#25. music to cheer me up
#24. stimulating discussion
#23. getting a 92 on a tough test
#22. watching the pup play in the yard
#21. hugs from our Molly
Photo Credit #ILoveLakeMac My little spot in the world...Lake McConaughy. This is where we live work and play. The people here are solid gold, couldn't ask for any better.
Wednesday, April 27
Friday, April 22
The Hardest Five Years Of My Life
Five years ago we had taken in our grandsons on what we had assumed would be a temporary basis. They were both healthy, although we suspected Alex was behind in his development. I thought he was just a slow learner.
It was the end of April and we were preparing to go home to help my inlaws celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. On Wednesday Alex made some strange head dropping movements. I had never seen anything like it and it raised some red flags. I took him right in to the doctor, but of course he didn't do it again, so the doctor looked him over and sent us home.
On Saturday as we were preparing to celebrate with my husband's family Alex did those strange movements again, several times. For the first time my husband was able to see them too. It concerned us, but he stopped. He grew very tired so I took him back to the house and he slept for hours. Later that evening he did it again and we decided to take him to the hospital. We were away from home, seeing a doctor we had never seen before...and Alex seemed fine. The doctor listened to us, believed us, even considered sending us to Children's Hospital in Omaha, but in the end decided to send us home. He cautioned us if we saw it again to videotape it and get to our doctor right away.
We went home on Sunday and within hours of going home Alex started the strange movements again. This time we got it on video and headed to the emergency room. The PA on duty was immediately concerned. She kept us overnight for observations and then arranged for us to get to Children's Hospital as soon as we could get there.
By the time we got to Children's we were positive that Alex was having seizures and they were increasing. He was having them for several minutes, several times an hour. He was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms...and the prognosis was not encouraging. They told us that the seizures can cause brain damage and Alex could end up severely retarded and in some cases death occurs. I'm sure that for awhile our hearts just stopped. We were stunned that a healthy child could be so sick in such a short time. They told us that our best chance to stop the seizures was something called ACTH, a type of steroid, that would have to be injected twice a day. Alex would have to stay in the hospital for the week for tests.
For the next 6 weeks we made weekly trips to Omaha. We spent our 25th anniversary in the hospital. (incidentally, not quite the trip to England we had always planned) The shots made Alex miserable. He quit laughing, then he quit smiling. His body swelled up and his skin was tight. I was afraid to pick him up because it hurt him. But the seizures stopped. Praise God...they started to slow down and then they stopped. The end of July we were able to quit giving him the shots. It was about another month when we heard him laugh again. Breck and I cried. We had hope for our little boy.
When Alex first got sick I called our daughter. I was certain that this was God's way of bringing her home, back into the lives of her little boys. I could picture her turning her heart to God. But instead, she was like Pharoah, and hardened her heart. She had all sorts of reasons why she couldn't come. Looking back, I should have known then that she would never want her boys again, but I was in denial about that. My other children say that everyone but me knew. I guess I had more hope than they did.
Alex started to develop more normally but he was very behind. About the time he was finally starting to crawl, the seizures started back up. And this time they were a different kind. Apparently this is not uncommon. We tried several different meds but it wasn't until six months later and a combination of meds that they finally stopped. We spent a week in St Paul, Minnesota at the Epilepsy Center. They gave us lots of good ideas on helping him. They also cautioned us that if his seizures ever started up again, we may not be able to stop them next time.
It has been five years of hard work, and many tears shed for this little boy. He has to work twice as hard as his brother just to learn basic skills. He is still behind but is slowly catching up. Two years ago he could barely speak, now he knows his alphabet and the sounds of the letters and he's putting words into sentences. He can't ride things with pedals, but he can ride a scooter almost as well as his brother. In the past years we've had added diagnoses from doctors. Alex has intractable epilepsy, a mild form of cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, ADHD, developmentally delayed and is considered to be on the autism spectrum although not diagnosed with autism.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of Alex's story. We have been through many trials with this young man, but we have seen many prayers answered and we consider him a miracle considering what he's been through. Our family, friends and church have been the support that we needed to get through the dark days. In those first weeks after the diagnosis, we could feel God calming us in such a real way that I will never be able to explain it. But He was there for us when we needed Him most. It's been a tough five years, and we know there is still a rough road ahead. We continue to trust God to keep him promises and remind ourselves that God has a plan for Alex...we just don't know what it is yet.
It was the end of April and we were preparing to go home to help my inlaws celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. On Wednesday Alex made some strange head dropping movements. I had never seen anything like it and it raised some red flags. I took him right in to the doctor, but of course he didn't do it again, so the doctor looked him over and sent us home.
On Saturday as we were preparing to celebrate with my husband's family Alex did those strange movements again, several times. For the first time my husband was able to see them too. It concerned us, but he stopped. He grew very tired so I took him back to the house and he slept for hours. Later that evening he did it again and we decided to take him to the hospital. We were away from home, seeing a doctor we had never seen before...and Alex seemed fine. The doctor listened to us, believed us, even considered sending us to Children's Hospital in Omaha, but in the end decided to send us home. He cautioned us if we saw it again to videotape it and get to our doctor right away.
We went home on Sunday and within hours of going home Alex started the strange movements again. This time we got it on video and headed to the emergency room. The PA on duty was immediately concerned. She kept us overnight for observations and then arranged for us to get to Children's Hospital as soon as we could get there.
By the time we got to Children's we were positive that Alex was having seizures and they were increasing. He was having them for several minutes, several times an hour. He was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms...and the prognosis was not encouraging. They told us that the seizures can cause brain damage and Alex could end up severely retarded and in some cases death occurs. I'm sure that for awhile our hearts just stopped. We were stunned that a healthy child could be so sick in such a short time. They told us that our best chance to stop the seizures was something called ACTH, a type of steroid, that would have to be injected twice a day. Alex would have to stay in the hospital for the week for tests.
For the next 6 weeks we made weekly trips to Omaha. We spent our 25th anniversary in the hospital. (incidentally, not quite the trip to England we had always planned) The shots made Alex miserable. He quit laughing, then he quit smiling. His body swelled up and his skin was tight. I was afraid to pick him up because it hurt him. But the seizures stopped. Praise God...they started to slow down and then they stopped. The end of July we were able to quit giving him the shots. It was about another month when we heard him laugh again. Breck and I cried. We had hope for our little boy.
When Alex first got sick I called our daughter. I was certain that this was God's way of bringing her home, back into the lives of her little boys. I could picture her turning her heart to God. But instead, she was like Pharoah, and hardened her heart. She had all sorts of reasons why she couldn't come. Looking back, I should have known then that she would never want her boys again, but I was in denial about that. My other children say that everyone but me knew. I guess I had more hope than they did.
Alex started to develop more normally but he was very behind. About the time he was finally starting to crawl, the seizures started back up. And this time they were a different kind. Apparently this is not uncommon. We tried several different meds but it wasn't until six months later and a combination of meds that they finally stopped. We spent a week in St Paul, Minnesota at the Epilepsy Center. They gave us lots of good ideas on helping him. They also cautioned us that if his seizures ever started up again, we may not be able to stop them next time.
It has been five years of hard work, and many tears shed for this little boy. He has to work twice as hard as his brother just to learn basic skills. He is still behind but is slowly catching up. Two years ago he could barely speak, now he knows his alphabet and the sounds of the letters and he's putting words into sentences. He can't ride things with pedals, but he can ride a scooter almost as well as his brother. In the past years we've had added diagnoses from doctors. Alex has intractable epilepsy, a mild form of cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, ADHD, developmentally delayed and is considered to be on the autism spectrum although not diagnosed with autism.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of Alex's story. We have been through many trials with this young man, but we have seen many prayers answered and we consider him a miracle considering what he's been through. Our family, friends and church have been the support that we needed to get through the dark days. In those first weeks after the diagnosis, we could feel God calming us in such a real way that I will never be able to explain it. But He was there for us when we needed Him most. It's been a tough five years, and we know there is still a rough road ahead. We continue to trust God to keep him promises and remind ourselves that God has a plan for Alex...we just don't know what it is yet.
one month after taking the shots
Alex's first birthday, just before we quit the shots
2011- a big handsome boy
Thoughts of Gratitude
#20. God is in the details
#19. kids who come home for Easter
#18. sidewalk chalk letters from a little one who struggles to write
#17. Glorious sunshine
#16. sprouts peeking out of the ground
#19. kids who come home for Easter
#18. sidewalk chalk letters from a little one who struggles to write
#17. Glorious sunshine
#16. sprouts peeking out of the ground
Thursday, April 21
Some Days Are Harder Than Others
A few weeks ago I found out that my oldest daughter was ending her marriage. This is her second marriage and she's only 27 years old. I am sad, but not surprised. I have enjoyed having her husband in our family. He was witty and thoughtful, and I will miss him.
But most of all I am sad that my daughter is looking for happiness in all the wrong places. She has a God sized hole in her heart and she is looking for man sized solutions. And now I have a granddaughter who is missing her daddy and her entire life is disrupted and I don't know how long it will be before she sees normality. And that doesn't just make me sad...it makes me heartbroken.
But most of all I am sad that my daughter is looking for happiness in all the wrong places. She has a God sized hole in her heart and she is looking for man sized solutions. And now I have a granddaughter who is missing her daddy and her entire life is disrupted and I don't know how long it will be before she sees normality. And that doesn't just make me sad...it makes me heartbroken.
Wednesday, April 13
Milestones
48...that's how many years I've walked on this earth. Somedays it feels like forever, and other days I feel like I'm still twenty. Then I take a look in the mirror and get a harsh reality check.
Seriously though, in our family we've never really made birthdays a big deal. And it's a good thing I have low expectations because this year my hubby is out of town. I have an exciting day of cleaning, laundry and an appointment for Alex's OT evaluation. Big stuff I tell you! BUT...I am happy to be healthy and strong. Seriously, not everyone could keep up with my boys, and I'm thankful for the good health that God has given me. I'm thankful for a husband who has put up with me for many, many moons. And I'm thankful that I have a birthday. Yes, getting older is hard sometimes. I don't want gray hair and wrinkles...but if I wasn't getting older than I would be dead. It just kind of keeps things in perspective, don't you think?
Seriously though, in our family we've never really made birthdays a big deal. And it's a good thing I have low expectations because this year my hubby is out of town. I have an exciting day of cleaning, laundry and an appointment for Alex's OT evaluation. Big stuff I tell you! BUT...I am happy to be healthy and strong. Seriously, not everyone could keep up with my boys, and I'm thankful for the good health that God has given me. I'm thankful for a husband who has put up with me for many, many moons. And I'm thankful that I have a birthday. Yes, getting older is hard sometimes. I don't want gray hair and wrinkles...but if I wasn't getting older than I would be dead. It just kind of keeps things in perspective, don't you think?
Tuesday, April 12
Thoughts of Gratitude
15. quiet nights and electric light
14. friends who will babysit
13. little boys who run back to give me one last hug
12. green...green grass, green plants, green leaves
11. words of scripture that give me hope
14. friends who will babysit
13. little boys who run back to give me one last hug
12. green...green grass, green plants, green leaves
11. words of scripture that give me hope
Monday, April 4
Thoughts of Grattitude
I've been feeling weary lately. Not just tired, but old and worn out. And with the weariness comes anger and frustration. I need to focus on my Saviour more. I need to focus on thanksgiving for what He's done for me and what he's given me.
#10. a song that reminds me of blessings
#9. a note from a friend to encourage me to keep running the race
#8. finding good books in the Goodwill store
#7. a hug from my boy before he leaves for school
#6. a husband who loves me even when I'm grumpy
#10. a song that reminds me of blessings
#9. a note from a friend to encourage me to keep running the race
#8. finding good books in the Goodwill store
#7. a hug from my boy before he leaves for school
#6. a husband who loves me even when I'm grumpy
The BBC's Two Hundred Book List
This is a list compiled by readers and posted on the BBC webpage of the top two hundred most read books. I've put an X by the ones I've read.
X 1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
X 2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
X 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
X 7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
X 9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
X 10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
X 12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
X 14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
X 16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
X 17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
X 18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
X 21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
X 25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
X 26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
X 29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
X 30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
X 35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
X 36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
X 37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
X 38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
X 40. Emma, Jane Austen
X 41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
X 43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
X 44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
X 47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
X 51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
X 54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
X 58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
X 64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
X 83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
X 91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
X 96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
X 119. Shogun, James Clavell
X 120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
X 122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
X 125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
X 128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
X 133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
X 136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
X 141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
X 159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
X 161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
X 168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
X 170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
X 179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
X 189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. LawrenceLife of Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
X 194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
X 199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
X 200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
I see there are many books that I haven't read that maybe I should put on my reading list. But I have to say there are several books on the list that I have read and do not recommend. When I have some free time I think I'll compile my own list of recommended books. I am pretty sure it will be very different.
X 1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
X 2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
X 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
X 7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
X 9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
X 10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
X 12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
X 14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
X 16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
X 17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
X 18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
X 21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
X 25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
X 26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
X 29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
X 30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
X 35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
X 36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
X 37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
X 38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
X 40. Emma, Jane Austen
X 41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
X 43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
X 44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
X 47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
X 51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
X 54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
X 58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
X 64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
X 83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
X 91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
X 96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
X 119. Shogun, James Clavell
X 120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
X 122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
X 125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
X 128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
X 133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
X 136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
X 141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
X 159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
X 161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
X 168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
X 170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
X 179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
X 189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. LawrenceLife of Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
X 194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
X 199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
X 200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
I see there are many books that I haven't read that maybe I should put on my reading list. But I have to say there are several books on the list that I have read and do not recommend. When I have some free time I think I'll compile my own list of recommended books. I am pretty sure it will be very different.
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