52 Lists: Week 5

I read. Alot.  So asking me to choose my favorite books requires quite a bit of thought.  Because, honestly, this stack could have been about 3x the size and it still wouldn't have encompassed all of my favorites.  But I suppose, this list has either the best of the best, or the best of a certain style or author that I'm particularly fond of, so let's just say it's a representative sample (How's that for election year speak?) and call it a day.

~ "Stillwatch" by Mary Higgins Clark: Not her best seller, but my all time favorite - considering I've read every one she's ever written, that's saying something.
~ "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare: His first I actually read and understood.  Since then, I've grown partial to Hamlet as well, but fairies always win out.
~ "Bookends" by Jane Green: My first sample of "Chick-Lit" and it's my absolute favorite of the genre. So good!
~ "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime" by Mark Haddon: I never expected to like this book as much as I did.  I really wanted to read it because I REALLY wanted to see the show.  Both were outstanding!
~ "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien: My favorite of the series, but the rest are equally amazing.
~ "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" by Neil Simon: Technically it's a play but it's in book form so it totally fits the list.  It's much better to see it performed live but the jokes are still hilarious when you read them.
~ "Winnie the Pooh" by AA Milne: Pooh and Eeyore have been my favorite since I was little.  I can't wait to read the stories to my little ones some day!
~ "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by JK Rowling: The book that launched the series is always going to be the best.  What I love most is that I literally happened upon it in the bookstore one summer, and thought it might be fun to read - long before it became the best loved book in the world.  Nothing can compare to the first time diving in to such a fully-drawn out, brand new world.
~ "A Cook's Tour" by Anthony Bourdain: I read a lot of food and travel books, and this one fits both bills perfectly.  This was the first book that ever introduced the idea of "eating dangerously" and I love him for that concept alone.  
~ "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown: Unlike Harry Potter, I didn't pick this one up until the hype was at its peak.  However, it's one of only a few books that I've finished in 24 hours - one very cold snow day.
~ "Yes, Please" by Amy Poehler: From beginning to end, this book is un-put-downable.  It's laugh out loud hilarious and you spend the entire book wanting to be Amy or at least be friends with her.
~ "Amy the Dancing Bear" by Carly Simon: This has been on my list of favorites since I received it as a gift when I was little.  The story itself is adorable, but my favorite part about it is the illustrations.  They're gorgeous!
~ "A Midsummer Night's Fairy Tale" by Brian and Wendy Froud: Like I said, fairies always win out and it's written by the creature creators that designed Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.  How can I not love it?
~ "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss: I adore everything Dr. Seuss wrote, so I can't pick a favorite.  This is just the first one I grabbed of the many I have.