The election results tonight is a nail-biter, and I have been trying to distract myself by looking for book lists. A list of favorite books by a favorite author – Ann Patchett – caught my eye. Patchett, author of Commonwealth, also owns an independent bookstore in Tennessee – Parnassus Books. Parade magazine asked her to pick seventy-five of her favorite books from each decade for the past seventy-five years. You can see the complete list at Ann Patchett’s Seventy Five Books.
I picked one book from each decade from her list:
- 1940’s – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- 1950’s – Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- 1960’s – Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
- 1970’s – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- 1990’s – The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- 2000’s – Old Filth by Jane Gardam
- 2010s – The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
I did not forget the 1980’s; none of the books listed were among my favorites. I would have picked Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.
Need more lists?
Real Simple Magazine has 31 authors pick their favorites: Authors Pick Their Favorites
The Strand Bookstore has The Author’s Bookshelf: The Author’s Bookshelf
Right now I am reading Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, the book that inspired the Broadway musical. Hopefully, its 731 pages will get me through this night.
I just finished Commonwealth. Really liked it. Didn’t like the ending because I wanted more. >