Every year around my birthday I try to go back and revisit some of my favorite books.  This year I thought I’d share my birthday picks for the year from some of my lifetime favorites.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a children’s classic.  It’s a beautifully written tale of friendship, believing in yourself, and how being positive not only garners you more friends, but makes you a more pleasant person inside and out as Mary and Colin both learn along the way. The imagery in this book is fantastic and I’ve always loved that you not only get to experience the tale from the viewpoint of the human characters, but also from Dickon’s robin friend and his mate as they watch the children in the garden. It’s no secret (no pun intended) that this is truly a magical book for children and full of good advice about getting outside, playing, being healthy and how generally wonderful it is to be alive. It’s still a fantastic read when you’re older as it’s an uplifting and well-written story.

Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey is one of my all-time favorite books and I’ve read the cover off of more than one copy. The first in a trilogy, it is the beginning of Killashandra Ree’s tale, a young woman who goes from being disappointed as a university music student on her home planet of Fuerte to being a member of the Heptite Guild on Ballybran, the home of “crystal singers” as they are nicknamed due to the need for perfect pitch to tune their infrasonic cutters. When I was younger I could think of no better job and story to be a part of than this one and would have gladly signed on for a chance at the adventure. The following books in this sci-fi trilogy are Killashandra and Crystal Line. I love the series as a whole, but Crystal Singer is my favorite from the group and the one I’ve purchased the most replacements for when the old ones have fallen apart from too much reading.

Darkover Landfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  This is the first book (chronologically) in the Darkover series.  The umpteen (20+) books in this series explore a fantastic world and it’s culture and is a great sci-fi/fantasy blend. This is a short tale of how it all began and one of my all time favorites. As always, with any long-standing series there’s some contention over which book is the best, but this is one of my favorites. I really like the concept of the Ghost Wind, etc.  Anyway, the series as a whole is fantastic and I suggest reading in its entirety.  Another favorite is Hawkmistress, but that wasn’t a birthday choice this year.  There’s so much story to be had in the Darkover universe. I definitely suggest a visit there if you haven’t read these previously.

So there they are, the books I revisited for my birthday.  I hope everyone has had a great February and that you too take the time to revisit your favorite books when time allows or perhaps make some new favorites.