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And the top 10 list for this year is.... (in no particular order and leaving out any re-reads)
1. A Man in Full - Tom Wolfe has a wonderful ability to make his characters seem larger than life, making them in the end ridiculous. It didn't hurt that most (if not all) of this novel took place in my home state. Also check out I Am Charlotte Simmons, about a college freshman struggling to find herself (and in the meantime getting caught up in college).
2. Gone With the Wind - I don't know why I didn't read this one before except that I couldn't ever finish it. I have started it a number of times but finished it only once. I cried. A testimony to how sometimes changes in life and maturity can change one's will to finish (or even like) a novel.
3. Atlas Shrugged - While I don't necessary agree with all Ayn Rand says, this book was masterfully written. This will be a re-read, though I think I've lost it forever (I lent it to my cousin to read and she loved it just as much as I did). Putting the story together knowing nothing at the beginning of the book was fun; going back and seeing things now in light of the end of the story will be even better.
4. The Heavenly Man - An autobiography of one of the leaders of the underground church movement in China. I wept at times, because I realized that I know nothing of persecution.
5. The Kite Runner - I LOVE learning about culture as it relates to history; i.e., why cultures are the way they are because of their history. Afghanistan wasn't ever anything I concerned myself with; I think by the time they became a nation I had either stopped taking world history or we just never got that far. I was enthralled by the story and the tradition of running kites.
6. Pope Joan: A Novel - A spellbinding novel that weaves the background story of a legend from the 9th century of a female Pope, her upbringing, her rise to power, and her eventual downfall.
7. The Winds of War - Some of you may have watched this miniseries. A fascinating look at more than one side of World War II, German war tactics, and the fact that Hitler's attitude was not new. It was one that had pervaded Europe since the times of the Roman Empire.
8. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire - Opens our eyes to the power of prayer to change not only who we are, but also the things around us.
9. The Princess Bride - Pure fiction. This is the book on which the movie is based. It's a lot funnier, especially after having seen the movie so many times it's almost memorized. There is a lot in the book that's not in the movie, including a rousing scene with the Zoo of Death (which Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen have created just for the fun of it) and thoughts that don't make it into the movie because they are just that, thoughts.
10. The Time Traveller's Wife - A friend recommended this one to me. I loved it because I had to keep up with which Henry is when. And, from Claire's point of view, the story was so poignant -- she was able to love because she already knew the end, though it was sad. It made me wonder how well we love when we aren't able to see the end. How are we paralyzed because we are scared of what the future holds?