Happy Friday!!! This was a good week with just enough downtime (but not enough keeping up with chores – oops) and some fun moments too. I’m looking forward to the weekend even though we don’t have too many plans. I’m back for 15 Things Friday today, and I think this is a fun one!! You’ll have to share your thoughts with me 🙂

I am not a huge HUGE reader of the classics – I’ve read all of Jane Austen’s books (although I think I listened to at least half of them). I’ve read some Charles Dickens, some philosophy works, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, etc. I’ve read Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Charlotte’s Web, Sherlock Holmes, The Great Gatsby and so on. Not all of these have been favourites, I’ll be honest. I’ve read quite a bit of Shakespeare and some other plays. I read a lot of these for school. From time to time, I wonder about which books from our current time (in the past 20-50 years or so) will last and remain classics in 200 years. Likely, the books that receive awards will be in the running. Here are 14 books I’ve read that I think will stand the tests of time and potentially become “classics” someday 🙂 Obviously, this list is just my own opinion but these books are quite popular for the most part – so that tells me something!

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – As I mentioned on Instagram (and plan to discuss more next week for Show Us Your Books), I just finished this book. Overall, I loved it. It reminded me of the classics because the writing was sooo lovely and the prose was very metaphorical and literary. Rules of Civility will probably also stand the test of time with its Gatsby-ish feel.

Harry Potter series – come on guys, you know I am obsessed with these books. There’s not way people will not still be talking about this series in 200 years.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – I will never, ever forget the experience I had reading this book. It was mind-blowing. I’m sure some of Jodi Picoult’s books might also fit in a classics category of “moral dilemmas in books” but I haven’t read any Picoult yet.

His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman – I have not read these books in years, and I really need to read them to my children sometime soon.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger – I think Enger’s other book probably falls into this modern classic type category too, but I haven’t read that yet. This book that seems to be about not much, really won me over by the end of it.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – this book gave me chills; the writing and the plot were so thick and emotionally charged.

The Dry by Jane Harper – I’ve never experienced as profound a sense of setting as in Jane Harper’s books. I’m reading The Lost Man right now and so far the description of the isolated setting is unparalleled.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman – I will never ever encounter another character like Ove.

Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series – these are so much more than just murder mysteries. Three Pines is a character all on its own.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – This was mind-boggling in a way so few books are these days. Can’t wait to read his newest one this month.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman – Sorry to include two books by the same author but they are so different. Beartown was one of the books that shocked me so much when I was reading it that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I cannot get over the way Backman wrote this book, even years later. It will probably always be one of the best books I’ve ever read.

The Martian by Andy Weir – I hope people are still loving this book years in the future when travel to Mars might actually be a reality.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne – This book is sure to be one that stays with people.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – This book is so wonderful and I think it should be required reading for everyone ages 14ish and up.

Can you think of any to add? There are sure to be many – like I said, this is just my own opinion!! 🙂

Happy Friday!