How old can I feel?
Today, I pulled a newsletter from my college alma mater out of the mailbox and dropped it onto my son’s lap as he sat in the passenger’s seat of the car.
“That’s the school I went to,” I said. “For college.”
He picked up the glossy magazine and said, “Wow.” Then a moment later, he said, ‘It must be an old school.”
Since I hadn’t even glanced at the pictures on the cover, I wondered what he’d seen. “Why did you say that?”
“Well, you went there in what – the 70s? the 80s?”
Sigh.
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Quick Thursday update
In about six weeks, our family will head to China for the month of July. Facebook will not be available to me, according to this site, but my blog here will be, so I’m going to try to start updating things here more regularly.
I felt pretty miserable yesterday, and I figured out why. Completely something I can change in my behavior so that’s handled. Starting to come out of it and feeling like myself again. Today, my plan is to get another 2000 words added to Pigsty Princess (editing so not completely new words – just adjusting character motivation, plot problems and the like). I also plan to do more cleaning in our rec room so I can sew again. Juliette Amy Brandt told me she wants me to MAKE her a LARPing costume and to me, there’s no bigger compliment than my child asking me to sew for her. Have a great Thursday, folks! I plan to.
Topics: Personal | No Comments »
Thursday Book Promotion – The Samurai’s Garden
Thank you so much for having me here today! I am so excited about the release of The Samurai’s Garden. Though I’ve already had four novellas published, this is the book of my heart – I started writing it over seven years ago, when I retired from my full-time teaching job. I started thinking about who I was and where I came from. I read about the colorful warriors who defended their masters and their code of conduct known as the Bushido. And suddenly I saw in my imagination a character who had been through the rigorous samurai training, but had a gentle heart and preferred to celebrate life rather than death.
Here is the book blurb for The Samurai’s Garden:
Hiro Tanaka prepared for a life as a samurai warrior. But his world changed when Ja-pan’s feudal system was abolished by the Emperor. Now, he must find a new vocation. Disil-lusioned with fighting and violence, he travels alone, going north to the island of Hokkaido. Many other samurai wander through the country and are known as ronin. Some have for-saken their honorable way to prey on the less fortunate.
Hanako Shimizu experienced first-hand the devastation caused by these disreputable wanderers. The previous winter, they raided her farm and killed her husband. Now, she needs to rebuild but has no money and no prospects—except for the dubious intentions of the town merchant.
When Hiro, tired of his wandering, encounters Hanako in the market, arguing with the merchant, he poses as her late husband’s cousin then offers to help her on the farm in exchange for a place to stay. Working on the land, Hiro finally finds the peace he has been seeking. But the reappearance of the rogue ronin, led by an unscrupulous leader from Hiro’s past, forces him to take up his swords again. But now, the stakes are higher.
This time, he’s fighting from the heart.
Here’s a short excerpt. This takes place just after Hiro and Hanako meet in the marketplace and he has helped her purchase some livestock from a lascivious merchant:
Hanako tilted her head, confusion lining her face. She took the rope, but couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Why would you do this for me?” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “What do you want from me?”
The big man shrugged. “Nothing, except repayment for the animals you are holding.”
She felt her face burn. “Mmm, that might take a little while. I hoped Sato-san would sell me the animals and let me make payments later.” Her embarrassment turned to anger as Hiro burst into laughter. “What’s so funny? Do you doubt my ability to work the farm and turn a profit?”
“I don’t doubt your ability at all. But I can just imagine what kind of payment that vermin would want from you,” he rasped. “I heard some of the things he said.” He took her arm as she turned away. “If you don’t have the money, then perhaps you could give me a place to stay for a while. The inn here is full, and there are no other accommodations in town. I’ve been traveling a long time and I’m tired.”
Hanako looked closely at the stranger. Her sharp eyes took in the rich fabric of his obi, the fine craftsmanship and fit of his clothing, and the bejeweled hilts on both his long and short sword. “I can’t offer fine accommodations like you are accustomed to having.” Her eyes narrowed as another thought occurred to her. “And why should I believe you would not expect the same payment as you suspect Sato-san wanted?”
Hiro drew himself up. “I have taken the oath of the Bushido. You are not an enemy, so I would not harm you or anything that is yours.”
It was Hanako’s turn to laugh. “It was a band of your honorable men who came and raided my home, killed my husband, and burned my crops last fall. I do not have much faith in your code.”
At the mention of the masterless samurai known as ronin, Hiro’s lips curled in disgust. Though many former samurai had taken positions in the Emperor’s army or had found new careers, a few wandered the country aimlessly, causing havoc. Now, Hanako wondered if her insult had pushed the stranger too far. If he chose to punish her for speaking to him so, she would have no defense against his strength. She watched his expression, wondering if she should try to run. Finally, he bowed stiffly and spoke. Hanako braced herself for the worst. But her jaw dropped in surprise at his words.
“I apologize for the actions of my fellow samurai,” he began, “and you may consider the animals partial payment toward retribution for your loss. In addition, I will work for you this season so your lands may be restored to their former value.”
****
The Samurai’s Garden is available at Astraea Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.
Patricia Kiyono can be found at her website, blog, facebook, and twitter @PatriciaKiyono.
Bio:
During her first career, Patricia Kiyono taught elementary music, computer classes, elementary classrooms, and junior high social studies. She now teaches part time at Grand Valley State University.
She lives in southwest Michigan with her husband, not far from her children and grandchildren. Current interests, aside from writing, include sewing, crocheting, scrapbooking, and music. A love of travel and an interest in faraway people inspires her to create stories about different cultures.
Topics: Personal | 1 Comment »
Thursday Book Promotion – Saint Sloan
By Kelly Martin
What is ‘clean’ fiction?
I want to thank Nancy for having me on her blog today! Today is a big day for me, a one day blog blitz (13 blogs) to get the word out about my new book, SAINT SLOAN.
Have you ever heard of ‘clean’ fiction? There is a bit of a debate when it comes to the difference between clean and sweet. I think the answer depends on who you talk to. I consider myself a ‘clean’ author (and not just because I take a bath every night… bad, bad joke). I don’t put swear words or ‘pink parts’ in my novels. They definitely deal with social issues and don’t hold back on the storyline, but they aren’t littered with bad words or ‘dirty’ things.
Personally, they are the kinds of books I like to read.
I think you can get your point across without swearing. What do you do if your characters cuss? Well, I’ve had that issue before. There was a scene in my first book CROSSING THE DEEP where the character HAD to cuss (there was no way around it). I just wrote he shouted an expletive into the woods. That got the point across and I didn’t have to spell it out for people (yay on both counts).
Are you a fan of ‘clean’ fiction? If you are, I invite you to check out my books. They deal with difficult issues, but in respectful ways.
Want to know what clean/YA fiction actually is? Here’s an excerpt from SAINT SLOAN
“That’s a good question.” Aaron’s voice boomed from the
kitchen entryway. Sloan jumped when she heard it. Ray said he
slept until ten, and it was barely eight. Friday night she had been so
appreciative of him. Now, thanks to the testimonies of others, she
was nervous to see him.
He looked tired with messy hair, wrinkled navy blue work
pants, and a day‑old beard. Despite herself, she couldn’t take her
eyes off him, specifically his lack of a shirt. Aaron had his arms
crossed over his well‑built chest and leaned on the door facing.
“Why did you tell Miss Sloan to stay away from me, brother?”
Sloan tore her eyes away from Aaron’s biceps in time to see
Ray lean back in his chair and cross his arms as well, almost as if
accepting a challenge. “Because, brother, for all of your good
qualities, you can still be a jerk sometimes.”
“Runs in the family.” Aaron smirked as he walked into the
room and grabbed a paper plate. He piled the last remaining pieces
of pizza on it and got a soda from the fridge. He turned a seat
around and sat at the head of the table next to Sloan, putting her
smack dab in the middle of them. “What ya working on?”
Sloan forced her eyes to stay on his and not venture down
his very long, very muscular, very kissable…“Biology,” she said
quickly. “We’re studying biology.” Don’t look at his neck… don’t look
at his neck.
“Biology. Not chemistry.” He winked at his brother, who
glared.
“What are you doing up so early?”
“Why? Have a special evening planned with your lady
friend here?” Aaron grinned at Sloan.
“Not if you count homework as fun.”
“I don’t. That’s why I dropped out.”
“You dropped out?” Sloan asked before she could stop
herself.
Aaron wiped his mouth with a paper towel and narrowed
his eyes. “Kinda had to after Ma left. Got my GED and never
looked back. I guess Ray told you the whole sordid affair.”
“A lot of it, I guess. I’m sorry she left you like that.”
“Don’t be. It was the best thing she’d ever done for us, right,
Ray? To answer your question, brother, I have to go into work early
tonight, nine instead of eleven. At least it’s overtime. Money.”
“I didn’t know,” Ray said.
Aaron shrugged. “I didn’t tell. But it worked out well. I got
to spend time with my little brother and his new woman.”
“I’m not his woman,” Sloan said, then tried to backtrack. “I
mean, I don’t mean that I wouldn’t like to be or there is something
wrong with him… but we just… met… again… and….”
Aaron laughed and fell back in his chair. “I’m kidding, girl.
Don’t read so much into it.”
Her phone vibrated on the table, and Sloan panicked. “Oh,
no!”
Everything okay???
It was her mom! She’d forgotten to text her. Sloan prayed
with everything she had that her mom hadn’t already called the
police. Fine, mom. Sorry. Got carried away talking. Be home soon.
“Your mom didn’t call the cops, I hope,” Ray said.
“The cops? You use the same line on him that you did on
me?” Aaron scoffed with his mouth full of pizza. “Man, you’re
brutal.”
“Safety first,” Sloan said before her phone vibrated again.
Okay. If you’re sure.
She let out a calming breath and put the phone back on the
table. “Phew. Mom’s okay with all of this, but I really need to get
home. Ray, we got everything finished we intended to do tonight,
right?”
“Right. We got the outline done. Now all we have to do is
finish writing the blasted thing.”
“Fun times.” Sloan smiled and put her book back into her
backpack. Once that was done, she grabbed her phone to text her
mom again. “I’ll tell my mom to come pick me up on her way
home. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“Why? I’m going that way,” Aaron spoke up as he walked to
the trash can with his plate. “I have to be at work at nine anyway.
Why don’t I drop you off?”
“I can drive her.” Ray sounded almost defensive.
“That would be silly, Ray. Her house is on my way to work.
It only makes sense for me to take her… home.” Aaron glared at
Ray, and Ray did the same, with Sloan stuck between them.
“It’s fine, Ray. Really. It’s not like he hasn’t driven me home
before,” Sloan said to break the tension. Truthfully, she’d rather
ride home with Ray but didn’t want to be a burden to him.
“You’re sure?”
“She’s sure. Come on, my dear.” Aaron stood behind her
seat and helped her up. The gesture would have been gentlemanly,
even romantic, if he wasn’t doing it just to aggravate Ray. “Don’t
stay up too late, little brother. Remember, it’s a school night.”
Aaron ruffled Ray’s hair before Ray smacked his hand away.
“Be careful,” Ray said slowly.
“I will,” he said, helping Sloan get her backpack on.
“Precious cargo and all.”
“Thanks for everything, Ray.” Sloan smiled and hoped he
understood how much she meant it. “Supper was delicious.”
“You should see what he can do with spaghetti,” Aaron said
from behind her.
“Aaron…”
“I’m not lying. It’s really good. Maybe you can come back
and try it some time.”
“I’d like that,” Sloan said, and she meant it. Except for a few
awkward moments, she’d had a good time.
“Tomorrow at school we’ll pick another day for you to come
over, if you want,” Ray said as he cleaned up his and Sloan’s plates.
“It’s a date then,” Aaron clapped from the hallway. “Come
on, princess. I’ve got to get a shirt on. Let’s get you home.”
Sloan followed Aaron to the hall and tuned around to Ray.
He was watching her from the sink and looked sad to see her go.
She wondered if it was more because she was going home or
because she was going with Aaron. Sibling rivalry didn’t seem fun,
not that she would know anything about it. She was an only child.
Taking a deep breath, she walked back to Ray, stood on her
tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for supper.”
When she leaned away, he smiled and peeked over her head
toward the hallway.
She didn’t have to look to know Aaron was there. Aaron
may have won round one (taking her home), but Ray won round
two (the first kiss). “You’re welcome. See ya at school tomorrow.”
****
Want to read more? Buy it for $2.99 from any of the links below:
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Sloan-ebook/dp/B00BMQ9E9O/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
BARNES AND NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saint-sloan-kelly-martin/1114723748?ean=2940016377308
SMASHWORDS: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/290677
ASTRAEA PRESS: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=20839143
KOBO: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Saint-Sloan/book-wNrqosRRB0i2jU9ym34izg/page1.html?s=4Xoj6XizzUOFvTfhOsZ87Q&r=1
Thank you so much for having me here today!
Author bio:
~Kelly Martin is a best selling author of young adult fiction. She has two books: Grace Award nominee CROSSING THE DEEP and Amazon Best selling in Teen/Religion SAINT SLOAN. She has several short stories published and loves to write ‘twitter fiction’ when she’s bored. Kelly loves God, is addicted to chocolate, and would rather write than sleep.
You can find her on twitter (she tweets a lot): @martieKay
You can find my author page (blog tour central): at www.kellymartinstories.com
Thank you, Kelly, for stopping by!
Topics: Books, Featured Author, Guest Blogger, reading | 2 Comments »
Recovering Pantser
’m trying SO HARD to outline Sword & Incantation, but I’ve outlined the scenes I can see it my head and it’s getting foggier and foggier.
Writing is hard, but I guess that’s what makes it worthwhile.
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Writing Day
Today I’m working on editing my best friend’s book for Crescent Moon Press. Then I’m back to outlining Sword & Incantation, the sequel to Sword & Illusion.
Tonight is Rowdy Night, so that’ll be fun as it always is. I hope to get some actual words written instead of just outlining.
Hope you all are having a spectacular day!
Topics: Personal | No Comments »
What do you Idolize?
Noah’s assignment for religion class is to bring a picture of something he idolizes. He chose this:
My son is a geek!
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Thursday Promo – The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer
By Lisa Orchard
Back Cover Blurb:
This book opens in a small town in Michigan where fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman. One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own fact-finding mission. The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the inquest. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. To make matters worse, the police don’t even believe them. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer, or die trying…
Excerpt:
The house sat hunkered down as if it were tensed to spring like a cat stalking a mouse. Sarah shuddered at the thought of going up on the porch and she chewed on her thumbnail.
Looking behind her, Sarah studied the church facing the Cat Lady’s home. It was a strong structure built of huge stones. She could tell it was as old as the town itself and its presence made her feel safe. Motioning for Jackie and Lacey to follow her, she moved from the sidewalk to the huge oak tree growing on the church’s lawn. The girls hid behind it, peeking out at the witch’s home.
“Are you still going to do it?” Jackie teased.
“Yep.”
“Do you think she’s inside?” Lacey asked wide-eyed.
Sarah smirked at her. “Where else would she be? I hear she never leaves her house.”
“Be nice.” Jackie smacked Sarah’s arm.
“What are you waiting for? Are you afraid of the witch?” Lacey asked as she stared at the house.
“She’s not a witch. She’s just a freak, that’s all.”
“Well, if she’s not …then what are you waiting for?” Jackie snickered.
“I just want to make sure the coast is clear.”
“Hey, you guys, look at all the cats,” Lacey whispered. She pointed at the clusters of felines lolling about on the porch and walking in the yard. “There has to be at least twenty of them.”
“Yeah, that’s why she’s called the Cat Lady.” Sarah rolled her eyes and then felt the sting from Jackie’s slap.
“Do you think she put a spell on those cats?” Lacey asked with a wide-eyed expression, twirling her hair with her finger.
“Could be,” Sarah snickered. “Or maybe she just…you know…gives them food.”
“Knock it off, Sarah,” Lacey glared at her sister.
Sarah stuck her tongue out at her. “Okay, I’m going for it. I’ll meet you back here.”
“Cool beans,” Jackie said.
“Cool beans? Is this town still in the nineties?” Sarah teased.
“Shut up.” Jackie smacked her arm again.
“This is physical abuse.” Sarah rubbed her arm, trying to appear injured.
Jackie laughed. “Be thankful I like hanging out with you.”
“All I have to do is ring her doorbell, right?” Sarah poked her head out from behind the tree. She noticed the tomato pulp still clinging to the siding and peered up and down the street for the notorious Wykowski boys.
“That’s right,” Jackie chuckled.
Sarah took a deep breath and sprinted across the street. She stopped at the porch stairs. A group of cats were sunning themselves on the steps—they meowed at her as if they were hungry. Jumping when one of them rubbed against her legs, she bent down and stroked its back, never taking her eyes off of the house.
Sarah petted the cat, while she worked up the courage to climb the stairs. She heard the loud purr of the contented feline and it eased her anxiety. All of a sudden, she felt a hand squeeze her arm. Her heart leapt in her chest and she let out a yelp.
Turning, she spied Jackie. “I almost peed my pants!”
Jackie giggled.
“What are you doing here?” Sarah muttered and gave Jackie the evil eye.
“I couldn’t stay behind the tree and miss all the action.”
Sarah glanced around her and pointed to some overgrown bushes in front of the porch. “You can hide over there.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah spied her sister running toward them and stifled a groan.
“I didn’t want to stand by myself,” Lacey whimpered, slightly out of breath. She tugged nervously on the hem of her T-shirt as she eyed the house.
Sarah groaned and her shoulders slumped as if she carried a heavy burden. She sighed and pointed at the bushes again. “You hide over there with Jackie and be quiet.”
Sarah waited until the other girls were out of sight, and then climbed the stairs. Stopping when she reached the porch, Sarah took some deep breaths before stepping onto the sagging stoop. Stepping gingerly, she hoped the porch would support her. Her stomach clenched when it groaned. She took another step and then another, the porch complaining with every footfall. Halfway across the stoop, she heard the girls behind the bushes.
“She’s almost to the door.” Lacey said in a low voice.
Sarah bit her lip, stifling the disapproving remark dancing on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she turned and glared at the bushes, willing its occupants to shut up. She made eye contact with Jackie, who quickly ducked behind the shrubs, pulling Lacey with her.
What in the world is she doing?” Lacey asked.
“Shhh,” Jackie responded.
Sarah shook her head and continued her journey. She felt Jackie and Lacey watching her as she crept toward the door. Reaching the entryway, she was surprised to find the storm door wide open. The only barrier between the Cat Lady and the rest of the world was a flimsy screen door hanging askew on its hinges.
Alarm bells rang in Sarah’s head—this has got to be out of character for someone who never leaves their home. She turned back and whispered to the other girls. “Hey!”
Jackie poked her head out. “What?”
“The storm door’s open.”
“So?”
“So…what do I do?”
“Duh…Ring the door bell.”
Sarah shrugged and pushed the doorbell. It let out an irritating buzz and she had the feeling it had been broken long ago and never fixed. She dashed down the stairs. The cats scattered, alarmed by the sudden activity. Reaching the shrubs, Sarah hid with her sister and Jackie.
Gasping for breath, Sarah waited for a reaction from the old woman. Her heart pummeled her ribs and she pressed her hand to her chest to calm it.
After a few minutes, Sarah started to pace. “Well…nothing’s happened.” She peeked out from behind the shrub and saw the screen door hanging ajar. “I bet she’s not even home. I’m going to try again.”
Jackie shrugged. “Be careful, remember she’s a witch.”
Sarah shook her head, and then peered out from behind the shrubs. Once again, she climbed the stairs. She was braver this time and it didn’t take her as long to make it to the door.
She looked inside, her heart lurching in her chest. She tiptoed to the picture window and peered through it. Gasping, she ran back to the entryway. Pulling it open, she lunged inside.
Sarah stared, unable to tear herself away. Shock ran through her body like an electrical current as she eyed the scene before her. The crumpled form of the Cat Lady lay on the living room floor, just inside the door. No life flickered in the old woman’s staring eyes. Her mouth gaped open in a silent scream and her hands were up around her head as if she were warding off blows. Turning away, Sarah gagged as the coppery scent of blood assaulted her. There was blood splattered everywhere, on the wall, on the carpet and under the Cat Lady’s body.
Suddenly, Sarah’s throat constricted and she gasped for breath. Fearing she would faint, she stumbled back out the door and collided with Jackie and Lacey on the porch.
Jackie grabbed Sarah’s arm and shook her. “What are you doing? Are you crazy? I never said to go inside!”
Sarah didn’t speak—she just stared blankly at the porch.
Jackie shook her again. “Are you under the Cat Lady’s spell?”
Lacey whimpered. “Hey, Sarah….can you hear me? Sarah?”
“She’s under the Cat Lady’s spell,” Jackie said waving her hand in front of Sarah’s eyes.
“Oh my—,” Sarah moaned and clutched Jackie’s arm.
“What is it?” Jackie shook her again. “Speak…say something!”
“Th-th-the C-C-Cat Lady, sh-sh-she’s,” Sarah stuttered.
“She’s what?” Jackie demanded.
“Sh-she’s dead.”
The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer by Lisa Orchard is an absolutely amazing book. 5 out of 5 bookworms for sure.
The whole time it keeps you guessing and thinking about what is going to happen. It also has a little hint of humor. This story of great friends takes you on a mysterious and suspensful journey through a town of weirdos. It was very hard to put down. Every chapter there was a new twist that kept me up late at night reading. The characters were very different some serious, scary, and most of all silly! All ages would love this book and never want to stop reading.
The book is a great mystery and almost seems real. If you get scared or disgusted easily I would not suggest this book but if you’re like me and are not scared very easily you will love it as much as I do.
The Super Spies are like Nancy Drew of the twenty first century but more FABULOUS!!! This book is a must read for all ages!
Right now, “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” is on sale for $.99!
Topics: Book Reviews, Books, Featured Author | 1 Comment »
Jan 4, 2013
We got back from Ohio last night. It was a nice trip to see my brother and his wife.
It was also nice to sleep in my own bed. However, I woke up several times with my mouth very dry. I told Steve this morning that we need a humidifier and he said he thinks, if I woke up all dried out, that I probably caught a bit of a cold, which is possible I suppose.
Anyway, that might explain why I can’t seem to get warm and my toes are freezing even with the heat in the house running. So, I came into the bedroom to sit under covers and write. Maybe they will warm up here.
Topics: Family, Personal | 1 Comment »
Do you need something else to read?
Here is a list of 623 books! A List of Books.
This is actually 13 Top 100 lists combined, which always makes me wonder who makes up these lists and what criteria do they use?
Let’s take a look at one list and see if we can figure it out.
The Novel 100: A Ranking of Greatest Novels All Time (Checkmark Books/Facts On File, Inc.: New York, 2004), written by Daniel S. Burt. Burt holds a Ph.D from New York University with a specialty in Victorian fiction and was for nine years a dean at Wesleyan University, where he has also taught literature courses since 1989.
He also decided to make his definition of “novel” very narrow and include, basically, books the represent life as we know it, rather than get into anything too “speculative.” He does include a few classics of speculative fiction (i.e., Dracula), but he excluded works that seemed to veer too much from primarily naturalistic and contemporary-oriented narratives, thus excluding from consideration most science fiction and fantasy. Books such as Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Card’s Ender’s Game, Miller’s A Canticle for Leibowitz and Frank Herbert’s Dune were excluded from consideration as “novels.”
Here is his list:
1 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
2 War and Peace byLeo Tolstoy
3 Ulysses by James Joyce
4 In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
5 The Brothers Karamazov by Feodor Dostoevsky
6 Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
7 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
8 Middlemarch by George Eliot
9 The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
10 The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
11 Emma by Jane Austen
12 Bleak House by Charles Dickens
13 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
14 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
15 Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
16 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
17 Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
18 The Ambassadors by Henry James
19 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
20 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
21 To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
22 Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky
23 The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
24 Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
25 Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
26 Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
27 The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil
28 Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
29 The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
30 Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
31 The Red and the Black by Stendhal
32 Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
33 Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
34 Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
35 Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
36 Le Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac
37 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
38 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
39 The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass
40 Molloy Malone Dies The Unnamable by Samuel Beckett
41 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
42 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
43 Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
44 Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
45 Beloved by Toni Morrison
46 An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
47 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
48 The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
49 Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
50 Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin
51 The Trial by Franz Kafka
52 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
53 The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
54 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
55 Petersburg by Andrey Bely
56 Things Fall Apart by Chinue Achebe
57 The Princess of Cleves by Madame de Lafayette
58 The Stranger by Albert Camus
59 My Antonia by Willa Cather
60 The Counterfeiters by Andre Gide
61 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
62 The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
63 The Awakening by Kate Chopin
64 A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
65 Herzog by Saul Bellow
66 Germinal by Emile Zola
67 Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
68 U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos
69 Hunger by Knut Hamsun
70 Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Doblin
71 Cities of Salt by ‘Abd al-Rahman Munif
72 The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes
73 A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
74 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
75 The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope
76 The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
77 Robinson Crusoe by by Daniel Defoe
78 The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
79 Candide by Voltaire
80 Native Son by Richard Wright
81 Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
82 Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov
83 Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
84 Waverley by Sir Walter Scott
85 Snow Country by Kawabata Yasunari
86 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
87 The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
88 The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
89 Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
90 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
91 On the Road by Jack Kerouac
92 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
93 The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
94 The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
95 The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
96 The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek
97 Dracula by Bram Stoker
98 The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
99 The Hound of Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
100 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Obviously, this is a subjective list, and after editing this so it would fit on the blog, I probably won’t be sharing all the lists. However, are there books on here that are your favorites?
I personally LOVE Gone with The Wind, Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights, Great Gatsby and of course, Pride and Prejudice. There are a few on here I’ve always meant to read, too.
I’d love to hear your opinions.
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