Number One on her list:
The GodfatherRead about all five titles on Collins' list.
by Mario Puzo
Putnam, 1969
One reason why Francis Ford Coppola was able to make such a spellbinding movie version of "The Godfather" was the richness of the source material. Mario Puzo's novel is a brilliant study of a gangster family, a book that succeeds in creating such stunningly detailed portraits of each and every character that you find yourself rooting for people you should hate, but end up loving. First on the list would be Sonny Corleone, the impetuous son of mafia don Vito Corleone. Sexy, macho and quite irresistible, Sonny spreads sexual tension wherever he goes. But he is just one among many extraordinarily vivid characters who transport you into a criminal world. It's a book about family ties (the closest kind) and bitter rivalries (the lethal kind). The sex ratio is pretty high, too -- nothing wrong with that! I re-read "The Godfather" every year.
--Marshal Zeringue