Top 5 Favorite Books

So because I am getting a slow start to my new book, I've been trying to think of something else to write about. I have a ton of rants stored up about many different books, but I figured I'd start with something a little simpler so I don't scare anyone off.
Like I said, I have pretty much been reading non-stop since I first learned how. When I was a kid, I would ride my bike down to the public library and fill my backpack full of Nancy Drew (and everything I needed to know about horses and being a vet, of course). I first picked up Jane Eyre when I was eleven, and after months of renewal after renewal (I actually had to return it and ride my bike back the next day to check it out again. Apparently they only allow a certain number of renewals) I finally finished it almost a year later. My family bought me my own copy for Christmas that year, and I have probably read it at least 5 times since.
So as a life long book worm, I decided to figure out my top 5 favorite books of all time. You know, the desert island type. The 5 books that you would keep if you could only read 5 for the rest of your life. Not an easy thing for a book nerd to do. But after much consideration and many sleepless nights, I composed the following list.

In no particular order:

 1. Anne of Green Gables
This was a book that I didn't even have to consider. It had been on this list from the moment I read it. When I was in 6th grade, my Social Studies teacher saw that I had a Little House on the Prairie book on my desk. He called me over after class and suggested that I read Anne of Green Gables and, as cheesy as it may sound, it might have changed my life. As a kid, you literally step into Anne's imagination. She speaks so poetically and you come to love each character. If you finish the series (like I did) you see her grow from a spacey, scared little girl into an intelligent, strong woman. At 23 years old, this book was on my Christmas list and I finally added it to my personal, permanent library. I cannot stress enough how much I love it. I also fell in love with the movie as well.

2. Little Women.
Again, this was sort of a no brainer. The first time I read it, it was The Great Illustrated Classics version, and I was probably no more than 9 years old. I loved the movie with Susan Serandon and Winona Ryder. When my mom would let my brother and I each pick out a movie from the library, this was always one of them (oddly enough, it was usually my brothers choice..). I was probably 12 or 13 before I read the actual version for the first time, and I fell in love. It had so much more details than the movie or the GIC version, and it made me love the characters even more (I was a Jo then, now I'd have to say I'm a Meg). It's another one of those books that I never get tired of, and I usually try to read it every Christmas.

3. Gone With the Wind.
 This was only recently added to my library, although I have loved the movie forever. I love old movies about as much as I love books. My favorite is Breakfast at Tiffany's (I have yet to read the book out of fear of ruining the movie). I love love love Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, and of course, Fred and Ginger, but I could go on with that list all day. So anyway, that was the first reason I even watched Gone With the Wind. Gotta love some Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. I loved the movie. The whole 4 hour, 2 VHS tape, movie. I always planned on reading the book, but it wasn't until I started the top 100 novels of all time that I actually got around to it. Like Anne and Jo, Scarlet and Rhett became so real to me. It was one of those books that you close and feel empty, missing the characters and wondering what they are doing and where they are now.

 4. The Time Travelers Wife
As I said before, I like to read the book AFTER I see the movie. I know that if I like the movie, I'll love the book, but if I love the book, I'm gonna hate the movie. The only time I do that in reverse is with Nicholas Sparks (I love Nicholas Sparks. Call it a guilty pleasure). I loved this movie. I cried like a baby, and I do every time I see it. I know, I know, it's a cheesy love story, but it gets me every time. I read the book right away and, of course, it was even better. The books always have so much more detail and are so much more in depth. Granted, there are some books that I read after the movie (PS. I Love You, My Sister's Keeper) that I love, don't get me wrong, but this was one that just stuck with me. I could read it over and over and I recommend it to everyone I know.

5. True Colors
Coming up with a number 5 book was definitely the hardest. My first 3 were no brainers, I had to put a lot of thought into the 4th, and especially the 5th. There are so many books that I love, and I could recommend them all day, but to narrow it down to one was harder than you might think. I considered the obvious choices, like Pride and Prejudice and The Great Gatsby. I even considered picking my favorite Jodi Picoult or Nicholas Sparks. I stood in front of my book shelves and pondered, racking my brain for the books I've read but do not own, and the one that I kept coming back to was True Colors. I borrowed this book from my friend a few years ago because she knows how much I love horses and thought that I would love the book. I did, and I even ended up passing it on to my mom before returning it. It follows three sisters in their battles of jealousy, betrayal, redemption and love, and again they are characters that I grew attached to (I'm noticing a pattern here). I won't go much more into the story line, but just knowing that it made the cut as the number 5 book should be enough.