1. Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
2. Tess of the d'Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy
3. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
5. Of Human Bondage by Sommerset Maugham

Just a few, depending on the day they could change a bit, but these are ones I normally recommend to people.

Wine and Books wrote:1. Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
2. Tess of the d'Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy
3. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
5. Of Human Bondage by Sommerset Maugham

Wow, I like your taste in books W&B! "Of Human Bondage" is one of my all time favorites, but I would put "War and Peace" as number one on my list. I have not read "Tess", Thomas Hardy, but I will download it tonight. Oh the pleasure of having an e reader!!!!

We need some sugesstions for the next fiction discussion W&B, I would be interested in reading "Tess" if you would consider sugessting it. If you plan on participating in the next fiction discussion the 25 post rule can be bent. Maybe you have another sugesstion that you have not yet read?

Suzanne Tess would far exceed War and Peace as one of my favorites. One of my favorite memories is of being in the room where Hardy wrote Tess. I would also pick Ethan Fromme or House of Mirth (esp) over Age of Innocence. Haven't read Old Man and The Sea.

Is this supposed to be just the individuals favorites?

lady of shallot wrote:Suzanne Tess would far exceed War and Peace as one of my favorites.

Wow, another recommendation for Tess. I've only read "Return of the Native" by Hardy. Have to say, I hated it, but I will give Tess a try.

lady of shallot wrote:Is this supposed to be just the individuals favorites?

Yes. What would be on your top five list?

[quote="SuzanneWow, I like your taste in books W&B! "Of Human Bondage" is one of my all time favorites, but I would put "War and Peace" as number one on my list. I have not read "Tess", Thomas Hardy, but I will download it tonight. Oh the pleasure of having an e reader!!!!

We need some sugesstions for the next fiction discussion W&B, I would be interested in reading "Tess" if you would consider sugessting it. If you plan on participating in the next fiction discussion the 25 post rule can be bent. Maybe you have another sugesstion that you have not yet read?[/quote]

Thank you so much for your compliment, it really means a lot to me. I am currently studying Latin American literature (Masters program) so either have to read a lot of that, or get from non literary friends "you have to read Steig Larsson!" But when it comes down to it, I just like a lot of the good classic novels for pure enjoyment.

I will be around for awhile, so maybe not this month, but for the next reading I will be able to nominate and will add some Hardy. Another author I haven't read in awhile, and everything I enjoyed, is DH Lawrence.

Regarding Of Human Bondage, it was quite a surprise to me. I had read Moon Over Sixpense years ago and quite enjoyed the novel. I had found a copy of HB in a used book store, so picked that up and there it sat on the shelves for years. After getting my Kindle I found I could get HB for free, so downloaded and couldn't put the book down.

lady of shallot wrote: I would also pick Ethan Fromme or House of Mirth (esp) over Age of Innocence.

Ethan Frome is a very close second to me. AoI wins out more on being a novel and thus having more of the wonderful imagery I like reading Wharton for. I did not enjoy Mirth as much as some of the others. One of her best short stories for me is Roman Fever.

In a way I would rather go with author (favorite) than a specific book. So that would be Hardy, Dickins, Eliot, the Brontes oh and of course Jane Austen.

Books would be:

Gone with the Wind
The great Gatsby
Far from the maddening crowd
Billy Budd (but that might be a short story)
Little Women

I like biographies the best and also like short stories a lot. I also love, Bartleby the Scrivener and for suspense Benito Cerino. Katherine Anne Porter's Pale Horse, pale rider (or maybe its just Pale Horse) Somerset Maughan's The Letter (great!) and Rain.

And refreshing the discussion yet again

Here are my favorites, randomly:
~"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
~"The Deep River" by Shusaku Endo
~"Thorn birds"
~"Vanity fair"
~"Frankenstein"

Here are the titles I always recommend to friends:
~"Winnie the Pooh"
~"The Land of Laughs" by Jonathan Carroll
~"Carrie" by Stephen King
~"Dracula"
~"Of mice and men"

Sorry, I know it was suppose to be just 5...

My list of the 5 greatest novels would be:

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
In Search of Lost Time by Proust

and for a sentimental (and 'against the rules') 6th:
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (NOT Disney) - because how can one not love Eeyore?

I would have to say

The book of Claudie By Rose Franken
The Host By Stephenie Meyer
The green Mile By Stephen King
Little Women By louisa may alcott
The Best Revenge By Stella Cameron