Books-Top Ten
I'm trying to avoid one of my least favorite committee service jobs, and I've been mulling over an idea ever since I posted it in passing.
What, exactly, are my ten favorite books?
I had these baseball cards as a kid, where the player's stats were displayed on the right and some personal information was listed to the left. Heroes, place of birth, favorite food, and favorite book, that sort of thing (seriously, did the DadNerd track down some Baseball Cards for Girlz to sneak under the MomNerd's radar?). The favorite foods were generally steak or pizza, but the favorite book was always The Bible. (Written just like that, too.) I can never decide how I felt about that. Had they ever read anything else, I wondered, cynical from an early age. I mean, I'd put my life on the line for Torah, but...I think maybe I don't consider it a book, any more than I consider the Constitution or the operating manual for my cell phone to be an actual tome. All three are necessary, but loving them is sort of like loving breathing.
Then there's the matter of series books. I've toyed with the idea of joining the Betsy-Tacy Society, but would any one of those books enter in to my top ten? Doubtful, despite the amount of time I spend searching for an affordable copy of The Betsy-Tacy Companion on used book sites. Do I make a list of non-series books? Give the whole series a single entry? But what about the truly wonderful books in my life that happen to have sequels, prequels, or relatives (at least three of the books belows)? Should I make some nod to the other books?
Finally, there's those pesky "work books." Are those excluded under the necessity clause? What about the one that truly changed my life (I'm not making this up, algebra class)? I truly enjoy opening the damn thing to teach, even with my issues about prime versus irreducible elements (since this discussion will amuse no one save sunflowerakb, I'm skipping it here). Not to mention that I have writers in my circle--what, exactly, are their work books? I hate to cramp the discussion with a total rule-out.
So, in no particular order (well, except #1, but you all knew that), here's my list. I think. Gee, I wish I'd said top twenty.
1. Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood
2. Marya: A Life, Joyce Carol Oates
3. Abstract Algebra: An Introduction, Thomas W. Hungerford
4. Long May She Reign, Ellen Emerson White
5. Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler
6. A Solitary Blue, Cynthia Voigt
7. A Painted House, John Grisham
8. How to Run A Traditional Jewish Household, Blu Greenberg
9. Object Lessons, Anna Quindlen
10. The Complete Tightwad Gazette, Amy Dacyzyn
If any of y'all are looking for cheap blog fodder, I'd love to see your list. (Especially if it's as lowbrow as mine...yikes!)
What, exactly, are my ten favorite books?
I had these baseball cards as a kid, where the player's stats were displayed on the right and some personal information was listed to the left. Heroes, place of birth, favorite food, and favorite book, that sort of thing (seriously, did the DadNerd track down some Baseball Cards for Girlz to sneak under the MomNerd's radar?). The favorite foods were generally steak or pizza, but the favorite book was always The Bible. (Written just like that, too.) I can never decide how I felt about that. Had they ever read anything else, I wondered, cynical from an early age. I mean, I'd put my life on the line for Torah, but...I think maybe I don't consider it a book, any more than I consider the Constitution or the operating manual for my cell phone to be an actual tome. All three are necessary, but loving them is sort of like loving breathing.
Then there's the matter of series books. I've toyed with the idea of joining the Betsy-Tacy Society, but would any one of those books enter in to my top ten? Doubtful, despite the amount of time I spend searching for an affordable copy of The Betsy-Tacy Companion on used book sites. Do I make a list of non-series books? Give the whole series a single entry? But what about the truly wonderful books in my life that happen to have sequels, prequels, or relatives (at least three of the books belows)? Should I make some nod to the other books?
Finally, there's those pesky "work books." Are those excluded under the necessity clause? What about the one that truly changed my life (I'm not making this up, algebra class)? I truly enjoy opening the damn thing to teach, even with my issues about prime versus irreducible elements (since this discussion will amuse no one save sunflowerakb, I'm skipping it here). Not to mention that I have writers in my circle--what, exactly, are their work books? I hate to cramp the discussion with a total rule-out.
So, in no particular order (well, except #1, but you all knew that), here's my list. I think. Gee, I wish I'd said top twenty.
1. Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood
2. Marya: A Life, Joyce Carol Oates
3. Abstract Algebra: An Introduction, Thomas W. Hungerford
4. Long May She Reign, Ellen Emerson White
5. Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler
6. A Solitary Blue, Cynthia Voigt
7. A Painted House, John Grisham
8. How to Run A Traditional Jewish Household, Blu Greenberg
9. Object Lessons, Anna Quindlen
10. The Complete Tightwad Gazette, Amy Dacyzyn
If any of y'all are looking for cheap blog fodder, I'd love to see your list. (Especially if it's as lowbrow as mine...yikes!)