Don't judge a book by its cover - instead, listen to what I say about it

I finally read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road this week. It is a sweeping depiction of a post-apocalyptic world that truly made me cringe at points. By showing us the power we have to destroy the world, or survive the horrors that come to pass, McCarthy reveals that we truly have the power to change; the power to save the world. His style of prose lends itself to a quick read, and I highly recommend it. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

It also got me thinking about what other books I would consider my favorites. Therefore, after some thinking, listing, re-listing, paring down and revamping, I am now able to present my 20 favorite books. This will not be a traditional list like my others; it would be too hard for me to ascribe rankings to these books. They range from the entertaining to the life changing, the cheerful to the macabre. But, they all have one thing in common: I thought they kicked ass.

The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
The first time I read this, I had to use a cheat sheet to keep everybody straight. The second time, I just wrote in the liners. It wasn’t until the third time I was able to read it sans crib notes. This novel is a powerful representation of the wrong man, revenge, retribution, and the decision on whether or not to be a better person despite your misfortunes. It spoke to me when I was a teen as a revenge tale about a guy who finally got everybody back. However, I now see it as a challenge to try to be better than Edmond Dantes and discover my own Haydee before it’s too late.

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
When I read this in high school, I liked it. When I read it in my early 20’s, I loved it. We all know people who we fear could become like the unhappy souls in Gatsby’s world. If you have not read it since junior year, please, pick it up and appreciate it for what it really is.

Siddhartha – Hermann Hesse
An old guy that worked at a video store with me in middle Georgia bought me this book the summer before I started at UGA. I was reluctant to receive the gift, and even more reluctant to read it, but I’m better off for having done so. It inspired my own life, teaching me that experiences are nothing without the context of the journey.

Wolf: A False Memoir – Jim Harrison
This was one of the most powerful experiences I ever had reading a book. Maybe it was me, where I was at in life, whatever, but it changed me. Is the narrator searching for the wolf? Or, is he a wolf drying out in a world he created for himself, with circumstances he cannot change, against forces he has no power to fight? What happens to all of us? What happens to any of us?

The Watchmen – Alan Moore
If you think this shouldn’t count because it’s a graphic novel, than you’ll never understand the depth of Moore’s study of human nature and authority. It’s exclusionary, small-minded thinking from literary elites that begs the question: Who Watches the Watchmen?

A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemmingway
I was once on a big Hemmingway kick, and this book capped it. To me, reading what the man was experiencing, living, even eating and drinking was more fascinating than anything any of his dreamt up characters did. I still love and revere his fiction, but the truth of the man is what draws me to this book.

Ecology of a Cracker Childhood – Janisse Ray
I’ve read this book twice. Once, it was a call from home; a representation of where I came from and where I would return to. I was much more privileged in my youth than Ray was, but we shared the same earth, and knew the same places and people. I appreciated the land around me, but she taught me to respect it and know it. The second time I read it, I had determined that I was never going home. Through this lens, Ray’s book validated my decision and my thoughts. My childhood met the same fate as the long leaf pines of which she writes, and there’s no reclaiming either. Home is home no more.

The Conan of Cimmeria Collection – Robert E. Howard
This is the complete collection of all the original Conan stories penned by Robert E. Howard. They were published in three parts over the last few years and are a treasure trove to any true Conan fan.

Confederates in the Attic – Tony Horwitz
This is the best dual-study of the Civil War I’ve read. There’s the war that destroyed this country in the 1860’s and the one that still rages today. Through Horwitz’s road trip, we find a truth in the study of the south that is often missed in texts and tomes: it’s the people, not the events, that shape us south’rons and our homeland.

Haunted – Chuck Palahniuk
Getting through the first story, “Guts”, took a bit of intestinal fortitude (pun intended). From that point on, I was hooked and flew through the other tales. The indictment of the reality TV, E-channel, attention-whoring world we live in really hooked me, and the gothic, Villa Diodati inspired structure is truly haunting (two’fer, baby!)

The Dixieland Delight Tour – Clay Travis
Travis’ romp through the SEC is a must-read for any college football fan.

Tin Roof Blowdown – James Lee Burke
This book is a haunting depiction of Hurricane Katrina and its effect on southern Louisiana both physically and spiritually. It is a powerful, brooding backdrop for another top-notch thriller featuring one of my all time favorite characters, Dave Robicheaux.

The Hank Thompson Trilogy – Charlie Houston
The tale of Hank Thompson is a wrong-man story taken to new, pulp-noir levels of edginess and excitement. Houston’s quick, terse prose speeds the journey along with great dialogue and dynamics that land somewhere between Sam Spade and Quentin Tarantino.

Clandestine – James Ellroy
This is the most personally powerful of Ellroy’s novels. I love the noir-thriller style of his writing and the characters that dwell in his dark world. This novel portrays the themes of torment and redemption we see in so many of the author’s works, but to a level that really struck me. The Black Dahlia is probably a better book, but this is MY favorites list. So, there.

America – Jon Stewart et al.
I love the Daily Show and I teach high school social studies. Why not combine them into one hilariously irreverent, satirical text on our nation’s history and government.

Wise Blood – Flannery O’Conner
As a southern-gothic novel written by a Catholic raised in the deep south, this book offers all the confusing, grotesque imagery you can imagine. I read it the first time when I was too young to really understand it thoroughly, but I was still able to relate to some of the more overt themes because of my own scattered youth and religious questions. Upon re-reading it later, at a more mature stage in life, it became even more powerful.

The Prince – Niccolo Machiavelli
This was an assigned reading, but one I tore into and even used in several history, political science, and literature papers I wrote. The section on cruelty vs. mercy rings home, especially with my maturation and deeper understanding of what it means to be a citizen, or a member in a greater society.

His Excellency – Joseph Ellis
Ellis provides a deep character study of the Father of our Country in a thoughtful, accurate, and unbiased way. Getting closer to Washington’s experiences and points of view help everyday Americans more understand the founding of our nation and it’s infant years.

Dracula – Bram Stoker
I admit, I first tried to read this book when I was a kid who simply enjoyed ghost stories and vampires as an elementary schooler. Predictably, I didn’t get very far. Nevertheless, it always lingered, and I finished an abridged version when I was in 5th grade as the 1992 move was released. Well, my parents forbade me to watch the film for a while, due to it’s adult nature, and by the time I saw it two years later, I had read the real novel, but not actually understood everything. Finally, in high school, I re-read for a class and it finally clicked for me. This book has been an integral been part of my literary journey and it will definitely always be one of my faves.