Musing Mondays (1-13-14)

Hosted here.

Question: Are “best” and “favorite” the same thing? If someone asked you “What’s the best book you ever read?” would the answer be the same as for “What’s your favorite?”


Simple answer: no. To me, best and favorite are two separate things. 'Best' is a book that is well-written, makes you think, is deep and challenges the status quo - or just perhaps your own beliefs. It is also something that I never feel as though I can actually answer.

'Favorite' is simply the book I enjoyed the most, had the most fun reading. That doesn't necessarily preclude all the requirements I have for 'best' but it is also more than just that. For me a favorite book is one that I could re-read many times, one that made me laugh, put me on the edge of my seat, perhaps even made me cry - but always left me saying 'I'll go to bed as soon as I finish this chapter'.

For me, I would liken 'best' to a hard-hitting documentary or a gritty true story and 'favorite' to a super hero movie. Or, maybe, the difference between Elvis Presley and Breaking Benjamin.