Favorite Books. Well, Forty of Them

Posted by Chris Campbell at Saturday, November 28, 2009

I was just perusing a few 'best of' lists in search of some books to pick up, and, of course, decided to compile my own list. This is far from comprehensive as I really just scanned my bookshelf and tried to recall others that influenced me. And obviously, some were read many, many years ago and may not hold a candle if I were to read them today. Nevertheless, here it goes (no order):

Rule of the Bone Russell Banks
Watership Down Richard Adams
Black Boy Richard Wright
Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe
The Bluest Eye Toni Morrisson
South of the Border West of the Sun Haruki Murakami
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass
Darkness Visible William Sytron
Straight Man Richard Russo
Revolutionary Road Richard Yates
Hunger Knut Hamsun
In the Lake of the Woods Tim O'Brien
Into the Wild Jon Krakauer
Where I'm Calling From Raymond Carver
The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint Brady Udall
It Ain't No Sin To Be Glad You're Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen Eric Alterman
Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neal Hurston
The Road Cormac McCarthy
The Awakening Kate Chopin
The Fall Albert Camus
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Haruki Murakami
As I Lay Dying William Falkner
Oxherding Tale Charles Johnson
Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich
Empire Falls Richard Russo
Things the Grandchildren Should Know Mark Oliver Everett
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
A Farewell to Arms Ernest Hemingway
Edson Bill Morrissey
The Brooklyn Follies Paul Auster
Cash Johnny Cash
On the Road Jack Kerouac
A Happy Death Albert Camus
Native Son Richard Wright
Siddhartha Herman Hesse
The Risk Pool Richard Russo
High Fidelity Nick Hornby
Motel Life Willy Vlautin
No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy