait to read all your responses!
As for my three, I would say The Brothers K by David James Duncan, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and It Must Have Been Something I Ate by Jeffery Steingarten are what pops into my head at the moment.
Also very good are The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron, High Tide in Tuscon by Kingsolver (all Kingsolver is great except Prodigal Summer) and anything non-fiction by Anne Lamott.

J., Thank you for this question....Before I had kids I read a lot, but it's been almost 6 long, sad years since I have.....and just yesterday I made a promise to myself that I would put it on my schedule (sad to have to schedule this)....so now I have all these books to look forward to :)

My favorite book is probably The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Love it, love it!

I have a hard time coming up with faves because I read so much I can't remember them all, but anything I will re-read is a fave. I've peeked at the list below and wanted to second some: The Help, The Red Tent, Poisonwood Bible, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Prince of Tides, absolutely ANYthing by Jodi Piccoult. I also liked The Joy Luck Club and Philippa Gregory's books. I can't wait to read some of these, I have a hard time picking new authors, especially the book club type authors and not my usual suspense.

One of my very favorite books of all time, and it might sound strange, is one that I bought for my daughter through the Scholastic Book Club at school.
I wanted to read it first before sharing it with her and I found that I couldn't put it down.
It's not a very long book, but so much is packed into the pages and you really feel like you get to know the characters.
I still cry everytime I read it. But not in a bad way.
I sent a copy to my dad when he was going through his chemo treatments.
He loved it as well.

It's called, "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant.
You can google it.
I've had several copies over the years and got the last one from e-bay in perfect condition for just a couple of dollars.

It's one of my son's favorites too.
Since you are an avid reader, as I am, I don't think you'll regret reading it.
I've read millions of books. This one might not be one you'd just come across unless someone mentioned it.

I hope you get some great suggestions.

I don't think I can choose three:

"My Life in France" by Julia Child Paul Prudhomme: a fantastic, first-person account of her marriage to Paul Child and how she came to be recognized all over the world. I've read this one over and over again. Much to my father's chagrin, I LOVED watching her show when I was a toddler.

"Memoirs of a Geisha"

"Down to a Soundless Sea" Thomas Steinbeck (son of John)

all of John Steinbeck but especially the "Grapes of Wrath" and "East of Eden"

"Shogun" by James Clavell

"Hawaii" by James Michener

"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" and "Theodore Rex" by Edmund Morris (I actually read these aloud to my pregnant belly and newborn baby)

"Rich Man, Poor Man" by Irwin Shaw

Oh yeah...one more

"I Dreamed of Africa" by Kuki Gallman

"Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon, "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant, Rebecca by by Daphne du Maurier, "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry, "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austin. So hard to pick only three, or six :)
Happy reading!

Another vote for Pride and Prejudice (or anything else by Jane Austen)..
And if you've never actually read it, Gone With the Wind is an amazing read. I know everyone has SEEN the movie.. but reading the book is magical.
A Prayer For Owen Meany is still one of my favorites after 20 years..
The Alienest (by Caleb Carr) was a pretty good read also... it's a period piece set in early New York City.

I could make a big list, but you said 3, and I've already surpassed that number...

Falling Leaves, by Adeline Yen Mah....I never give it away just in case I want to read it again.

My other two have been mentioned. Thanks for asking this question.
H.

I am a avid reader myself and couldn't narrow it down to only three top choices so instead I will suggest my two favorite authors and then just some other good books. Authors: 1. Jodi Picoult and 2. Chris Bohjalien (both local to New England actually but GREAT writers....all their books!) Some other good books: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, A Thousand Splendid Suns (same author as The Kite Runner, I can't remember his name), The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. If you like my suggestions and want more please write! Thanks and Happy Reading! A.

Classics:
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Passage to India - EM Forster

Contemporary:
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls

The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal (I read this in college for the first time as required by a class, I read it once a year since. LOVE it).

The Lovely Bones (skip the movie, the book is great!)

Chill out and get healthy by Aimee E Raupp

Anything by Dave Ramsey!

What a GREAT question!!

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Death Comes For the Archbishop by Willa Cather (in fact, anything by Willa Cather)

Anything by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (he's from South Africa and helped the country move from apartheid (spelling??) to democracy.

Enjoy and happy reading!

This Present Darkness - Frank Perreti
It's different:0)

Instead of books, how about authors?

Anne Perry
Edith Wharton
Wally Lamb

Short Stories:
Ha Jin
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Alice Munroe

For poetry:
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Charles Bukowski

A lot of mine overlap other responses:

The Help by Katherine Stockett
Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie by Mary Ann Shaffer

"Identical Strangers" !!!!!!
It is a TRUE STORY about twins separated at birth on purpose for the study of "Nature vs Nurture". IT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!

Many of my favorites have been mentioned, I wanted to add
Jan Karon The Mitford Series..
A new book The Help by Kathryn Stockett ( I have loaned it to 6 different people and they have all loved it)
And right now
The Dome By Stephen King.. It is really good.

Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

Well the one thing that sticks out in my mind immediately, and which I read as a kid, but is still great is "Watership Down."
I loved that book. Still do.

Or try Oprah's website to see what books per her book club are great reads.

good luck,
Susan

The Earth's children series by Jean Auel. The first three are the best. After that she became rich for writing the first three and the next three weren't as good. "Clan of the Cave Bear", "Valley of the Horses", and "Mammoth Hunters".

"The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands" a relationship book

"Fireproof", a relatioonship book

Just finished "Roses" and LOVED it!!!!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

I LOVE "SINS OF THE FATHER" BASED ON A REAL LIFE STORY!!! I ALSO LOVE "A BEND IN THE ROAD" BY NICHOLAS SPARKS, also im GOING TO START READING A BOOK BY AGATHA CHRISTIE, SHE HAS AMAZING STORIES!!!, So i hope u choose to read one of my three faves books!!!

Count of Monte Christo by Alexander Dumas. Amazing. Not the movie, the movie stinks!

Great question! I can't wait to start reading some of these suggestions. Here are mine...

Lord of The Rings series starting with The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien--by far my all time favorite! I can't count how many times I've read these books! The stories and characters are so much richer than they could ever give justice to in the movies.

Hawaii by James Michener. I saw this on someone else's response but had to put it in my list. The beginning is a little slow (formation of the islands), but the rest is great!

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand--a long book and it took me a few tries to get into it, but well worth it once I did.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner--a challenging read, but it would be interesting to discuss in a club.

Anything by James Patterson, but especially his series of books with Alex Cross as the main character. His writing is sooo enjoyable to read and because the chapters are short, they seem to flow really well. If you've seen the movies "Kiss the Girls" or "Along Came a Spider" then you know his work... those are 2 of his Alex Cross books.

Good Luck on your search and happy reading!

Crime & Punishment
The Godfather (even if you've seen the movie, the book is an amazing read).
Lonesome Dove

I cannot remember favorites of all time, but here are some current good ones that we read in our book club:

Sara's Key
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
The Help

HTH
Jilly

Pillars of the Earth
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Poisonwood Bible

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth is my all-time favorite! Also one of the longest I've read...but definitely worth it! (Though probably too long for a book club read.)

On the other extreme for length, the book of short stories "Unaccostomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahari is amazing.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

While not in my top three, the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde books is also a lot of fun.