Your Favorite Books for National Book Lovers Day

Happy National Book Lovers Day! We recently asked you to share your favorite books with us, and we so enjoyed reading your heartfelt responses. We’ve compiled your answers below to share the book-loving love, so read on for recommendations from your fellow bibliophiles..

Didn’t get the chance to share your favorite read with us? Send us a note on Facebook!

Merrill F.: “A new favorite is The Nix by Nathan Hill. It is such an American novel in all ways. I never reread books but I plan to reread The Nix. Even though I couldn’t put it down, I feel like I only scratched the surface of his genius.”

Cynthia J.: “The Joy Luck Club. All about the importance of family, traditions, oral history and the common bond we all have: Loving each other.”

Carmela D.: “A Man Called Ove. A fifty-nine-year-old curmudgeon attempts to take his life on the six-month anniversary of his wife’s passing. while it doesn’t seem it at first glance this is funny, sad, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. Beautifully, beautifully written.”

Jenna T.: “One of my favorite books is Jane Eyre. Each time I read it, I discover and love something new. Good books can do that to you, make you see another point of view with each life stage. However, the last time I read it, I noticed the punctuation an sentence structure and how different it is from a lot of writing that we read today. The long sentences that slither throughout the story and all those semicolons! You just swoon over the semicolons! When was the last time you read a book with that many? Today, we can use emoticons to make our stories come alive but they didn’t have that then and the difference is wonderful; you appreciate each era a bit more.”

Pam M..: “When Breath Becomes Air. In a surgeon’s view, the patient is more than skin and bones. It is a personal discovery for the author and his writing shook me to my core.”

Cheennee M.: “One of my favorite books is Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto. Aside from the fact that the author is a Filipino and one of the settings of the story is in Boracay, the reason why I liked it is because the ending is so unpredictable. It’s the reader’s choice or perspective, what the ending really is based on your perception. It was all new to me to read such book, that’s why I can’t forget. The whole story is unpredictable not just the ending, it’s about time eternal love. Bottom line is, it’s just LOVE.”

Carol L.: “Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny. I read the classics at a young age and never thought I would discover anything so intense and heartbreaking and wonderful and well written as this book.”

Sharon K.: “The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. It was powerful, stuck with me and, I loved the strong female characters. I chose it for my bookclub a few years ago and everyone loved it. Makes me want to pull it off the shelf for rereading.”

Bridget L.: “Little Women. Read the Children’s Illustrated Classic version when I was ten, read the “real” version later on. At one time or another I have wanted to be one or another of the March sisters. Now, I sometimes feel like I am Marmee.”

Alicia M.: “Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy … this story speaks to me on many levels, but I really appreciate Tolstoy’s views on spirituality. I’ve read it many times and I discover something new each time.”

Von N.: “I just love reading and making notes in The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. That book has changed my life for the better—if you don’t ever read anything else, read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.”

Dawn C.: “Little, Big by John Crowley. Exquisite storytelling, complex and intriguing. It makes me happy and the things that make us happy make us wise.”

Pamela V. “Lolita by Nabokov. Exquisite writing…of the most REVOLTING story. It’s a conundrum in and of itself for that reason. It remains in my personal psyche like a beautiful disaster…. I ADORE the writing but H.H. Is BY FAR…my most hated character. (Skin crawling off my body.)”

Emily C.: “A Gentleman in Moscow by Towles. Excellent writing; intriguing plot; integration of Russian history. Five stars.”

Cori W.: “Beach Music by Pat Conroy, but my all-time favorite is The Stand by Stephen King.”

Patty B.: “North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. A wonderful example of love in its purest form.”

Huma A.: “To Kill a Mockingbird. Have read it multiple times. Each time I learn something new. The book taught me how to walk in someone else’s shoes.”

Sally M. “So many favorites! I love Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen. It is funny, sad, and at times, scary.”