Top Ten Mondays!!!!

Well, folks, it is once again that time of week when the Ferrari of America goes cruising down the Highway of Enlightenment, only to discover too late that its Aviator Glasses of Self-Esteem have prevented it from reading these fateful words on the Sign Post of Father Time: WATCH OUT: ORANGUTAN ON THE LOOSE! But, today, that is the least of our worries, because it is, as I'm sure you've already guessed, time for another edition of.....

TOP TEN MONDAYS!!! Today's Topic: Dave's Top 10 All-Time Favorite Novels of All-Time!!! This post is primarily written to prove to the world that I'm literate, but it also gives you readers a chance to get your hands on some good reading material this summer. Actually, you should be lucky this list even made it to print. I was going to blog about my Top 10 Reasons Why People Are So Apathetic, but I stopped caring after #10 (and I don't even care to remember what it was). Anyway, enough of that chit-chat, let's get right into our exciting list starting with, like always....

• #10- Where the Red Fern Grows. This classical young boy whipper-snapper novel by Wilson Rawls starts with the famous words, "There comes a time in every young boy's life when he has the urge to run Cross Country." Ha ha, I jest. The real quote reads that all puppies eventually want to run cross country, or something like that, but its pointless to make jokes about this book cause I guarantee you'll cry in the end. It's a great story about a young boy and his two coon-hounds Fat Man and Little Boy (you can tell I'm taking a nuclear class right now).
• #9- To Kill a Mockingbird. This generational-spanding classic, by some author with both a first and last name (Harper Lee), is definitely a novel that will span into generations to come. The theme of racial tension in the South is perfectly intertwined with the maturation of the novel's main character Scout to produce a great novel. I read this in my High School "Novels" class and thoroughly enjoyed it.
  
• #8- The Count of Monte Cristo. Even if you don't ever read this book (by Sir Alexander Dumas) its a great one to have on your shelves cause it's enormous and it will make you look scholarly. The unabridged novel that I read was 1600 pages and it was totally worth it. This masterpiece about justice and hope, and betrayal and friendship will be read for years to come.
  
• #7- The Chronicles of Narnia. I know this is a series of 7 books, but I think it's fair that I combine them for this cause. Through these stories, C.S. Lewis has given the world great stories to be read aloud to children, or enjoyed by even the most educated adults. These stories are not only entertaining, but they raise questions that beg you to think critically about the world and about the powers of good and evil that reside in it. These books are called allegorical for that reason; each book provides clear imagery and depictions of biblical themes.
  
• #6- The Da Vinci Code. Now, before I get nasty comments suggesting that I am abandoning my faith by including this Dan Brown thriller in my list, let me remind you all that this is a fiction novel. True, it does defame the Deity of Jesus Christ and raise all other sort of conspiracy theory questions, but I can assure that I adopted none of its theology after completing it. Rather, I viewed this book as a full-throttle, heart-pumping mystery thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last. Unlike the Narnia books, I doubt Dan Brown was attempting to be allegorical in this work. The book does make you think, but I think that thinking is a great thing to think about, so I strongly recommend you think about thinking about reading this book. Maybe you'll even read it too. Oh boy, I digress. Let's get into the Top 5.
  
• #5- Ella Minnow Pea. I doubt many of you have heard of this one. It is an epistolary, which means that the book is a collection of letters rather than narration. Mark Dunn does a truly outstanding job in this novel about a "Utopian"-esque island that worships Nollop, the creator of the sentence, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. Their devotion to this sentence (being the shortest to contain every letter of the alpahabet) is etched on a statue of Nollop in the middle of the town. However, once the aged letters begin to crack and fall off the statue, the town is forced to take drastic action to save their civilization. This may not sound like a page-turner, but I 100% guarantee that you will love this book.
  
• #4- This Present Darkness. Frank Peretti does the best job I've ever seen at depicting the concept of Spiritual Warfare. Do you often find yourselves putting the concept of angels and demons on par with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? I know I have. Sure, the Bible talks about them all the time, but that was back then, right? Wrong. Mr. Peretti forces you to reconsider your stance after reading this exciting thriller. There are so many amazing plot twists and turns that you find yourself feeling downright depressed one page and then joyfully elated the next. I read this book on vacation and I plowed through it non-stop, taking only 1 break to eat dinner. Coincidentally, my #3 novel is....
  
• #3- Angles & Demons. Although the titles are similar, these two novels are very different as far as themes go. Dan Brown gets the lucky distinction of being the only author to get 2 books into my Top 10. With everybody all hyped up about the Angels & Demons movie that just came out, I strongly suggest reading the book first. Written before The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has the same character, Robert Langdon, involved in a multi-faceted mystery that takes him through multiple dangers and adventures before its dramatic conclusion in Vatican City. Mystery writing doesn't get much better than this.
  
• #2- The Lord of the Rings. Everybody knows the story. Frodo Baggins and his Fellowship are on a quest to destroy the Ring of Power at the Cracks of Doom in Mordor. However, the story is so in-depth that, while reading it, you will feel like you are in Middle-Earth. The entire trilogy, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, is captivating, and the themes of the novel are so powerful and convicting that you find yourself constantly sympathizing with the characters. Each of us has our own "Ring of Power" that we are drawn to even though we know it has the potential to destroy us. However, the movie ends with the classic, uplifting line, "No man is a failure who has friends." ....um...that's the wrong line. Still, the books (all three of them. That's what trilogy means) are definitely worth reading over and over again. If you would like to comment on how many times you've read the trilogy, there may be a prize for the person who's read them the most times. Can anybody beat my score of 3? Anyways, speaking of trilogies, it's time to pull out the Top Cat! This next trilogy has left a huge impact on me, and I wish that the whole world could read it so that we could have one huge book discussion. And that series is.....
  
• #1- The Circle Trilogy. These three books, entitled Black, Red, and White, were written by Ted Dekker. Ted is a Christian novelist who writes suspense thrillers that illustrate biblical principles (very similar to Peretti, Lewis, and Tolkien). However, I think that of those 4 authors, Dekker does the best job with The Circle books. After completing the series, I was so struck with awe by the metaphors and analogies that Dekker drew that I was awestruck. The plot deals with a man, Thomas Hunter, who has a unique ability. When he falls asleep on Earth, he wakes up in an alternate reality. However, as the novel progresses, you begin to wonder how "alternate" his "dream" reality really "is". Kidnappings, assassination attempts, sin, redemption, judgment, love, treachery, betrayal, judgment, heists, nuclear weapons, bows and arrows, a willing sacrifice, prophecy, and hope for the future are just some of the many elements that Dekker ties into these 3 tales. If you read nothing else during the summer, please read The Circle Trilogy.
  

Well, once again I've squandered another huge chunk of my Monday afternoon relaying valuable information to the masses. I hope you get a chance to check out some of these books sometime, and I'd love to discuss them with you. If none of these caught your fancy (where did that phrase come from in the English language? Think about it) here are a list of Honorable Mention novels:

• "Jurassic Park" - Michael Chricton
• "Lost Horizon" - James Hilton
• "Lord of the Flies" - William Golding
• "1984" - James Orwell
• "Animal Farm" - James Orwell
• "Digital Fortress" - Dan Brown
• "Deception Point" - Dan Brown
• "Thr3e" - Ted Dekker
• "Flowers for Algernon" - Daniel Keyes
• "The Hobbit" - J.R.R. Tolkien
• "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Mark Twain
• The Inheritance Series - Christopher Paolini (Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr. 4th book coming soon)

There. You now have a full list of Dave Getz-approved novels. However, I'm anxious to hear what you like to read, and I'm looking for books to read this summer too. Feel free to drop a comment with your suggestions.

In other news, I went to the movie theater twice this weekend. It seems like I hardly ever go, but when I do, I go in bunches. I saw the Disney documentary "Earth" as well as "The Soloist." I highly recommend both movies. Music lovers, especially Beethoven lovers, will especially enjoy "The Soloist."

Well, that's all for now. I have to go try to catch my fancy.