How honest of a reader are you?

So I started reading Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel. In the foreword Anne Perry (one of his clients) mentions that the books that she claims to love are not always the books that she really loves -- basically. This got me thinking, which can be dangerous, but I digress...I have a list in my head of my favorite books. The books that I have read a zillion times and love each and every time that I read them. But if I can put out a little bit of honesty here, none of those books (with the exception of one) are considered classics/greats. I often read blogs or interviews with authors where the author is asked to list his/her favorite books. They are almost always classics/greats and it is very rare that the author lists a book published in the last say 20 years.

Now tell me, if you are honest, are your favorite books classics? Do you read them and relish in the story or do you simply appreciate the complexity of the writing or the depth of the characters? Perhaps that is one in the same to you. This is not the same subject to me at all. I adore Jane Austen and have read all of her books numerous times. I absolutely detest all Charles Dickens books. And by far my favorite book, as of this moment, is Hunger Games. Why? Because it forced me to think of my world differently and what else can we hope for in a good book?

So, I'm interested. Tell me what are your favorite books and, if you are honest, are they classics?

M.B.

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