34. Christy by Catherine Marshall

This is probably one of my top 10 favorite books ever--right up there with Jane Austen and the Anne of Green Gables series. Every time I see the movie or TV series reruns, I have to read the book again. This time I listened to it and I loved it again. It's one of those books that John says I obsess over. He's probably right. I first read Christy in 9th grade English and even though it was a little heavy for me I still liked it. It's got a little romance (very little actually), but most of all it is just about a girl coming of age and discovering what she really believes and also about these impoverished but great people that she met. The story is based on the author's grandmother's experiences as a young woman in the mountain country of the Tennessee Appalacians. It's moving and it really makes you think about a lot of things. However, it is definitely an adult book, or at least upper teenage, because there is some semi-graphic violence, a rape scene, and some sexual discussion. But I'm very squeamish about stuff like that and I think everything is handled very well. Anyway, I loved it for like the tenth time. (Funny story, at least twice I have wanted to read it so badly after seeing it on TV that I have gone out and bought it. The second time I found my other copy about a week after I finished the book. That might tell you a lot about my memory.)