My Favorite Books, and Why They Change

The conversation question I both love and hate is: “What is your favorite book?” As a bookworm, it’s impossible to pick just one. But I also read so many books that my list of favorites does occasionally change.

I used to think that was a problem—after all, shouldn’t your favorite books stay favorites forever? But as I’ve developed as a human, Christian and reader, I’ve learned that just as King Solomon says, “For everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3), there are sometimes also books for a certain season of life.

Books for a Season

One book may touch my heart in a particular way because of the other events happening at the time. For example, I read the historical fiction novel Peace Like a River by Leif Enger just before and after my grandmother died. The book itself is excellent, and provides a great real-life example of daily prayer. But what made the novel so impactful for me was a particular scene toward the end that dealt with heaven, and a Christian’s life after death. Having just watched my grandmother succumb to pneumonia, the scene was particularly relevant, and left me with a great sense of peace.

Books that Come with Maturity

Other books rise on my list of favorites when I reread them. I don’t reread often because there are so many new books I want to get to, but I do reread occasionally, especially if I look back and realize I didn’t give the text a charitable chance. Such was the case with Charles William’s Descent Into Hell, which I first read for class as a sophomore in high school. I was new to the practice of reading critically and read it sloppily, which led to me missing a few of the major themes. Realizing this, I reread it after college and found it to have rich depths and poignant questions I’d completely missed the first time. A similar experience of Jane Eyre elevated it from one of my least favorite books to one of my favorites.

So the real question: What are my all-time favorite books?

While that list has changed over the years, I’m glad to discover that I have recorded a few separate answers to this question. The first comes from one of my college application entry essays (circa 2010).

High School Favorites

1. The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas. A snippet of what I wrote at the time: “It is the story of the Roman soldier who crucifies Jesus and wins His robe through casting lots. I love this narrative because it gives a fresh view of a familiar story as well as a vivid picture of Roman life…Every time I read The Robe, I find new insights to ponder long after the book is closed.”
2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. “Penned by C.S. Lewis, it articulates the basic, core beliefs of Christ followers. I love the way Lewis writes because he places ideas in simple terms that are readily understandable. But by the same token, his logical, progressive train of thought leads to new bits of wisdom.”
3. Second Treatise on Government by John Locke. (This favorite surprised me when I found it—it was short lived on my favorite books list.) “It was one of the most challenging books I’ve ever read…I continually marvel at the genius of Locke’s words. He expounds on profound truths about human nature that have shaped our country’s legal system.”

College Favorites

I did a personal project during my senior year of college in which I asked various people about their five favorite books. At the time, these are the five I listed:

1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
2. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. A Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare

 None of the high school favorites made it onto my college list. It’s also noteworthy that all five of the college books are fiction, despite the numerous non-fiction books I read in college. Finally, I’d like to mention that I do still love all eight books mentioned so far (that has not changed).

Current Favorites

Since I listed five at the end of college, I think I’ll stick with this format here (in no particular order).

1. On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius
2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
3. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
4. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
5. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

I have two repeats here from my college list: Jane Eyre and Lord of the Rings. What’s interesting is that none of these books are particularly new reads. I’ve read almost all of them (except The Cost of Discipleship) at least twice, with Lord of the Rings winning at five reads. And by the time I wrote my high school list, I’d already read four of these five (again, not The Cost of Discipleship). It’s partly because of my appreciation for them that I’ve done rereads, and partly because of my rereads that they’re my favorites (funny how that works).

So there you have it! As a side note, I also tend to write a post every December on my favorite reads of the year (here’s last year’s), which will also be different from the above list. I read a lot, and so have lots of favorite books. And that’s ok.

Post images from my Instagram account; featured image from pixabay.com