Thankful for . . .
Continuing my not-very-original theme of gratitude, what book are you grateful for. I am sure it will be difficult to stop at one. So you can list a couple. But what books made you draw a line in the sand and point to it--and say, "there is my life before this book . . . and my lift after this book." A book that resonated so deeply you re-read it five times. That you still curl up with on occasion.
My list:
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Little Prince by St. Exupery
David Copperfield by Charlies Dickens
The first book taught me how to live my life. The second book captured love so perfectly. And the third was the the book I read in 3rd grade or thereabouts that taught me I could read well beyond my years and open all sorts of worlds just through words.
Your turn . . . .
29 comments:
I have three.
Uncle Tom's Cabin was the first "classic" I read for pleasure. I was in my early 20's and it taught me to broaden my recreational reading horizons beyond contemporary popular books. I can't imagine not having read all the books I've since enjoyed.
A Walk on the Beach by Joan Anderson is a small book I've read multiple times. It's full of life lessons that don't hit you over the head. I think for me it was the right book at the right time.
When God Winks is about noticing coincidences. It's a conscience raising book that I sometimes believe and sometimes not - but either way - it makes me think.
Definitely "Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King" which was edited by Tim Underwood and Chuck Miller. The Foreword was written by King called "On Becoming a Brand Name" which inspired me to try my hand at writing. Definitely a "before" and an "after."
The others are trickier, but I think "Decider" by Dick Francis and maybe "Bag of Bones" by Stephen King. Maybe.
I was crazy about The Great Gatsby. Old Gatsby. Old sport. That killed me.
Take My Wife, Please Henny Youngman. The first book I read where I thought, I can do that.
Most of the Bible's books. I especially love the Book of Ruth.On a cold night with the son out with his buds, the fireplace roaring and my wife on the coach with me, Song of Songs.
Oh, and the Marine Corp Manual for Special Operations. There's a chilling coolness about how "matter of fact" they teach to do those things to humans.
Amy:
I have to laugh. I had to read A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson for a women's book club, and I so singularly hated it, I wanted to throw the book across the room. It remains, in my mind, the book that, if I had to say, was my least favorite book ever, that is it. Which goes to show, for the thousandth time, how personal book choices are.
E
Mark:
I've never really gotten into King, but enough writers I know like Bag of Bones, so maybe I'll try it. My former mother-in-law used to read him voraciously. She was one of my favorite ladies.
E
Jude:
I think I romanticized Gatsby, but I don't know that I adored the book in the same way I loved The Sun Also Rises and pretty much every Hemingway.
E
Allen:
I love Song of Songs, too.
E
My comment was actually a quote from The Catcher in the Rye. ;)
I love Hemingway as well.
Bag of Bones is terrific. I think you'd like it.
OY!
;)
The Host by Stephenie Meyer made me take a nice long look at what I care most about in life. I read it arpund the time that I started trying to get my self mutilation problems under control, the book showed me how important it is to love myself.
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne helped me to change my thought process in an extreme way. Both my Father and I rad it, and though the act of staying positive it hard most days, I'm glad we saw the light.
That's it for now, but I'm sure there will be pleanty more in the future.
THE OUTSIDERS. Taught me the value of story and that I might be able to write, too.
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN. When I, a poor student who'd been tracked in with the dumb kids, a student who teachers rarely made much effort for, was assigned the "Hard" book in 6th grade LA to read (UTC), I realized maybe I was actually smart at something.
THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST taught me the power of friendship, not so much the book, but the guy who wrote it. I was the first person to ever read it. I sat back when it was over and realized for the first time how fortunate I am to have writers in my life.
WRITE AWAY taught me my process of writing was fine.
There are more, of course, but now I have to go read my own galleys (!) for my own book (!) and get them back to my editor. :D
The one book I come back to over and over again:
Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
by Thich Nhat Hanh
I've been reading this book for 17 years and it still is teaching me.
Another favorite: The Monkeywrench Gang by Edward Abbey.
The Boxcar Children. This was the first chapter book I remember reading on my own and being fascinated by these kids living in a boxcar. It got me interested in reading.
Writing-wise, there was a big shift in my writing when I read Reading Like a Writer. My view of plot and structure changed big-time with Neil Gaiman, and how he opened and planted hooks in the beginning of Anansi Boys, and when I read Without Fail (Lee Child) backwards.
Personally, I practically raised myself with books. They're all a part of me. I wish I could remember one or two or three, but I can't. :-( I know they're there. :-)
SS@S,
Did I miss an announcement somewhere? Book? Galleys? I need more information here so I can happy dance in your general direction :-)
Booksies, there are a ton of them.
I also loved the Outsiders, but That Was Then This Is Now, I liked even more - SE Hinton was the first author I ever saw who hit that type of note, and I have to tell you, I knew more kids who wouldn't read anything but would read those. They spoke more to the regular or city kids who couldn't stomach Sweet Valley High type of YA.
I love Shakespeare, and it's hard to choose but it's got to be either Macbeth or The Merchant of Venice. I just got it, which was weird, but Shakespeare showed me how much I love words, their origins, the way turns of phrases can change and have multiple meanings... I loved it, still do.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I actually did a whole post on this at moonrat's like a year ago... loved this novel. I read it in my high school library and went right out and ordered my own hardcovered copy with my lunch money. That's how much I loved this book.
Mark Twain must be mentioned, and I think I'd pick Huckleberry Finn as my favorite - I just loved the dialects and his wit. I loved the way he could take something so serious and turn it on its head, showing you the ridiculousness (and dangerousness) of social conventions. I just used a quote from this book in my last post on characters, too.
There are so many more... I think recently, the one that made me gasp and live in it and not leave it for days after the book was closed, was The Book Theif. It was beyond brilliant.
Lloyd Alexandra's The Black Cauldron started my love of reading. My older brother read it to me in the voices of all the characters.
Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. This book introduced me to all her other books.
Heinlein's complete collection. His books gave me an escape when I needed one. And introduced me to a different view of love and showed a world in which women are equal to men. The Number of the Beast, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls...
Steven King's books helped me have something in common with my father. My favorite so far has been Lisey's Story.
The Harry Potter series continues to be a connecting point for me with my son.
The Hiding Place--Corrie Ten Boom--gave me a grounding in spirituality and how to treat others.
The Griffin and Sabine stories by Nick Bantock. I always found these books visually and emotionally captivating, and it was the first thing that I remember my husband and I having in common.
I guess I am confirming the earlier discussion about whether books and art are conversations. Half of my most important books are that way because they helped connect me with loved ones...
Moby Dick
Great Expectations
Lord of the Rings
Not to pimp my work in this forum, but to answer your question, Merry, I have an erotic romance coming out from Whiskey Creek Press Jan. 1.
So yeah, happy dance. :) And gulp. Lots of promotion work to do and little time to do it in!!
JT:
I have to read The Secret for my book group in January. Guess it will be a positive start to the new year!
E
The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton - They gave me a love of reading.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - I can still remember the thrill of reading it for the first time.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - It was the most recent book I couldn't put down. It had been a while since a story has captivated me like that.
Erica: Oh, it really is wonderful. And it works, but it all takes time. I'm about to reread it, I fell off the happy train and I've been running to catch back up ever since.
Sex Scenes:
Congrats on the galleys!!!
E
Paul!
Peace is Every Step is a HUGE favorite of mine!!!
E
Natasha:
I have not read that book of Gaiman's, but since I am planting clues in my new book, I think I will seek it out.
E
Merry:
The Book Thief is on my top-ten list.
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Heather:
What a great older brother!!
E
Lurker:
I knew your list already. LOL!
E
Nadine;
Rebecca is a favorite of mine, as is the movie with Joan Fontaine (though they changed it quite a bit).
E
Oooh, it's my favorite Neil Gaiman book. (Although I'd be hard-pressed to choose that or Good Omens, but since Neil Gaiman wrote Anansi Boys exclusively, I rule out Good Omens so I don't have to decide.) But a lot of people who love American Gods hate Anansi Boys, and a lot of people who love Anansi Boys hate American Gods. I love both, though.
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