(no subject)
So, 
dira was telling me earlier about a meme that she had seen, in which you have to list fifteen books that will "stay with you" or somesuch, and you can't spend more than fifteen minutes or so pondering it. Here's my list, in roughly chronological order, with brief explanations for each.
1. Charlotte's Web, E.B. White -- I read this when I was eight, and it was the first book I read entirely on my own with chapters, which was a v. big deal.
2. I, Robot, Isaac Asimov -- This was the first science fiction book I ever read, given to me when I was eight by my father, because he thought I might like it. The first story, "Robbie," is about a little girl whose best friend is a robot. It was something of an influence on me *g*
3. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle -- My Auntie Di bought this for me for Christmas in 1989. I wanted to be able to tesser so badly. (Honorable mention to A Wind in the Door, which is my favorite Madeline L'Engle book. I mean, Meg and Calvin et al. get to exist inside of Charles Wallace's mitochondria. How is that not the most awesome thing in the history of ever?)
4. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett -- My Aunt Teresa bought me beautiful hardcover editions of both this and A Little Princess, which lived on a bookshelf in the hallway of my parents' house. I would curl up in front of the bookshelf and read them, at least once a year.
5. Mandy, Julie Andrews -- My Aunt Teresa took me shopping at B.Dalton for my birthday in fourth grade, and I picked this as one of my birthday books. Little orphan girl finds a house and garden in the woods, tidies it up in secret, and makes it her own. Displaying my taste for escapist stories early *g*
6. Pebble in the Sky, Isaac Asimov -- I don't even know how many times I took this book out of the library.
7. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland -- My beloved hardcover copy of this book still has post-it notes on all of my favorite pages.
8. Watership Down, Richard Adams -- The first book that
dira ever loaned me--its vocabulary worked its way into a lot of our conversations during freshman year of high school.
9. Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold -- Shards of Honor was my first Bujold book, but Barrayar was the one that took my breath away and made me make grabby hands at everything else she had ever written.
10. Interface, Stephen Bury (Neal Stephenson) -- I have to re-read this during every election season.
11. Voyage, Stephen Baxter -- My favorite book. An alternate history in which Kennedy didn't die, and after the Apollo program we went to Mars. The author painstakingly researched the space program, and every time I read it, I always experience a sad little jolt that it's not how things actually happened. This may sound melodramatic, but I feel that if you read this book, you will understand me a little better.
12. Doomsday Book, Connie Willis --
dira brought me this book to read when I was stuck in bed and miserable after getting my wisdom teeth out (it went...badly). I made the mistake of reading it in more or less one sitting, and was broken in the best possible way. Connie Willis, how so utterly brilliant?
13. The Aeneid, Virgil -- Nothing is quite so beautiful as this story in Latin.
14. Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling -- The first slashy book I ever read.
15. Hush, Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee -- My favorite Batman story. The coloring for the flashbacks is breathtaking, and I love how Lee conveys a sense of motion.
Honorable mention to the following, which I thought of after my knee-jerk list-making, but which still made quite the impression on me:
(16.) On the Beach, Nevil Shute -- My seventh grade teacher loaned this to me because she thought I would like it. And thus began my fascination with post-apocalyptic stories.
(17.) The Immortals, Tracy Hickman -- I have an unedited galley proofs edition that I bought off my library's book truck for one dollar. The cure for AIDS turns out to be worse. To say that it's chilling is a massive understatement. One of those books that I think everyone should read.
dira was telling me earlier about a meme that she had seen, in which you have to list fifteen books that will "stay with you" or somesuch, and you can't spend more than fifteen minutes or so pondering it. Here's my list, in roughly chronological order, with brief explanations for each.
1. Charlotte's Web, E.B. White -- I read this when I was eight, and it was the first book I read entirely on my own with chapters, which was a v. big deal.
2. I, Robot, Isaac Asimov -- This was the first science fiction book I ever read, given to me when I was eight by my father, because he thought I might like it. The first story, "Robbie," is about a little girl whose best friend is a robot. It was something of an influence on me *g*
3. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle -- My Auntie Di bought this for me for Christmas in 1989. I wanted to be able to tesser so badly. (Honorable mention to A Wind in the Door, which is my favorite Madeline L'Engle book. I mean, Meg and Calvin et al. get to exist inside of Charles Wallace's mitochondria. How is that not the most awesome thing in the history of ever?)
4. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett -- My Aunt Teresa bought me beautiful hardcover editions of both this and A Little Princess, which lived on a bookshelf in the hallway of my parents' house. I would curl up in front of the bookshelf and read them, at least once a year.
5. Mandy, Julie Andrews -- My Aunt Teresa took me shopping at B.Dalton for my birthday in fourth grade, and I picked this as one of my birthday books. Little orphan girl finds a house and garden in the woods, tidies it up in secret, and makes it her own. Displaying my taste for escapist stories early *g*
6. Pebble in the Sky, Isaac Asimov -- I don't even know how many times I took this book out of the library.
7. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland -- My beloved hardcover copy of this book still has post-it notes on all of my favorite pages.
8. Watership Down, Richard Adams -- The first book that
dira ever loaned me--its vocabulary worked its way into a lot of our conversations during freshman year of high school.
9. Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold -- Shards of Honor was my first Bujold book, but Barrayar was the one that took my breath away and made me make grabby hands at everything else she had ever written.
10. Interface, Stephen Bury (Neal Stephenson) -- I have to re-read this during every election season.
11. Voyage, Stephen Baxter -- My favorite book. An alternate history in which Kennedy didn't die, and after the Apollo program we went to Mars. The author painstakingly researched the space program, and every time I read it, I always experience a sad little jolt that it's not how things actually happened. This may sound melodramatic, but I feel that if you read this book, you will understand me a little better.
12. Doomsday Book, Connie Willis --
dira brought me this book to read when I was stuck in bed and miserable after getting my wisdom teeth out (it went...badly). I made the mistake of reading it in more or less one sitting, and was broken in the best possible way. Connie Willis, how so utterly brilliant?
13. The Aeneid, Virgil -- Nothing is quite so beautiful as this story in Latin.
14. Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling -- The first slashy book I ever read.
15. Hush, Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee -- My favorite Batman story. The coloring for the flashbacks is breathtaking, and I love how Lee conveys a sense of motion.
Honorable mention to the following, which I thought of after my knee-jerk list-making, but which still made quite the impression on me:
(16.) On the Beach, Nevil Shute -- My seventh grade teacher loaned this to me because she thought I would like it. And thus began my fascination with post-apocalyptic stories.
(17.) The Immortals, Tracy Hickman -- I have an unedited galley proofs edition that I bought off my library's book truck for one dollar. The cure for AIDS turns out to be worse. To say that it's chilling is a massive understatement. One of those books that I think everyone should read.