MY Top Ten: Books

Yesterday, I posted my top 10 theological works in another blog (here). I explained in that entry my dislike of such lists, yet, I am repeatedly asked about such things. So, in this blog entry, I am assembling my "Top 10" list of the books I have read. My criteria for these selections are as follows:

1. It must be a printed publication (I don't do e-books).

2. It must be a work I own.

3. It must be a work I have read completely at least once!

4. Its position in the list is, for the most part, indicative of (a) how much I enjoyed and/or learned from it and (b) how often I have read it.
5. The work may be from any genre.
6. The Scripture is intentionally omitted from the list.

Selecting ten favorites from the thousands I own and have read is almost impossible. I'm sure my list has changed from a few years ago and will likely change in the future. As of this writing, though, here are my top 10 favorite books.

10. "Lost Horizon" by John Hilton (NOT Milton!)

I found the story of Shangri-La a fascinating one yet, I must admit, my love of the book became greater after seeing the 1937 movie starring Ronald Colman.

9.  "Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne

Verne has been one of my favorite authors since early childhood. In the realm of science fiction, I place him at #2.  I've read most, if not all, of his works but enjoy this tale of adventure to the inner parts of the earth. There's a lesson here on perseverance (or, perhaps, how to be foolhardy!).

8.  "Advise and Consent" by Allen Drury

This is Drury's Pulitzer Prize winner and the first of a series of political books involving the likes of Orrin Knox, Ted Jason, Robert A. Leffingwell, Senator Seab Cooley, Senator Bob Munson, and Vice-President Harley Hudson. Drury followed this hit with sequels employing the same cast of characters and I enjoyed each one. In this case, the 1962 movie was a "let-down" for me when compared to the novel.

7.  "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells is, in my humble opinion, the best science fiction author of all time. I own, have read, and enjoyed all of his sci-fi works. I could place any of them on this list but I limit myself to only two, the two I consider his best. My fascination with time also made this particular story more fascinating to me. Unfortunately, the movie versions of the book fail to capture the true story.

6.  "Here I Stand" by Roland H. Bainton

Without apology, Martin Luther is my Christian "idol", warts and all. Used by God at a critical time in the history of the world, he helped change the world, at least the western part of it. There are many biographies on his life but the older one by Bainton I find to be the best.

5.  "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson

Another childhood love, I must have read this book twenty times before my teen years. The story of the young boy sailing with the likes of pirate Long John Silver was too exciting to ignore. The 1934 movie version starring Jackie Cooper as the young Jim Hawkins and Wallace Beery as the one-legged Silver is the best one I've seen.

4.  "A Study in Scarlet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Well, here I have some difficulty. Doyle wrote sixty Holmes stories, four novels and fifty-six short stories. I do own the entire collection and have read each of them several times. Of the four Sherlock Holmes novels ("The Valley of Fear", "The Sign of Four", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", and "A Study in Scarlet"), I have enjoyed the first novel the most (though I do like "Hound"). The recent movies and TV series involving the character of Sherlock Holmes are, in my view, shameful. The best performance of Sherlock Holmes I have ever seen was by the late actor, Jeremy Brett, in the BBC Holmes series done in the late 80s and early 90s. That series tended to stick closely to the original works.

3.  "War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells

This is my other selection for Wells, the best science fiction work every written in my eyes. The story of the Martian invaders is a repeated theme today but not when the story was written. Two major film versions have been done. The 1953 version with Gene Barry is entertaining while the Martians in the 2005 Tom Cruise version are more like those in the book. However, neither movie grabs me as did the book. I have read this story several times and absolutely love it.

2.  "The Bondage of the Will" by Martin Luther

Luther's book is the one work (apart from the Bible) on any theological subject which has impacted my life the most. I still recall the first time I read it and was blown away by Luther's thought and use of the Scripture to support what he was teaching. Yes, the good doctor can be "raw" at times. Yet I find Luther's argument (this was a response to Erasmus) completely convincing from the Scriptures. Given the fact the work is almost five-hundred years old, it can be a challenging read. Nevertheless, your effort will be well spent.

1.  "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan

Having read Bunyan's work multiple times, "Pilgrim's Progress" remains refreshing with each pass. I seem to learn or understand something new each time. I would guess I average reading the book about once a year and still enjoy it after several reads. It is challenging English and a more modern English version might help.  However, such a version is NOT Bunyan! The story is, of course, an allegory, an illustration of the Christian life. Bunyan has several references to the Word to demonstrate where  his allegorical message has been taken. 

That's my present list. How about yours?

HAPPY READING!