Please note: This post was originally published in 2014, so my list has definitely evolved, but at the time of writing, these were my All Time Favourite Books. I am also no longer a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.
Disclosure from 2014 – I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community and have been compensated by them to put together this cool list of my all time favourite books.
My All Time Favourite Books 2014
I don’t know about you but there’s nothing I love better than visiting a cosy traditional bookstore. Out of reach of the weather I can browse through the bookshelves to my heart’s content, re-visiting favourite books and finding new ones.
One rainy day earlier this week I took some time for me and visited Waterstones in Reading’s Broad Street. The building itself is a former chapel dating from 1707 with a beautiful interior, perfect for housing a wonderful selection of titles on bookshelves lining every nook and cranny.
Do you enjoy reading? I love it – as far as I’m concerned it’s the very best kind of me time. We’ve devoted one of the rooms in our house entirely to books – even referring to it as ‘the library’!
My first stop in Waterstones was the welcoming children’s section. It’s no surprise that many of my favourite books are those from my childhood. I was a voracious reader back then, my nose perpetually in a book.
One of the first of my all time favourite books to catch my eye was a paperback copy of Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’.
I adored Little Women as a young girl but have not re-read it in years. I decided to treat myself to a copy and asked one of the sales assistants to help me find one in hardcover. While I love paperbacks, an old fashioned hardcover book is always a treat.
Later, I wandered into the Cookbooks section where I immediately spotted ‘How to Be a Domestic Goddess’ by Nigella Lawson. First published back in 2003, it’s another one of my favourite books. Waterstones have all the latest cookbooks too, beautifully arranged. It’s hard to resist.
I also spent ages perusing the myriad titles in the historical fiction section where there are a number of titles by Philippa Gregory, who wrote another of my favourite books ‘The Virgin’s Lover’. It’s a fascinating novelisation of the complicated relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, the 1st Earl of Leicester.
There’s a beautiful winding staircase in the middle of Waterstones.
I followed it to yet more books and an inviting area to sit down and read. From photography to religion, style to smart ideas, there’s a section for everyone. I could have spent hours up there.
I tore myself away from Waterstones reluctantly, walking down the sweeping stairs to make my purchases and heading back out into the rain. As I made my way to the car, I contemplated the wonderful books I’ve read over the years.
A reading list of My Favourite Books of All Time
Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C S Lewis
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory
How To Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Have you read any of my favourite books? What did you think of them?
Please share your own favourites in the comments. I’m always on the lookout for a great read!
Comments & Reviews
What a wonderful post. You had me with the opening photo. Such a lovely setting.
I regularly go to Waterstones in Piccadilly (the biggest book store in Europe) but WOW your one is gorgeous.
Will have to check out these books, but I have to agree with you about Little Women – I have that on VHS too 🙂
xx
Thank you so much, Liska! I love Waterstones in Piccadilly too – it’s such an amazing place to visit. xx
I love books, I love reading. I’m very jealous of the idea of a library!
I’ve read all the children’s books you mentioned – absolute classics, every one. I suppose I’d probably add Ballet Shoes to that section, it seems like it would fit 🙂
I’m intrigued by the Happiness Project, I’ll look into that, thanks for the tip.
Ballet Shoes is such a lovely story! I hope you enjoy The Happiness Project. I’ve read it twice now and I keep finding something new 🙂
Apart from Little Women and The Lion, Witch & the wardrobe, I’ve not read any of your list (although am a big Nigella fan). I used to love the tv show of Little House on the Prairie though.
I wasn’t much of a classics fan when I was a child preferring school stories, Famous Five, etc and then onto Dick Francis, Inspector Morse etc once I’d exhausted children’s books I’d liked. And as an adult, I prefer faster moving crime novels. I have enjoyed some historical fiction (Elizabeth Chadwick), but not got onto Philippa Gregory.
Interesting list.
Thank you, Emma. I like Elizabeth Chadwick too.
Lovely post! I love reading too – such a joy! I read every single day without fail. Currently reading C J Sanson’s Dominion as I LOVED the Shardlake series – strongy recommend.
My copy of Domestic Goddess is so bashed and used, I think Nigella would be proud 🙂
Thank you for the recommendation, Kathie. I’m always on the lookout for new books! I know what you mean – my copy of Domestic Goddess is pretty bashed up and used too. That’s partly why it’s on the bottom of the pile in the photograph 😉
Lovely post April and what a beautiful shop! I have read four of your list. Anne of Green Gables has a particularly special place in my heart – I must have read it when I was quite young as I have a really strong memory (unusual for me as I have a terrible memory generally) of the print being really small on the page and going to find my mum in the kitchen to tell her that I had read THREE WHOLE PAGES. I was so proud.
I’ve read the entire Chronicles of Narnia through about three or four times – LOVE them.
Little Women I loved too because I am a Jo short for Josephine 🙂
The Happiness Project though… I have to admit I read about a quarter of that and wanted to punch Gretchen in the face…
Thank you so much, Jo! I remember my copy of Anne of Green Gables had very small print too! The copy I own now has much bigger print, which is a very good thing 🙂
Some great titles on there! I’ve read a few and maybe will check some out. I’m a hufe a Song of Fire and Ice fan but Harry Potter tops the list for me!
Thanks, Cecelia! I must admit, I really like Harry Potter too 🙂
Some great titles!!! I want to start reading Laura Ingalls Wilder with my girls soon here. I love Alcott and Montgomery and Lewis as well. I have Nigella Lawson’s book and have to admit I haven’t looked at it yet – a friend gave it to me. The others sound like great titles too. And that’s a totally COOL bookstore. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you, Bonnie 🙂 I hope your girls enjoy the Little House books as much as I did!
What an amazing place to house a bookstore, I would love to visit! We also have a ‘library’ in our house, although my husband insists it’s actually his music room 😉
I also adore the cover of the ‘little women’ book you bought, I still have my penguin classics copy from when I was a little girl but I might need to upgrade this, it’s so pretty!
Thank you, Jess, I really liked the cover of Little Women as well 🙂 I’m so grateful to have such an interesting bookstore so close to home!
Great list! I read the little house books as a kid and hope to read the Happiness Project soon. Happy reading! I recently put together a list of great biographies/autobiographies on my blog, if you would like to take a look!
Thank you, Lauren! I’ll pop over and have a look at your list too – I’m always looking for great books to read 🙂
Another fan here of Little Women, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe and Anne of Green Gables. I must confess I haven’t read any of the rest!
I used to always read but I rarely read now. As much as I say I should schedule time for blogging, I should start scheduling time for reading!
I know what you mean, sometimes I feel like I have to schedule time for reading too!
I would add Ballet Shoes and Swallows and Amazons to the list. I loved Anne of Green Gables and the Lion the witch and the wardrobe too
I liked both of those too, Alison – Ballet Shoes in particular 🙂
Hi April ,
Here’s some of my favorites .
Gift From The Sea , Ann Morrow Lindbergh , a timeless gem .
The Adventure series , Enid Blyton .
The Secret Garden and A Little Princess , Frances Hodgson Burnett .
The Hobbit , Tolkien .
The Shell Seekers , Rosamund Pilcher ( I tried to buy a copy when we were in Cornwall 6 yrs. ago as mine was falling apart . Sadly they were all out . )
I would love to see a remake of the Shell Seekers movie , ( the original was sadly miscast and shot in video ) . Tom Hiddleston would be perfect as Richard ! 🙂
Ann of Green Gables , The Narnia and Laura Ingalls books too .
Also ” Food That Really Schmecks ” by Edna Stabler – a Mennonite cookbook ( from your home town , Kitchener ) .
Happy reading !
Love , your Canadian cousin Ruby .
Hi Ruby,
I like so many of the books you listed as well, particularly A Gift from the Sea. I loved Food that Really Schmecks too 🙂
Love, April x
Hi again April ,
I forgot to mention that I scored a copy of ” Simple Abundance ” at our recent library book sale for $1.00 🙂 , love that book . Did you know she is selling Newton’s Chapel and moving back to the states to be nearer to her daughter and family ?
I also love ” One Thousand Gifts ” by Anne Voskamp .
Love Ruby
Hi again Ruby,
I heard Sarah Ban Breathnach was selling Newton’s Chapel. I think it’s still on the market – it looks beautiful! That’s amazing that you got a copy of Simple Abundance for $1 – my copy is seriously well-thumbed that is for sure!
Love, April
I seem to have missed out on some of the classics, time to read them me thinks! Mich x
I always feel that way too, Michelle. I still haven’t read much Jane Austen although I’m looking forward to it 🙂 x