Some of my favorite books

I was recently talking with some friends about books. I've always loved reading but my habit of reading at night came after we lost Ryan.  It was the only way I could distract myself until I was completely exhausted and could fall asleep.  The same has remained true after losing my father and my brother.

I'm glad I began this habit because sometimes I wonder where I would even fit reading into my life and its such an important part of it.  It's an escape from the everyday and we all need that!

In my family I think my dad and I were the biggest readers.  My dad would read almost every evening and now I realize it was his escape too from the stresses of his business. 

My brother Joe was just getting into books before he passed away.  He would ask me for recommendations of what to read. One of the books he read was Backroads by Tawni O'Dell.  I remember him calling me telling me he couldn't go to  bed at night because he wanted to continue reading.  He said "its like turning a movie off at the best part, I just couldn't".

So here is a  list of books that I just couldn't put down when reading

1.  A thousand splendid suns
2. The kite runner
3. water for elephants
4. my sisters keeper
5. The 5 people you meet in heaven
6. Memoirs of a geisha
7. The glass castle
8. The time travelers wife
9. To kill a mockingbird
10. Tara road
11. Backroads
12. up Country
13. if tomorrow comes
14. a time to kill
15. I know this much is true
16. Running with scissors
17. beach road
18. three junes
19. The big stone gap
20. the lovely bones
21. Janet Evanovich One for the money - through 13

I know there are more too, but these are the ones that stuck out when trying to remember books that left me thinking...