Book List #7

So, this only includes books that were banned in the United States at some point. I am sure I have read a hundred books banned in other countries. Freedom makes our country great!

Top ten banned books I have read

1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
5. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
8. One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
9. The Witches by Roald Dahl
10. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

disclaimer: You may be surprised by what I agree with when it comes to banned books. I do not believe in banned books overall but I believe there are certain exceptions. Hear me out for a minute, if something is against the law for moral reasons ( I am pretty much thinking pedophilia here and not much else ) then by all means ban the book that condones or even praises it. As for subjects like witchcraft, sex, adultery, homosexuality, murder, etc. do you know they all exist in the Bible?! We all know that there have been many instances of Christian books being persecuted against because they "offended somebody". One thing I find funny are the fantasy books by Christian authors ie. Narnia, LOTR, etc. that go both ways, so to speak! I know people exist who will NOT let their children read these books because they have witches/ warlocks in them! I do not necessarily think that parents do not talk to their children about these books, I think it is more a lack of understanding on their part and so they are afraid to do anything but shelter the kids. I have already read all the Narnia books to my 4 year old and he loves them. I will always censor what my own child reads to make sure it is age appropriate and that includes the Bible. I already have removed some of his books for when he is older after they gave him nightmares or I looked at them again and realized he just wasn't old enough to process some of the things in them. It is not always a morality issue either, it all depends on your child. A child who has a fear of bugs would either want to learn more about them to help get rid of the fear or if he is just too afraid you take those books away and work on it later. My point is, it is up to us as parents to censor what our children read. It is not up to the government or whomever.
Happy reading!

Book List Nommer Ses

Top ten ethics/apologetic non-fiction books other than the Bible

1. Mere Christianity by c.s. Lewis (book changed my life so it may show up alot)
2. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
3. What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey
4. Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity by Lauren F. Winner
5. Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 by Steve Stockman
6. Pensees by Blaise Pascal
7. Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias
8. My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers
9. The Question of God: Lewis/Freud Debate. . . by Armand Nicholi
10. Walking On Water by Madeleine L'Engle

Book List Nummer Zes

So I am sticking with the children's book theme. This list will be. . .

Top ten children's storybooks I have discovered since being a mommy

1. One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
2. Olivia/Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer (This one's a toss-up)
3. A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce
4. Hondo & Fabian by Peter McCarty
5. A Boy Wants a Dinosaur by Hiawyn Oram
6. King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
7. Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
8. Sleepyhead by Karma Wilson
9. McDuff & Yoko series by Rosemary Wells (I know, I'm cheating but it's MY list)
10. God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren



This was a hard list to narrow down. We love most of the books by all of these authors as well as so many more. I tried to choose based on both story and illustration. I could probably do a top twenty list. Maybe next time. I will do a classic storybook list later, maybe that one will be a top twenty. . .
I would really, really love feedback on this one with books you love reading to your kiddos.
The top illustration is from Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.

Book List Líon na cúig

Hmmm, book list five, what to do, what to do. . .

Let's go with. . .

Top ten children's chapter fiction CLASSICS I have read as an adult



1. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
2. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by Jack Lewis
4. The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Jack Lewis
6. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
7. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
8. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
9. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
10. Stuart Little by E. B. White



I also have affection for 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith and The Story of Dr. Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

Also, as usual, there are several books I have yet to read or re-read that may have made the list.

Happy reading!

Book List Zahl Vier

Top ten biography/autobiography books I have read in the last five years.

1. Surprised by Joy by Jack Lewis
2. Tolkien and Lewis: the Gift of Friendship by Colin Duriez
3. Jack by George Sayer
4. The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth
5. Jack's Life by Douglas Gresham
6. Winston Churchill: An Intimate Portrait by Violet Bonham Carter
7. The Tale of Beatrix Potter by Margaret Lane
8. Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit by her son, Sean Hepburn Farrar
9. Confessions by St. Augustine
10. Girl Meets God: A Memoir by Lauren F. Winner

honorable mention: Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces by Tom Clancy (I don't know that this actually qualifies as a biography but it kind of is. . . and it's a great read)

I am working on a new one called The Inklings which may have made the list if I were done with it. I also have a few Reagan bios that have not been read yet including one that speaks about his friendship w. Margaret Thatcher. May just have to make a political bios list later. . .

Book list Numerus Three

Out of town but still wanted to get a list out. It is kind of a cop-out list but hey, I am hanging with my sisters so I am not going to spend all day on the computer. . .

Top ten fantasy novels

1. Phantastes by George MacDonald
2. Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Great Divorce by Jack Lewis
4. The Two Towers by Tolkien
5. Lilith by MacDonald
6. The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien
7. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
9. The Hobbit by Tolkien
10. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Okay, I kind of broke the rules here but I had to.

Book List Numero Due

. . .the very nature of Joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between having and wanting. -c.s. ‘Jack’ lewis

Top ten books written by c.s. lewis. I will label the non-fiction.

1. Till We Have Faces
2. The Great Divorce
3. A Grief Observed NF ; amazing, AMAZING perspective on death and life in Christ, it changed the way I look at both
4. The Pilgrim's Regress
5. Mere Christianity NF ; this book (along with the Holy Spirit, of course) brought me out of absolute rebellion and back to Christ
6. The World's Last Night and other essays; I especially love Religion and Rocketry, mainly NF
7. Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life NF
8. The Dark Tower and other stories; every story in this collection is astoundingly great, in my humble opinion
9. That Hideous Strength; though this is the 3rd book in the space trilogy it is by far, the best
10. The Screwtape Letters including Screwtape Proposes a Toast

I must admit that I have a couple NF that I have started and never finished including: Miracles, the Four Loves and the Problem of Pain. When I finally finish those I may need to switch the list up a bit. Also, following my rules I did not include any of the Narnia books which I ADORE!!

Book List Numero Uno!

Okay, so I agonized over what to make this 1st book list. I am still not sure it is the right choice but well, it is MY list for you to take from it what you will.
Also, I have set some rules for myself:
~No kiddo books on adult book lists (although what some may call children's literature I may disagree with and vice versa)
~I will DO MY BEST not to repeat books but on certain lists that may be necessary
~I will ONLY include books that I have actually read at some point in my life which may skew the lists a bit because there are definitely some EXCELLENT classics that I have not gotten around to yet
I think that is it so without further ado I give you the First List

Top ten classics with a female lead character:

1. Till We Have Faces by c.s. lewis
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne
5. the Book of Esther from the Bible
6. Antigone by Sophocles
7. Emma by Jane Austen
8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
9. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
10. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

So there you go. I welcome comments or other suggestions.