All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (as well as the other books in this series) bears mentioning on this board. My husband recommended it to me and I've read two of the books (also read All Things Bright and Beautiful ). I loved these books which were written by a vet (Herriot) about his adventures in his country practice. Funny, touching, occasionally sad, but overall a wonderful story-teller. You should read these books because he has a wonderful writing style. I'm not sure that it's my favorite book because it's so hard to compare all of the different genres and writing styles. I also really loved Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.