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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Talk Amongst Yourselves: Favorite Book Ever!


You know how much I love a good chat about books, right?  Well, today, I’m asking for your very favorite book ever.  One book that you think everyone should read.
Eeeeeeks!
This is hard for me!
I want to name like 20 books.
Okay…right now, if you asked me…I would say that you need to read Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist.  This is a memoir about faith and family (with food intertwined). I think it’s inspiring, beautifully written, and encouraging.  I love this book.
So, that’s my one book recommendation, what’s yours???
Comment below and share!
And also…HUGE things are happening over on my foodie blog today!  In honor of my 100th Bar Recipe…I am giving away a $500 Visa Gift Card to one lucky winner.  
Yes!
You have to pin it to win it over on Mix and Match Mama, so click here to see the details and help me celebrate 100 Bars!
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Comments

  1. Erika Slaughter says

    Hmm….this is a tough one but I'd say Same Kind of Different As Me. Such a good book!!!

  4. AbigailCarter says

    Eek so hard! My favorite fiction novel is Water For Elephants. I fell in love with the characters & the story & was in mourning when it ended! My favorite non-fiction is The Power of A Positive Mom. Gosh I could read it multiple times a year! Love, love, love it! Speaking of Moms…are you going to the DotMom conference this year? It is coming up! My bestie and I registered for the first time & can't wait!

  6. The Lindquist Family says

    This is a tough one! I could name like 50 books! I don't really have one book I'd say is my favorite but one book I have read recently that I just could not put down is What Remains by Carole Radziwill.

    • Unknown says

      I loved that book so much! From seeing her on RH, I wouldn't have thought she'd be such a good author. Maybe it's the heartfelt story she's telling.

  7. Lauren Salerno says

    Per your recommendation I just read Bread and Wine on a plane ride and I too just loved it! I think I re read pages multiple times because I loved it so much. My favorite books are Nicholas Sparks novels but I'm sure you've read all those. Lately I've read a few Jojo Moyes books and those are really good!

  9. Lindsay Otis says

    I LOVE LOVE the Christy Miller series from high school all the way to having babies! I started reading it when I was 14 years old and at 24 I am still reading them.

    Linds @ not a mom

    • Kristen says

      I love Robin Jones Gunn. I have read all of the Sisterchicks books but none of the Christy Miller ones. My daughter is 16 and I would love to read them along with her!

    • Jess says

      Ahhhh, Christy Miller! Loved that! All my friends and I read them together in high school. Thanks for the throwback!

  10. Beth says

    For fiction, The Devil Wears Prada is my absolute favorite! So funny I've read it multiple times. Jen Hatmaker's Interrupted was a game changer for me. A true must-read!

    • Spencer Cox says

      Beth – I also love this book! I was at Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago browsing the clearance rack and found out there was a sequel! It is called Revenge Wears Prada – I definitely recommend it 🙂

  11. Narci says

    Oh gosh!! I just can't pick!! I love lots of modern books, but all of Jane Austen's books are my favorites. I've read Pride and Prejudice at least 20 times!! I can't wait to read the everyone else's faves!

    • Melanie Smith says

      I have an English degree and am ashamed to admit that most classics just bore me to death!

    • Ramona says

      I'm with you Narci. Jane Austen is my hero. My favorite book of all time is Wuthering Heights.

  12. Charla Liedahl says

    The book that has impacted me most, other than the Bible, is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It is a BEAUTIFUL novel about triumphing over generational sin and free will that "parallels" the Cain and Abel story. I have read it at least 15 times and learn something new EVERY time. It will change your life and I can not recommend it highly enough. But it's long, so be prepared to carve out some time!

    • danielle says

      I have not read it, but will on your recommended look into it. Have you ready the Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francien Rivers? Amazing Christian fiction about a Jewish slave in a Roman household. Also anything by Mesu Andrews- Love Amid the Ashes is my favorite – its a retelling of the story of Job – VERY good.

  13. Liz F. says

    I fell in love with Gone with the Wind the first time I read it (when I was about 12 or so) and I enjoy it just as much as an adult. The drama, the history and of course the romance—so, so good.

  14. bella says

    My favorite book is MRS. MIKE by Benedict and Nancy Freedman. It is an old book, written in the 1940's and was required reading at many high schools during that time period. It is a love story that endures through the most harshest of conditions. I have never read a book that was as powerful as that one. I have an old blue hardback copy I got on eBay, but you can easily buy a paperback copy on Amazon.

  15. Cheryl says

    I know this much is true by Wally lamb and the mark of the lion trilogy by Francine rivers.. So good'n

    • Melanie Smith says

      Ive never read anything by Beth Moore, but love this title. I think I need to pick this one up.

  17. Kathy Olson says

    To Kill a Mockingbird. You have to read that and then watch the movie with Gregory Peck:)

  20. Ana Bland says

    It's so hard to pick just one! I'd say Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman – Black Heels to Tractor Wheels – A Love Story. It's a memoir of how she met her husband and her first year of marriage. I laughed, cried, felt inspired, and to be honest, a little envious! 😉 I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down until I finished it! It is written in such a way that you feel Ree is just talking to you like an old girlfriend. And she uses the word "delicious" a lot, which I loved!

  21. clatk says

    To Kill A Mockingbird- hands down! If you haven't read it since HS, you simply MUST pick it up and read again!

  22. Laura says

    My favorite book is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I've read recently that they are making a movie and I can't wait to see it. Can't wait to see everyone's responses!

  23. JulieB says

    "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. It's a true account of the Holocaust written by a Christian woman. When our pastor preached about forgiveness, he referenced this book. It should be a MUST READ for everybody. All time favorite book.

  24. Lisa Nortman says

    Right now I'm going back to Kathie Lee Gifford's book "Good Gifts – One year in the heart of a Home"…monthly celebrations, inspirations, pictures and recipes. In the first segment she tells a story of how they purchased their dream home for far less than its worth and that story tells you everything about the man her husband was that she just lost, Frank Gifford.

  25. Wendy says

    My absolute favorite is Outlander. In the running would be…The Thorn Birds, Night, Unbroken and Firefly Lane.

  26. Spencer Cox says

    I have read so many good books this summer and loved almost all of them! Some of my favorites are: The Truth of The Harry Quebert Affair, Summer Secrets, Me Before You, Revenge Wears Prada (the sequel to Devil Wears Prada!), Elanor and Park… just to name a few 🙂

  28. Jenna says

    hmmm… The perfect fit by louise keen but only if you can get past what she does for a living in the book. I love her thoughts on weight loss throughout this book. It hit home to me.

  32. Stacy DeAnda says

    I love reading and it's so hard to pick just one book but lately my favorite book has been Me before You by Jojo Moyes– its a book with lots of layers and the writing is so good !

  33. Kasey says

    A Town Like Alice by Nevill Shute but since it's out of print and can be hard to find also Code Name Verity

  34. Ashlan says

    I read Desperate earlier this summer, EVERY mom needs to read this! I also love Redeeming Love, the story is beautifully written and truly illustrates what love really means.

  35. Nichole Mancone says

    Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher. I could read it over and over and over again. I discovered it by way of her novel, The Shell Seekers (also excellent, highly recommend) which my high school literature teacher required us to read one summer. Coming Home is my go-to – great story, characters you are invested in, set against the back drop of Cornwall, England during WWII.

  36. Katherine Madsen says

    Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielsen. I read it in two days and was so moved by this book. Her story is so powerful. Highly recommend. Her writing style is perfect for the type of story as well. (She was in a plane crash with her husband and she had burns over 80% of her body but has made a full recovery and even went on to have another baby!)

  38. Lisa says

    11/22/63 by Stephen king. It's a time travel book and a love story that will make you laugh and cry.

    • Kelly@TheAdornedAbode.com says

      I'm reading this right now! I don't usually like Stephen King books at ALL, but I read Mel's review on The Larson Lingo and was intrigued, so when I saw it at the library, decided to give it a shot. I am only a little over a third of the way through (HUGE book), but it has already had me up reading late into the night twice. Very hard to put that book down, and I am so glad I gave it a shot! It's nothing like his horror novels.

  39. susan says

    I have three favorites: Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Lonesome Dove. if I had to pick one, it would probably be Lonesome Dove.

  40. Maria Sulava says

    Although I am newly obsessed with all of Elin Hilderbrand books thanks to your recommendation my favorite book ever is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls … You won't be able to put it down!

  43. Jenny says

    Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers! So so good! It's one you can read over and over again. It's that good! 🙂

  44. Alisha says

    Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. A lady stopped me in the library because she "had to tell someone how good it was!" so I got it. and she was right!

  45. laura gross says

    In the Sanctuary of Outcasts is my all time favorite and I think everyone should read it!

  46. dresselfamily.blogspot.com says

    as a religious book I would say the book of Mormon.. it changed my life..

    fictional:..mmhh..I loved 'me before you ' by Jojo moynes

  47. Jaren says

    My most favorite book ever is Twelve Years a Slave. It is now a movie, but I had to read it several years ago in college. My second favorite book is The Hiding Place, and it is all about two sisters who hid Jewish people in their home during the Holocaust. It was also a book I had to read for school. Thank goodness for great teachers with great suggestions!

  48. Jackie Vore says

    I think my favorite would have to be The Happiness Project. It's a great reminder to not be so serious all the time

  49. Sherry says

    I have so many books that I have loved reading and who have shaped me, helped create my beliefs and make me look at the world through new eyes, but the book that I consider my all time favourite is "Winnie the Pooh"

  51. vanillafrog says

    My two absolute favorite books that I've read over and over…The Outsiders by SE Hinton and To Kill a Mockingbird. My son recommends Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

  52. Melanie Smith says

    My all-time fave is Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson. It's a romance novel, so unlike his other books. Tear jerker for sure!

    Not to sound so cliche, but I also have a soft spot for The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockinbird.

  53. Kecia Nichols says

    Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker with Bread and Wine as a close second (great recommendation!) Jen has a similar writing style as Shauna and yes we are all on a first name basis : )

  54. Sandy says

    Life After Life by Kate Atkinson – LOVED IT! Fever by Mary Beth Keane – both serious subjects but real page turners…The Distant Hours by Kate Morton for a good mystery & The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty for a really funny book

  55. Bomb in A Birdcage says

    My absolute favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. I feel everyone should read and discuss in their adult life (since most seem to read it in high school). I re-read every year. I also love the Harry Potter series (yes, I am an adult;), and The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.

  56. Bo & Yvonne says

    Chalk another one up for "Redeeming Love"! Such a great book! For nonfiction, I am in love with Priscilla Shirer's boom, "One in a Million".

  57. Kristen says

    I second the recommendation for Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (besides the Bible, of course!)

  60. Valerie Cox says

    So many favorites! I absolutely love the Confessions of a Shopaholic series, and another close favorite is The Wedding, sequel to The Notebook. I enjoy light reads.

  61. Hannah Long says

    The power of a praying wife. I will now give it to every woman I know that is getting married. So enlightening and powerful! It truly taught me how to pray for my husband and my marriage.

  62. pattiecobb3south says

    The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Historical fiction, WW II, France, and well written.

  63. Katie {The Mishaps & Mayhem of a Solitary Life} says

    Wonder by R.J. Palacio! Hands Down!! Everyone should read it!!

    • Charla Liedahl says

      So great! I have a special needs son and I bawled through this book (and I have only bawled in ONE other book my entire life–Roots!) I think it should be required reading for every middle schooler in America!

  65. Kristin says

    They Caged the Animals at Night. It is the author's life story. I had to read it in 10th grade English and it made me cry. Favorite book ever.

    If you like romance books, my friend's mom wrote one in a series and the rest is coming out soon. Her name is Lisa Ricard Claro!

  66. The Queen of Quite a Lot says

    My favorite book hands down that I've read probably 50 times and still go back to sometimes is Gone with the Wind. It's super long, so I don't go back often, but it's so so so worth it.

  67. Whitney Woolley says

    Loved The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers! I couldn't put it down. From the beginning of book one to the end of book three it was wonderful! I also have to agree with Redeeming Love! Love Francine Rivers!

  68. Erin says

    You MUST read 'Summer Sisters' by Judy Blume. Yes, *that* Judy Blume! This is one of her adult books and it's my all time favorite!

  69. Jessica Ruehl says

    I would have to say To Kill a Mockingbird! but I love anything by John Grisham and Jodi Picoult!
    -Jessica
    Mythreesons24.wordpress.com

  70. Jamie Allen says

    i adore how your besties are so loyal with reading your blog and commenting! thankful for this contest because until now i never thought to pin all my favorites from a particular blog or site under the blog/sites name! my favorite book. gosh. oddly, i fell in love with historical fiction not thinking i would! i love all books by julie klassen! and i loved {wild things: the art of nurturing boys}.

  71. Sailing Kat says

    Anything by Mary Stewart. Madam, Will You Talk? was my first book and is still my favorite. Nine Coaches Waiting is a close second. Her Merlin Series is also amazing.

  72. valcichfam says

    Favorite classic: The Great Gatsby. The perfect book in my option. Favorite contemporary: Time Travelers Wife. A unique and engaging read- I didn't want it to end!

  73. Allyson says

    I went to the library yesterday to find a new book and looked at your recommendations and NONE were available. So, I checked out Carry On Warrior by Glennis Doyle and really like it so far! My favorite authors are harlan coben if you want a mystery and jodi picolut for the different voices within one book.

  74. mel @ the larson lingo says

    Last month I read 11/22/63 by Stephen King. It is 850 pages….but it was AMAZING!!!!
    I couldn't put it down! It is the only Stephen King book I have read. SO good.
    It is my favorite book I have read this year!!!

    • Kelly@TheAdornedAbode.com says

      I am actually reading that right now after reading your recommendation on your blog. 🙂 I normally do not like Stephen King books (any horror at all, actually), so I was doubtful about 11/22/63. But, WOW, I am so glad you suggested it and that I have given it a shot! I've been staying up late reading it, and am halfway through right now. LOVING it!

  76. Stephanie Jennings says

    I'm not sure of my favorite of all time, but I just finished "just 18 summers", and I loved it. A must read for Moms. It puts everything in perspective. We only have our kiddos for 18 summers until they are adults. Thanks for this post…. I got quite a few ideas for my next read 🙂

  78. Marissa and Dylan says

    Read this year – All the Light You Cannot See. Secret Life of Bees is up there for all time favorite.

  79. Elizabeth says

    To Kill a Mockingbird, Gone With the Wind, Kite Runner, The Hiding Place, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Exodus by Leon Uris. I am currently reading Redeeming Love, my first Francine Rivers book. I really like it too.

    • Charla Liedahl says

      I love all the books you mentioned above except Redeeming Love (I know most of you are GASPING in horror!) Of course the STORY of Redeeming Love is beautiful, as it is based on the book of Hosea, but the writing (in my opinion) is mediocre at best.

  82. Melanie says

    One of my faves is "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". For mystery, I love Kate Morton's books.

  83. Daniele says

    So many favorites! I often recommend The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan. Also, the love the book These Is My Words by Nancy Turner (trilogy).

  84. Kelly@TheAdornedAbode.com says

    My favorite author is Kate Morton; I have loved all of her books, but my favorite if I had to pick one would be "The Secret Keeper". The pages just turned themselves, and I had to keep reading because I HAD to know what happened – and it completely surprised me at the end, which is hard to do! All of hers are excellent reads. I also love most (but not all) Elin Hilderbrand books; hers are perfect beach reads to me. I also love anything by Susan Meissner ("A Fall of Marigolds" is my fave of hers), all Francine Rivers books, and anything by Sarah Jio (especially "Blackberry Winter" and "Morning Glory").

  85. Bethany says

    "The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball. Favorite all time! Intertwines love, food and growth. It's a beautiful memoir.

  88. The Snodgrass Family says

    Saw this one above, and have to agree. ..the mark of the lion series by rivers is amazing. It's not my normal genre so I resisted it for a long time, but picked it up for a road trip and LOVED it.

  89. Lorraine says

    Lonesome Dove, followed by Les Mis and East of Eden. Beautiful books. Characters that you fall in love with. Never have I wept the way I did in lonesome dove. Worth staying up all night for a week to finish.

    • Charla Liedahl says

      I think we are soul sisters. Les Mis and East of Eden have changed me forever. I haven't read Lonesome Dove but NEED to!

    • Sandy P says

      I loved Larry McMurtry for a while in my 20s. I read a lot of his books. Now I want to go back and reread a lot of them.

  90. Anonymous 42 says

    Crime and Punishment. But if you want a more recent book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

  91. Sandy P says

    I read Eight Keys last year with my 10 year old son. It was required reading for him and I always read his books. I loved it. I could not put it down and cried all the way through it. It wasn't sad it was just touching. My son was not as impressed. It is a great quick easy read.

  92. Meredith says

    I just posted this a few days ago but I just finished reading this book and I couldn't put it down! The good girl by Mary Kubica. You're welcome. 🙂

  94. Autumn says

    Every Bitter Thing is Sweet by Sara Hagerty. A beautiful memoir about the hunger for God that is created by experiencing trials in life. I read it last winter and hope to do a book club with friends this fall. I cannot recommend this book enough!

  95. Jadoregrace says

    I've heard a lot about Bread & Wine and definitely plan on reading it soon! I'd say "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg has been an extremely encouraging and motivating read, especially as a recent postgrad!

  96. Elisabeth Hogue says

    My most favortie book EVER is The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Its such an amazing story of courage by the ten Booms, and the faithfulness and protection of the Heavenly Father. I read it to my sons this summer!

  98. Elz says

    Favorite ever-"Little Women," with "Pride and Prejudice" and "A Tale of Two Cities" close behind. Recent favorites-Lean In and Ashley's War.

  100. skmanning says

    The Bible is number 1 but 2nd to that is Gone With the Wind. I have loved many historical novels (a favorite author is John Jakes) so it is hard to pick a favorite but Gone with the Wind is wonderful.

  102. Jodi says

    I've always said that if someone says they do not like to read or that they don't enjoy it it is only because they have not found a book they truly enjoy. On that note I could never pick a favorite. 🙂

  104. Frances says

    When Oprah did her favourite book list I read most of them but one that really stuck with me was The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. Highly recommend!

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