Welcome to Five Fall Favorites, hosted by Kate Willis! We're celebrating books this week. Keep reading for my favorites, and don't neglect to enter the giveaway!
Every season is
reading weather, but there’s something special about fall as we
enter into the cozy time of year … when it’s pleasant to read
outdoors or in, when we anticipate holidays and sharing books with
family and friends, when the beauty of nature and the warmth of fall
decorations inspire flights of imagination.
On Day 1 of this
week celebrating reading, I’m sharing my Top 5 Books That Make Me
Me. These are the books that I can’t imagine my life without. For
one reason or another, they’ve settled into my soul and either
helped shape me and my interests or answered a yearning I didn’t
know was there. (I will leave out the obvious here—God’s book,
the Bible—because that is an absolute given, the ultimate Book that
has shaped me and fulfilled me.)
Sense and
Sensibility by Jane Austen
I didn’t know what I was getting into when I first read Sense
and Sensibility. This novel ignited my identity as an Austenite,
heavily influenced my identity as an Anglophile, and helped establish
me as a classic literature lover. This story of two very different
but loyal sisters, their loves and losses, inspired me to write my
novel Suit and Suitability. Strong yet tender Elinor Dashwood,
the main character, will probably always be my favorite literary
character. Read my full review on Goodreads HERE.
The Chronicles
of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
My mom read many books aloud to my brother and me, which helped make
me a reader, but the Chronicles of Narnia were something special. I
grew up with these stories as part of my psyche—the perfect blend
of great storytelling, profound theology, and beautiful allegory
captured my imagination and influenced my view of life and
literature.
Anne of Green
Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Anne
is the most famous literary character with red hair, but apart from
that similarity we share, I feel she is a kindred spirit. And I have
her to thank for introducing that term to me. Her view of the world,
finding beauty and cherishing the power of story, has helped shape
mine. Her life on Prince Edward Island brought me to visit that
lovely, peaceful place several years ago, and it remains one of my
favorite places to this day. Many of Montgomery’s other novels also
capture that beauty of life and story, but Anne of Green
Gables is still foremost to me.
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte
Out
of the canon of classic novels, I love Victorian the most. Jane
Eyre is my favorite out of that
era. It’s iconic in every aspect with a strong and relatable
protagonist, deep characterization of all the characters, atmospheric
setting, compelling plot, and lyrical prose. I love Jane, and this
novel inspired a novella of my own, The Promise of Acorns,
so you can see just how important this story is to me. Read my full review HERE.
The Scent of
Water by Elizabeth Goudge
This
is the most recently published and my most recently read novel on
this list. I’d never heard of British Christian novelist Elizabeth
Goudge until 2015. My mom recommended The Scent of Water,
and I fell in love with Goudge’s style instantly. It’s about a
group of people in a mid-twentieth-century English village who find
themselves at the crossroads of personal change. Her writing and
descriptions are pure art. She reveals profound spiritual truths that
always seem relevant to my life at the time I’m reading. And in a
most uplifting way, she celebrates what is good and beautiful. Read my full review HERE.