Best of the Blogs

My “Best of the Blogs” posts are usually random, but this week I thought it’d be fun to spotlight a theme: the ever-popular top 5 lists.

Top 5 Children’s Books for Grown-Ups
Posted by Brain Pickings

There’s nothing out of left field on this list, and I’d bet most of us have already read all 5 of these titles. But still, it’s nice to be reminded of stories we loved as children, and the excerpts printed on the blog have inspired me to revisit these classics. Here’s a quote from the #1 pick; can you guess the book? “Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Malcolm Gladwell’s Top 5 Novels of All Time
Posted by Read This

Short stories, a literary classic, spy thrillers. . . there’s a lot of variety on Gladwell’s list, and his comments on To Kill a Mockingbird fit nicely with the Top 5 Children’s Books for Grown-Ups post: “I know, I know. Everyone read it as a kid. But I think it deserves to be read again, because if you read it closely, as an adult, all of a sudden a lot of what you thought was moving and beautiful turns out to be a bit creepy. That’s all I’m saying.” When I read TKAM as an 8th grader I found certain parts disturbing, heartbreaking, funny—but never particularly creepy. (Well, Boo Radley was creepy.) Maybe it is time for another close read.

Yann Martel’s Favorite Reads
Posted by The Daily Beast

If you’ve read Beatrice & Virgil, it’ll come as no surprise that #1 on Martel’s list is The Divine Comedy. Turns out he also loves Coetzee (his favorite living author) and Zora Neale Hurston.

What are your favorite book blog posts from the week? Seen any good top 5 lists?

Browse posts from our Best of the Blogs series.