My all time favorite is J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings"!
Georgette Heyer -- Regency Romances
Daphne Du Maurier -- Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, Jamaica Inn, The House on the Strand
R. F. Delderfield -- Swann saga: God is an Englishman, Theirs was the Kingdom, Give us this Day.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by
"Stark . . . the story of how one falsely accused convict and his fellow prisoners survived or perished in an arctic slave labor camp after the war."-Time From the icy blast of reveille through the sweet release of sleep, Ivan Denisovich endures. A common carpenter, he is one of millions viciously imprisoned for countless years on baseless charges,sentenced to the waking nightmare of the Soviet work camps in Siberia. Even in the face of degrading hatred, where life is reduced to a bowl of gruel and a rare cigarette, hope and dignity prevail. This powerful novel of fact is a scathing indictment of Communist tyranny, and an eloquent affirmation of the human spirit. The prodigious works of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, including his acclaimed The Gulag Archipelago, have secured his place in the great tradition of Russian literary giants. Ironically, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is the only one of his works permittedpublication in his native land. Praise for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich "Cannot fail to arouse bitterness and pain in the heart of the reader. A literary and political event of the first magnitude."-New Statesman "Both as a political tract and as a literary work, it is in the Doctor Zhivago category."-Washington Post "Dramatic . . . outspoken . . . graphically detailed . . . a movinghuman record."-Library Journal
A Tale of Two Cities by
A Tale of Two Cities is shorter and more compact than many of Dickens' novels and also more serious. Set in England and France during the French Revolution, it deals with ideas of grace and resurrection and explores the mob mentality of the Revolution. It is also a love story.
Jane Eyre by
Jane Eyre is raised in her aunt's house after the death of her parents. Her aunt cannot stand the queer, quiet child and sends her off to a spartan boarding school where she is severely mistreated. She survives, however, and eventually finds herself a situation as a governess in the household of Edward Rochester. She and Rochester fall passionately in love, in one of the great literary love stories. But a dark secret in his house will tear them apart and send her alone into the wilderness before she can find her way back to him.
Longest Day by
The unparalleled, classic work of history that recreates the battle that changed World War II--the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan's unsurpassed account of D-Day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly recreates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany. This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.
The Old Man and the Sea by
Traditional Chinese edition of The Old Man and The Sea edited for young adults. The story is told with text and graphics and accompanied with Zhuying (phonetic annotation). A reading guide of this Hemingway classic helps young readers develop their writing skills. In Traditional Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
The Sun Also Rises by
A beautiful story of a group of American and English expatriates in Paris on an excursion to Pamplona. This features the Left Bank of Paris in the 1920s and brutally realistic descriptions of bullfighting in Spain. It is the story of flamboyant Lady Brett Ashely and the hapless Jake Barnes in an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love and vanishing illusions.
Centennial by
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener's magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America's past, the story of Colorado--the Centennial State--is manifested through its people: Lame Beaver, the Arapaho chieftain and warrior, and his Comanche and Pawnee enemies; Levi Zendt, fleeing with his child bride from the Amish country; the cowboy, Jim Lloyd, who falls in love with a wealthy and cultured Englishwoman, Charlotte Seccombe. In Centennial, trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters are brought together in the dramatic conflicts that shape the destiny of the legendary West--and the entire country. Praise for Centennial "A hell of a book . . . While he fascinates and engrosses, Michener also educates."--Los Angeles Times "An engrossing book . . . imaginative and intricate . . . teeming with people and giving a marvelous sense of the land."--The Plain Dealer "Michener is America's best writer, and he proves it once again in Centennial. . . . If you're a Michener fan, this book is a must. And if you're not a Michener fan, Centennial will make you one."--The Pittsburgh Press "An absorbing work . . . Michener is a superb storyteller."--BusinessWeek
The Hiding Place by
Corrie ten Boom (1892 1983) was a Dutch woman admired the world over for her courage, her forgiveness, and her memorable faith. In World War II, she and her family risked their lives to help Jews escape the Nazis by hiding them in their home in Haarlem, and their reward was a trip to Hitler s concentration camps. Corrie s father, sister, brother, and nephew died as a result of their imprisonment. But she survived and was released as a result of a clerical error and now shares the story of how faith triumphs over evil. For thirty-five years Corrie s dramatic life story, full of timeless virtues, has prepared readers to face their own futures with faith, relying on God s love to overcome, heal, and restore. "The Hiding Place" tells the riveting story of how a middle-aged Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler s death camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century. After the war, Corrie ten Boom returned to the Netherlands to set up rehabilitation centers. She returned to Germany in 1946, and many years of itinerant teaching in over sixty countries followed, during which time she wrote many books. In 1967, Corrie ten Boom was honored as one of the Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel. "The Hiding Place" (1971) was made into a film in 1975."
Dorothy L. Sayers - Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries
Agatha Christie - Poirot Mysteries; Miss Marple Mysteries; Tommy & Tuppence Mysteries
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes Mysteries
Rex Stout - Nero Wolf Mysteries
Ngaio Marsh - Inspector Roderick Alleyn, gentleman detective mysteries.
Edgar Allan Poe - The Murders in the Rue Morgue; The Raven; The Cask of Amontillado; The Pit and the Pendulum, The Purloined Letter, The Tell-Tale Heart,
The Moonstone by
The Moonstone is a 19th-century novel by the master of sensation fiction, Wilkie Collins. It is considered, with The Woman in White, to be his best work, and is also commonly seen as the first English detective novel. Many of the standard ground rules for detective fiction can be found in this work, as well as examples of Collins' forward-thinking approach to the treatment of Indians and servants.
The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner by
The solitary survivor on a deserted island, Robinson Crusoe gradually creates a life for himself, building a house and cultivating the land, and making a companion of the native whose life he saves. Daniel Defoe's enthralling story-telling and imaginatively detailed descriptions have ensured that his fiction masquerading as fact remains one of the most famous stories in English literature. On one level a simple adventure story, the novel also raises profound questions about moral and spiritual values, society, and man's abiding acquisitiveness.
Moll Flanders by
Daniel Defoe wrote Moll Flanders in 1722, after the highly successful Robinson Crusoe. Defoe's political work was ceasing at the time, though his experience with the Whigs shines through in the novel. The full title of the novel gives a brief overview of its contents: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who Was Born In Newgate, and During a Life of Continu'd Variety For Threescore Years, Besides Her Childhood, Was Twelve Year a Whore, Five Times a Wife [Whereof Once To Her Own Brother], Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon In Virginia, At Last Grew Rich, Liv'd Honest, and Died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums.
The Knowledge of the Holy by
This classic of Christian testimony and devotion explores the attributes of God in words that fly straight to the heart. A superb aid to strengthening and deepening the spiritual life, each chapter begins with a prayer, lucidly discusses a divine aspect -- from God's infinity to God's love -- and relates that aspect to today's world, while pointing always to God's wonder and inscrutability." A. W. Tozer asserts that the cause of many of our modern spiritual woes is the loss in today's church of a lofty concept of God. He argues persuasively that the cure lies in our rediscovery of God's majesty. "True religion confronts earth with heaven and brings eternity to bear upon time," says the author in his preface, "The messenger of Christ, though he speaks from God, must also, as the Quakers used to say 'speak to the condition' of his hearers; otherwise he will speak a language known only to himself. His message must be not only timeless but timely. He must speak to his own generation." The message of this book is indeed both timeless and timely. Tozer is primarily concerned with the loss of the concept of 'majesty' from the popular mind and more importantly in the thinking of the church. He sees the church as having surrendered her once lofty concept of God - not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge. With this comes a further loss of religious awe and a sense of the divine presence, of an appropriate spirit of worship and of our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Tozer attempts to address this problem, to go back to the causes of the decline and to understand and correct the errors that have given rise to our loss of a sense of the holy. "It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate," he tells us.
The Singer by
Calvin Miller tells the allegorical story of the Singer and his fight against the World Hater in this classic book that has thrilled Christian readers for generations.
The Sword Bearer by
It was John's birthday. He would be thirteen. And what's more, it was on this day that his grandmother would tell him the mystery of his locket . . . And of his parents.But it was not to be. Before he could find out, he was magically transported to the land of Anthropos where he was startled to be hailed as the Sword Bearer, the slayer of the Goblin Prince.Here, in the imaginative story of the early history of Anthropos, John White captures the excitement and wonder of another world.
Gaal the Conqueror by
Recipient of a 1989 Christian Home & School C.S. Lewis Gold Medal award!Eleanor McFarland and John Wilson join Gaal, the Son of the High Emperor, in a battle to thwart the evil plans of Lord Lunacy. Book Two in John White's Archives of Anthropos. Winner of the 1989 C. S. Lewis Gold Medal from Christian Home & School.
The Tower of Geburah by
One moment Wesley, Kurt and Lisa are poking around in their uncle's attic. The next moment they have stepped into the magical world of Anthropos, where their help is needed to free a king and defeat the powers of evil. Book Three in John White's Archives of Anthropos.
The Iron Sceptre by
Anthropos is in danger. So Wesley, Kurt and Lisa are once again magically transported from their home in Winnipeg to help save this threatened land. The Iron Sceptre, the source of King Kardia's power to rule, is in peril. The children, joined by their cousin Mary, are called on to stop Mirmah and her chief sorcerer, Archimago. But to do so, they must travel beneath the Northern Mountains, around Goldcoffin's Palace and into the very heart of Mirmah's kingdom. What awaits is much more than a mere adventure.
Pendragon Cycle by 
Dragon King Trilogy by 
The Once and Future King by
T. H. White's masterful retelling of the saga of King Arthur is a fantasy classic as legendary as Excalibur and Camelot, and a poignant story of adventure, romance, and magic that has enchanted readers for generations. Once upon a time, a young boy called "Wart" was tutored by a magician named Merlyn in preparation for a future he couldn't possibly imagine. A future in which he would ally himself with the greatest knights, love a legendary queen and unite a country dedicated to chivalrous values. A future that would see him crowned and known for all time as Arthur, King of the Britons. During Arthur's reign, the kingdom of Camelot was founded to cast enlightenment on the Dark Ages, while the knights of the Round Table embarked on many a noble quest. But Merlyn foresaw the treachery that awaited his liege: the forbidden love between Queen Guenever and Lancelot, the wicked plots of Arthur's half-sister Morgause and the hatred she fostered in Mordred that would bring an end to the king's dreams for Britain--and to the king himself. "[The Once and Future King] mingles wisdom, wonderful, laugh-out-loud humor and deep sorrow--while telling one of the great tales of the Western world."--Guy Gavriel Kay
Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! by
Landover was a genuine, out-of-this-world magic kingdom, complete with fairy folk and wizardry, just as the advertisement had promised. But after he purchased it for a million dollars, Ben Holiday discovered that there were a few details the ad had failed to mention. The kingdom was falling into ruin. The dragon Strabo was laying waste the countryside and the evil witch Nightshade was plotting to destroy everything. Ben's only followers were the incompetent Court Magician, Questar Thews, and Abernathy, the talking dog who served as Court Scribe. The Paladin, legendary champion of the Kings of Landover, seemed to be only a myth and an empty suit of armor. Of course, there was the lovely and devoted Willow -- but she had a habit of putting down roots in the moonlight and turning into a tree. To put the final touch on the whole affair, Ben learned that the Iron Mark, ugly and terrible lord of the demons, had challenged all prospective Kings of Landover to a duel to the death -- a duel which no human could hope to win. The task of proving his right to be King seemed hopeless. But Ben Holiday was stubborn. A gripping story of mystery, magic, and adventure -- sure to delight fantasy readers everywhere.
The Andromeda Strain by
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The novel that redefined the science fiction genre, starring a team of scientists who must uncover what killed the citizens of a sleepy desert town--and stop the deadly contagion before it creates a catastrophe. "I love anything Michael Crichton writes."--Stephen King A military space probe, sent to collect extraterrestrial organisms from the upper atmosphere, is knocked out of orbit and falls to Earth. Twelve miles from the crash site, an inexplicable and deadly phenomenon terrorizes the residents of a sleepy desert town in Arizona, leaving only two survivors: an elderly addict and a newborn infant. The United States government is forced to mobilize Project Wildfire, a top-secret emergency response protocol. Four of the nation's most elite biophysicists are summoned to a clandestine underground laboratory located five stories beneath the desert and fitted with an automated atomic self-destruction mechanism for cases of irremediable contamination. Under conditions of total news blackout and the utmost urgency, the scientists race to understand and contain the crisis. But the Andromeda Strain proves different from anything they've ever seen--and what they don't know could not only hurt them, but lead to unprecedented worldwide catastrophe.
That Hideous Strength by
Written during the dark hours immediately before and during the Second World War, C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, of which That Hideous Strength is the third volume, stands alongside such works as Albert Camus's The Plague and George Orwell's 1984 as a timely parable that has become timeless, beloved by succeeding generations as much for the sheer wonder of its storytelling as for the significance of its moral concerns. For the trilogy's central figure, C. S. Lewis created perhaps the most memorable character of his career, the brilliant, clear-eyed, and fiercely brave philologist Dr. Elwin Ransom. Appropriately, Lewis modeled Dr. Ransom on his dear friend J. R. R. Tolkien, for in the scope of its imaginative achievement and the totality of its vision of not one but two imaginary worlds, the Space Trilogy is rivaled in this century only by Tolkien's trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Readers who fall in love with Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia as children unfailingly cherish his Space Trilogy as adults; it, too, brings to life strange and magical realms in which epic battles are fought between the forces of light and those of darkness. But in the many layers of its allegory, and the sophistication and piercing brilliance of its insights into the human condition, it occupies a place among the English language's most extraordinary works for any age, and for all time. In That Hideous Strength, the final installment of the Space Trilogy, the dark forces that have been repulsed in Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra are massed for an assault on the planet Earth itself. Word is on the wind that the mighty wizard Merlin has come back to the land of the living after many centuries, holding the key to ultimate power for the force that can find him and bend him to its will. A sinister technocratic organization that is gaining force throughout England, N.I.C.E. (the National Institute of Coordinated Experiments), secretly controlled by humanity's mortal enemies, plans to use Merlin in their plot to "recondition" society. Dr. Ransom forms a countervailing group, Logres, in opposition, and the two groups struggle to a climactic resolution that brings the Space Trilogy to a magnificent, crashing close.
C. S. Lewis -- Chronicles of Narnia
Mary Norton -- The Borrowers, The Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers Afloat, The Borrowers Aloft.
