15 Books That Will Always Stick With Me (meme)
Snagged from herroyaldemones
Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends.
Given how many books I've read, this was actually really hard. There are a lot that will stick with me, but here are 15 of them in no particular order (that would have been too hard):
1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls--The first novel I read as a child that created an emotional response in me. It was this book that showed me how books can really make you feel and how powerful that is. So, yeah, it's not the best book but its impact on me makes it stick.
2.The Lorax by Dr. Seuss--This might seem strange to have on a list like this, but I'm dead serious. Again, this book had an impact on me as a child, in the form of an environmental message (way before this kind of message was cool and mainstream). Simplistic? Yes, but sometimes those simple messages speak volumes. Think "Wall-E"...
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein--The classic book of ridiculous poems for kids. Again, childhood impact, but this silly book helped me appreciate poetry of any type and that can't be bad. I still have my copy from my childhood (which is actually older then me because my mom gave me her copy). I can't believe it's still in one piece, but my kids love this book, too, so it's great how Silverstein's sense of humor speaks to different generations. :P
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling--I loved the whole series, of course, but I picked this particular one because it started the fun for me. I've always been an avid reader but as an adult it was hard to keep up...marriage and kids kind of distract from making time to read. So I had been slacking. I picked this up on a whim because I had heard how it was so loved by kids and getting them to read again. I feel so lucky because when I read this I had no idea that Harry was a wizard or anything about him so I got to enjoy the whole discovery process. I was hooked, but the best thing about this series is it renewed the love of reading for me as an adult and showed me that even if you grow up you can still be imaginative.
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen--The verbal sparing between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy make me love this book, it's one of my all time favorites.
6. Persuasion by Jane Austen--Jane Austen is the only author who gets two books on my list. :P This book is my favorite romance...ever.
7. The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) by J.R.R. Tolkien--I couldn't pick just one because they all go together to create one epic story. My mom and husband bugged me to read these for years and I finally picked it up to see what all the fuss was about...now I get it. Classic, wonderful fantasy. Really the best.
8. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis--Again, all the separate books create one larger story so I couldn't pick just one. I actually love how the entire thing is a Biblical allegory. It's very creative and imaginative.
9. The High King by Lloyd Alexander--This is the fifth and final book in the "Chronicles of Prydain" series (which also contains "The Black Cauldron", which I think is the most famous book in the series). This is a great series with a great ending. Again, classic fantasy, but I think it's sadly overshadowed by Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and more recently Harry Potter.
10. Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz--This is an odd book for this list because it's a "thriller" and not even considered one of Koontz's best books. However, I loved this book! To me it's a great story of how the love of a family gives you strength through the worst of times (and if you've ever read Koontz then you know his "worst of times" are horribly disturbing :P ). This books also has some great humor, even in bad situations. It seems out of place and yet it works.
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry--This book is the first in a loose series by Lowry. They don't have to be read together although it's way better if you do. I learned from this book that if you want all the good, beautiful, powerful things in life then you have to take the bad with it. Otherwise all you get is blandness. The bad is hard to take, but it makes you appreciate what's good...so the bad isn't all bad.
12. Holes by Louis Sachar--Never mind the movie version of this book (it was okay but the book is so much better). It's like three or four stories all wrapped into one and all plots are resolved with one action. I can't tell you how creative I thought this book was, it made a huge impression on me.
13. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli--In general I'm not a fan of Spinelli's books, they are a little over-the-top in most cases. The same is true with Stargirl, but in this case it works. I love the message of how hard it can be to just be yourself. We say that all the time, "just be yourself" but in reality society doesn't appreciate individualism as much as they say they do. The sequel to this book is also excellent.
14. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith--I don't know what I expected from this book and it's really a pretty basic book that is honest about life in turn of the century Brooklyn. It sticks with me because it made me laugh and cry. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was that makes this book special, it just is.
15. Marley and Me by John Grogan--I started with a dog book so it seems fitting to end with one. If you love dogs you must read this, you will laugh and cry and I will never forget it.
*Phew!* I kind of rambled there but I love books so if you read it all you get a prize. I'm not tagging anyone, just do it if you feel the urge to. :D
Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends.
Given how many books I've read, this was actually really hard. There are a lot that will stick with me, but here are 15 of them in no particular order (that would have been too hard):
1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls--The first novel I read as a child that created an emotional response in me. It was this book that showed me how books can really make you feel and how powerful that is. So, yeah, it's not the best book but its impact on me makes it stick.
2.The Lorax by Dr. Seuss--This might seem strange to have on a list like this, but I'm dead serious. Again, this book had an impact on me as a child, in the form of an environmental message (way before this kind of message was cool and mainstream). Simplistic? Yes, but sometimes those simple messages speak volumes. Think "Wall-E"...
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein--The classic book of ridiculous poems for kids. Again, childhood impact, but this silly book helped me appreciate poetry of any type and that can't be bad. I still have my copy from my childhood (which is actually older then me because my mom gave me her copy). I can't believe it's still in one piece, but my kids love this book, too, so it's great how Silverstein's sense of humor speaks to different generations. :P
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling--I loved the whole series, of course, but I picked this particular one because it started the fun for me. I've always been an avid reader but as an adult it was hard to keep up...marriage and kids kind of distract from making time to read. So I had been slacking. I picked this up on a whim because I had heard how it was so loved by kids and getting them to read again. I feel so lucky because when I read this I had no idea that Harry was a wizard or anything about him so I got to enjoy the whole discovery process. I was hooked, but the best thing about this series is it renewed the love of reading for me as an adult and showed me that even if you grow up you can still be imaginative.
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen--The verbal sparing between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy make me love this book, it's one of my all time favorites.
6. Persuasion by Jane Austen--Jane Austen is the only author who gets two books on my list. :P This book is my favorite romance...ever.
7. The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) by J.R.R. Tolkien--I couldn't pick just one because they all go together to create one epic story. My mom and husband bugged me to read these for years and I finally picked it up to see what all the fuss was about...now I get it. Classic, wonderful fantasy. Really the best.
8. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis--Again, all the separate books create one larger story so I couldn't pick just one. I actually love how the entire thing is a Biblical allegory. It's very creative and imaginative.
9. The High King by Lloyd Alexander--This is the fifth and final book in the "Chronicles of Prydain" series (which also contains "The Black Cauldron", which I think is the most famous book in the series). This is a great series with a great ending. Again, classic fantasy, but I think it's sadly overshadowed by Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and more recently Harry Potter.
10. Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz--This is an odd book for this list because it's a "thriller" and not even considered one of Koontz's best books. However, I loved this book! To me it's a great story of how the love of a family gives you strength through the worst of times (and if you've ever read Koontz then you know his "worst of times" are horribly disturbing :P ). This books also has some great humor, even in bad situations. It seems out of place and yet it works.
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry--This book is the first in a loose series by Lowry. They don't have to be read together although it's way better if you do. I learned from this book that if you want all the good, beautiful, powerful things in life then you have to take the bad with it. Otherwise all you get is blandness. The bad is hard to take, but it makes you appreciate what's good...so the bad isn't all bad.
12. Holes by Louis Sachar--Never mind the movie version of this book (it was okay but the book is so much better). It's like three or four stories all wrapped into one and all plots are resolved with one action. I can't tell you how creative I thought this book was, it made a huge impression on me.
13. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli--In general I'm not a fan of Spinelli's books, they are a little over-the-top in most cases. The same is true with Stargirl, but in this case it works. I love the message of how hard it can be to just be yourself. We say that all the time, "just be yourself" but in reality society doesn't appreciate individualism as much as they say they do. The sequel to this book is also excellent.
14. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith--I don't know what I expected from this book and it's really a pretty basic book that is honest about life in turn of the century Brooklyn. It sticks with me because it made me laugh and cry. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was that makes this book special, it just is.
15. Marley and Me by John Grogan--I started with a dog book so it seems fitting to end with one. If you love dogs you must read this, you will laugh and cry and I will never forget it.
*Phew!* I kind of rambled there but I love books so if you read it all you get a prize. I'm not tagging anyone, just do it if you feel the urge to. :D