Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books Since I Started Blogging.

I've been out of the loop with Top Ten Tuesday posts, but when I saw today's topic when I opened my Google Reader, I knew I had to take some time to write a post. :)

I started blogging almost 3 years ago. My first posts went up on the 30th and 31st of August, with my project kicking off on the 1st of September. I've read a LOT of books since then (not all of them from my project list), but most of them classics.

For this list, I'm not holding myself to any restrictions. I'm including re-reads, non-classics, etc in my choices. :) And these are in no particular order since that would be torture.

1. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James: There is no way I could leave this one off the list. I started it last fall, set it aside, then flew through it around the holidays in December. I was blown away by the book as a whole, and I find myself recommending it on a fairly regular basis. I love Isabel's story, her anger, and the decision she has to make about her own happiness (just writing about it makes me want to read it again).
2. The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow: This was a fairly early title in my project reading, but it was one of those books that happened at the right time. It's a book about a family who moves to Detroit during WWII to find work, and how the mother sacrifices so much of herself to keep her family going. I haven't seen anyone else read this book since I began blogging, but I would love to read your thoughts if you have!
3. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens: I highly doubt that any other Dickens title will usurp this as my favorite. Like dear Charles, I too have a favorite child of his, and David Copperfield is it! There was something very beautiful and honest about David's journey to becoming a man that I loved. I felt a bit like a kindred spirit to young David!
4. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot: My favorite Eliot is another book that I read fairly early on in my blogging career. Like The Dollmaker, it was the perfect book for the time I read it. I related so well to Maggie, and I rooted for her throughout the novel. I think this book is far superior to Middlemarch, even though I loved that one too. :)
5. Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch: This was a new release when I read it-a book sent to me by the publisher. I knew the book was about someone else with a book project, but I never expected to be so emotionally invested in someone else's reading journey. The personal e-mail I received from the author after posting my thoughts on the book is something I will cherish forever.
6. The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder: In November 2010, I decided to revisit some childhood favorites, and the Little House books were at the top of my list. These books were a huge part of my childhood, and I was reminded how much I loved them when I reread them as an adult. I cannot wait to read these with my kids one day!
7. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville: I was incredibly intimidated by this book before I read it. But once I sank down into Melville's writing (and realized I needed to read each chapter as if it were it's own short story), I came to love the writing and the power of the story. This book is about so much more than a whale!
8. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy: When I think about all the books I've read, sometimes I am surprised by what ones seem to pop up in my mind over and over again. Jude the Obscure is definitely one of those books. This book is tragic in every sense of the word, and knowing that Hardy stopped writing novels because of this one's reception by the public...well, that should tell you something. And there is THAT SCENE you just have to read.
9. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: I always brushed this book off as early fluff. It was also massive, so I wasn't a fan of that either. However, when I finally sat down to read it, I found myself completely in love with the amount of history and depth the book had. It was so much more than what I thought it would be, and I loved every page of it.
10. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky: This was the second book I decided to tackle off my list. At the time, I thought it was the scariest, and I wanted to be done with it quickly. I don't think I planned on loving the book as much as I did (or all the Russian novels I've read). I can't wait to reread this one in the future!