MY Top Ten Books of All Time
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We all have books we know we ‘should’ have on our lists. Then there are those books that as a literature major and writer, I KNOW I should include on a list. Then there are books of genre and specific cultures that always should be taken into consideration and should go on the list. Then there are books you have just lately have discovered, and wish could go on the list!
(There are also books of guilty pleasure, that perhaps you or I would be inclined to ever mention!)
But there are also those books that really seemed to make an impact on your life, that even though you read them years earlier, even as a child, have impacted you so much as writer and reader—maybe even coloring your ideas of life. So, in compiling this list, it is those books that I have in mind. They may be a surprise to some, but there is nothing like honesty in the long run, especially to one’s self (This above all—to thine own self be true, yeah, yeah).
It’s also a good excuse to reminisce, since some of these books are so tied to specific times for me, I can see it--and remember the books--like yesterday.
Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak
I encountered this book in first or second grade and I still love it. The illustrations are the coolest, and kids still are looking at this book today—so that proves it! Its art is original and fresh, and the story emphasizes the power of imagination to take you away beyond ordinary circumstances.
This was the point in my life where I decided I was going to be both an artist and a writer. I wrote and drew a lot (which all kids at this period are told to do), but I took it seriously and I remember writing my first ‘book’ complete with crayon drawings and giving a reading before the class.
The Source James A. Michener
I first encountered this book at the age of 12, in a world history class. Kids were supposed to read something boring from the text book and write about it, but I made a deal with the teacher (who incidentally, I remember, didn’t like me that much) to read this book instead.
It is about the beginning of civilization in Mesopotamia—the ‘source,’ a work of imagination surrounding the peoples and rituals of an ancient society.
This was the first time I encountered an extreme command of language, description, volume; and basically, the creation of an entire world. What I liked about it at the time was that it was so interesting compared to what we were supposed to be doing in class. Michener has everything you want in a writer—plot (nothing wrong with it), description that you can feel (with hints of the poetic, but which is not over the top) and he can hold your attention through his very long novel, just it seems, by his sheer will in the creation of this world which seems so plausible.
It was also, incidentally, the first treatment of any sort of ‘raunchy sex’ (I laugh about this now) I’d ever encountered, and I remember feeling so sophisticated compared to the rest of the other seventh graders!
Fahrenheit 541 Ray Bradbury
Books. Books. Books. And the temperature which paper burns. I first encountered this in 7th grade advanced placement English and read through it furiously. The fact that there were or could be people who burned books was astounding to me and very much p*ssed me off, even at that age.
This, of course, is a dystopian futuristic novel written by one of our American masters of science fiction.
I was really impressed with the idea that there could be people who committed certain books to memory so that essentially they were those books—to feel the need of books that much. It was at this point, at 12 or 13, that my political ideas leaning left began to form, and it was also at this point that I decided I’d always keep my own last name, so that anything I wrote would have MY name on it and be remembered.
Brave New World Aldous Huxley
7th grade was the year for highly impacting dystopian novels! We had a very strange teacher for AP English; Mr. Koza, who wore a black suit and narrow tie straight out of the 50’s like some Beat everyday, slicked back his hair, and still lived with his mother. He was also prone to hitting misbehaving kids on the head with a ruler, as I remember, and they later moved him to the school library, where probably he wouldn’t do so much damage—who knows, maybe as a teacher as well as a disciplinarian!
This book is set in the year 2540, in a London of the distant future, where sex reigned supreme, and reproduction was controlled—and it was all a product of totalitarian control. A world of slickness and crap (beware, those who espouse classifying people as Alphas and Betas!), where absolutely no real beauty of any sort remained, except for the figure of this one Savage, thrown in among the engineered society, who quotes Shakespeare, loves, and actually has a mother—a dirty joke in that society.
This impacted me and my world view enormously, just looking at the ‘society’ around me at school and the world as a whole. I identified terribly with the figure of the Savage at this point, and the fact that he quoted poetry made him even more beautiful to me.
Collected Works of William Shakespeare
Yeah. Through high school, we read some of the plays—Romeo and Juliet, Mc Beth, Hamlet. And some of the sonnets.
Then came freshman college English classes. Mistakenly, I signed up for an advanced level Shakespeare class, and bought the huge, heavy red book I still have to this day. I’ve seen or read most of the plays—perhaps not a few of the minor ones. Many of the poems. A lot to take in for a young freshman student, but it was worth it. I had an instructor, Dr. Alcyone Scott, who really liked to parse the hell out of those soliloquies.
I’d be very much mistaken if I didn’t recognize Shakespeare’s huge impact on me. He is an author most people who have not read him are intimidated by—it is mainly the post Renaissance language and the fact that he has been elevated by the academy (obviously) through the years. But the man writing in his day was a man of the people as well—many don’t realize that. He included entertainment for everyone, including the groundlings!
But he survived as an author all these centuries not because his writing is ‘elevated’ and cultured and is what ‘you should read to be educated,’ but because he speaks to the roots of what it is to be human.
Ethan Frome Edith Wharton
Stark, utter, black and white stripped beauty. Both language and story. It strikes me as somewhat gothic, and at the same time, profoundly American, which is what I like about it. It isn’t a long book and the tale is simple. It strikes me that this is how a story should be, for it haunts you.
I discovered Wharton on my own, reading after degrees obtained (they never do cover everything, no matter how many classes you take, and I far exceeded the number of hours needed for an M.A.!) Her Age of Innocence is also beautiful. Both of these stories have been made into movies, one, if not both, directed by Martin Scorsese, one of my favorite directors, and who will surprise you with his chiaroscuro, but light touch with the story.
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
A poem of a short novel, it has the theme The American Dream Gone Bad written into every page. Again, it is what a story should be, with words that haunt, just in a different way from Wharton’s novel.
Very fitting, I think, to read today, as we seem to be coming out of another ‘Jazz Age!’ I am especially impressed with the way Fitzgerald weaves modern elements like the giant faded bill board with the huge eyes poetically and symbolically through the story.
I also read this on my own a while back. Just for bibliophiles out there—Hemmingway considered this Gatsby’s great work, admired him for it, and became friends with Fitzgerald, although ultimately the competition and jealousy between them was part of the reason Fitzgerald drank himself to death. (Just finished with a biography of Hemmingway.)
The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
This book to me reads like journalism. A story set in the backdrop of the Great Depression; it is of course another American novel classic. I took a Steinbeck seminar and have since worked my way through most of Steinbeck’s books. This one had especial impact on me. The story of Tom Joad and his family of starving Oakies going out to work in California.
The beauty of Steinbeck is that he wasn’t afraid to look through the eyes of a very common man to make his point (witness Tortilla Flats), and I vastly admire that about him. I wrote a somewhat scathing review of the book The Beans of Egypt Maine a couple years ago on Amazon.com, because I feel the author, Carolyn Chute, really missed the boat as far as working class literature is concerned. Seeming to point out the fact that the ‘lower class,’ is really different from you and me, even if at the same time she deems that OK. I say read Steinbeck—he is the master and gets the point better. The last chapter of the book contains one of the strongest images in the history of literature.
The Power of Myth Joseph Campbell
Haha. This is what all those who fight in the religion forums should ultimately read. As if some would! And if they did, they’d come away saying blasphemy, blasphemy!
For this book connects the mythos of Christianity, Buddhism, Gaia, American Indian beliefs into a series of myths or stories we use to explain and create our world (but of course these truths go deeper than that). I think of course, what they don’t realize, is that they wouldn’t feel so alone—but then perhaps they want to feel so alone.
This was a very popular book among art majors, as artists are want to use eternal symbols in their work, sometimes coming up with new stories!
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky Joy Harjo
Simply she has everything there as a poet. Her work brings the mundane into the sacred. It is both rhythmic and imagistic. It sparkles.
One of the poems I can recall from memory is a little story of a family sitting at a kitchen table—the table “we make men at, we make women,” recalling that it has been a hard year, watching crows outside in the snow as they talk.
It is both specifically Native American Indian and universal. I read her and thought, yes, as a poet, this is where I would like to be.
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Comments
Wow, CW- You got here fast! I didn't even have a chance to edit! I actually enjoyed writing this, so thank you.
Mmmm, doubt if these are going to be that popular. Except maybe Sendak. I'm an English major, and a writer, so we specialize in this stuff, you know. Many of them would be on a list of top books in the world, however, as these are all premium authors.
Lita, my all time fav is Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone with the wind'. The first novel I ever read was Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy which I still remember . I enjoyed Shakespeare in college,but when I tried reading it again recently..I suppose,I did not have much patience..LOL.I did put it aside.My recent passion is the light chiclit novels..esp the shopoholic series,as I do identify with the shopoholic.LOL!
my fav is The Grapes of Wrath
Laila- I think we all have personalized lists. I'll bet I'll here that if people comment. Gone with the Wind is on one of my lists for sure somewhere, :). And hey, I identify with the shopoholics, too, lol! See my other hubs? Thank you!
Lgali- Thanks! Yaah! Somebody else likes Grapes of Wrath, :).
Lita- When I met my company's VP I asked him one question: What books have influenced him the most (because I heard unlike others he became VP even before he was 40 on top of it he isn't even from a Ivy league school). He told me this is the first time somebody ever asked him this question and hence he asked my name (now he sends me occasionally emails about good books he has read like Accidental CEO by David Novak).
I have read your responses in forums and admire the range/depth of your knowledge. Besides of course your temperament not to get bogged down with any off the cuff remarks. One day I hope to be as well grounded as many people like you, Pam, Paraglider are about so many things.
:) Awww, thanks, CW. Yep, when yer old (er), hehe like us, it'll come, lol...Actually, I had 3 majors in college. Did I tell you that? Also, you should talk to my boyfriend once--he <almost> reads more than I do and he didn't have the three majors, either--did it on his own.
That's cool about your CEO. You've been noticed!
Lita,long,long time back..maybe 30 yrs back,my mother in law gave me 2 of her fav books to read-Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster and Red Rowans.I loved both,though I do not remember RedRowans.I managed to get Daddy Long Legs recently,but Red Rowans,I am not able to find it at all.I do not remember the author.Do you by any chance know the name of the author?I think the book is not being printed any longer!
Laila-Google says: Flora Annie Webster Steel. Does that ring a bell? I didn't know her--I just looked it up. Maybe on Amazon?
I'm a deviant, Tropic of Cancer, ol Henry Miller, I won't say its the best book written in the pure form but it opened my eyes that there is no law to writing.
No write (right!) answer, Goldentoad, lol. Yeah--its like that, little light beeps on. I wouldn't even know where to begin when talking about 'the best book,' either.
Lita- He is not a CEO at least not yet. I don't know whether I got noticed or not but I do get emails from him which in itself is something amazing from someone so high up in the corporate ladder sharing with me his latest books. He actually almost reads a book per week (and recommends me some of them). Maybe their is truth in what they say about "Readers are leaders".
I know lots of people who are self educated and they are the ones who are most knowledgeable too. I guess when something becomes part of a academic syllabus it just doesn't excite us that much when we are studying it unlike doing it for learning/enjoying on our own.
Great Gatsby was one of my favorites in school. I also liked a lot of the short stories like The Yellow Wallpaper and A Rose For Emily. Oh yeah and Les Miserables and Animal Farm and just about everything Edgar Allen Poe...I could go on and on...It is hard to pick just 10!
The Iliad, War of the Worlds and Njal's Saga are the three books of my childhood years.
My favourite is the Lord of the Rings, but I don't want to be accused of being a sad old Hippy :(
I appreciated Fahrenheit, Brave New World and Animal Farm, but I found that ripping apart and analysing a book destroys the inner child's guilty pleasure of reading!
CW-Yeah, Matt reads like, a book a week, too. It frankly freaks me out a bit. I confess to mainly reading a lot of nonfiction and magazines (many, many of those) these days... So, what I'm saying maybe is, he doesn't deal with reading and writing so much for a living--its easier for him to read for pleasure. Me--I just wanna watch movies these days more than anything else. Or travel. That always opens up your head.
Marlene F.-Yeah, very hard to pick just 10 books. That's why I trimmed it to those that had the largest impact on me. Darn! Les Mis is up there for me, too, and I forgot. The Broadway production was one of the best I have ever seen.
Sufi-Very hero-saga and science fiction you are! No--to me that reads like the list a science oriented person would like, not a sad old Hippy, lol!And yes, bad teachers can rip the heck out of books so you never want touch one again. I had a bad English teacher who hated Walt Whitman and almost destroyed my ever wanting to read him. Instead, I decided to hate her, lol!
Great list! I've read and love most of these. (a few I haven't read yet, but I will now!) One of my all time favorites is "The Liar's Club"--a really exceptionally honest and riveting memoir of one woman's messed up family. You wouldn't think that would make for good reading but she is such an honest and searing writer, she really makes the book worthwhile.
Reading is my biggest pleasure, but I get so little time. After a full day of internet research/writing, words are the last thing I want to see! I used to read a couple of books per week, but doing it for work is just not the same.
Mind you, my friend just sent me a couple of books - it might be time for a two day hot bath with candles, whisky, cigars and a couple of sagas. Happy Days.
Might have to give my partner some money for shoe shopping - that will keep her out of the way!
Pam-I have never read the book you mention. I believe I remember reading or hearing about it though. I will give it a look. Course, after A Million Little Pieces, are we ever going to look at memoir the same? Lol. I'm certain there are true stories about most people's families that could knock your socks off, tho, :). Thanks for reading!
Sufi-You sound bad! Money for shoe shopping. Yeah, my partner sequesters himself up in our room in bed sometimes at like 8 pm, like an old man, and just reads. It's soooo selfish. I have a very bilateral brain, and since my job is writing now--I want to do something visual for pleasure. I'm a little worried that design for a living/reading & writing for love was the easier way. Oh well.
I remember some of the books here which I don't think i would have read at all if they weren't required readings in college! which is not a good thing since reading under pressure robs you of the experience of totally enjoying and imbibing everything. Thanks for sharing your list - i'll surely add this to my must-read list! :D
Chris A.- Yes. There were also a lot of those kinds of books that I rushed through in college. Actually, that was more the norm for me. These struck me, I guess, so I read them all the way through. I don't know when I will have the total experience of completely 'imbibing' until I get off this job merry go round, and that won't be for God, what? Another 30 years or so? Hey! Nice new photo. But the resemblance to Hunter S. Thompson is gone, :(.
i totally agree - so many books so little time! as for the picture, i'm just trying to break the monotony - but Hunter will be back LOL
Great list - always something new to find in other people's lists! Have read most on your list except the Wharton and the Harjo. Will no doubt get to them. A great fan of Grapes of Wrath, it is one of my top ten also.
I am still working out which other books are there for me - I would probably include some Orwell, Huxley, Alan Paton (I mean Cry the Beloved Country must be a classic anywhere by now!) and Nadine Gordimer, among others. But maybe a list of ten is just too short?
Thanks for a great Hub anyway. And thanks also for including old Uncle Will (Shakespeare, that is)! He seems to be getting a rather bad press lately, but I am still a great fan of his.
Love and peace
Tony
Hi Lita! Thumbs up! I continue to be admired at hubbers who pull such a list off. It seems a totally daunting task to me, I can't envision coming up with my ten books of all times, I'd debate for hours what to include and what to leave out! I am most appreciative of an enterprise such as this, gives all the rest of us some good food for though and maybe some ideas for the TBR pile.
"Fahrenheit" and "Grapes" would probably be in my list, too. Although I wonder what others would try and wrestle them out in hopes of a top ten position! :-)
Tony-Cry the Beloved Country is a classic and it should be on a list. I read that sometime back and loved it. A writer of great power, as I recall (sometimes I forget books--I've read so many and when prompted, I recall them). And I will always be a fan of Uncle Will? A theater guy here on hubpages said bad press can actually shut down an opening play but they haven't shut down Mr. Shakespeare's plays in all the centuries they've been playing!
Elena-:) Sounds like you have an organizational mind! lol. Actually, Ms. Countrywomen requested this hub of me--she seems to think I am well read or something, ? But it was fun to put together. I just closed my eyes and the books that floated to the surface from my life I wrote down. It was pretty subjective--because I couldn't make it any other way. Thank you for reading!
Lita,I think you are right about F.A.Steel.Yes,it is in Amazon.Thanks.Also,please read my hub Ode to MS Word and tell me what you think about it.Your comment will be so helpful to me.Thanks.
Hi again, Lita! I'm wondering whether I should take issue with the organizational mind comment! Laugh!
Jokes aside, I think the truth is rather simpler: I can't ever make up my mind when it comes to lists! Geez weez, if I had to make a living outta doing 10-best-of-something lists, I'd be a very hungry camper indeed! I think there is only one all time favorite that I could list in the song category, building the list with some other 9 songs would kill me!! Laugh!
All, OK, Elena! Imagine you don't have to make your living building lists, :)
You got that right! And what a lucky day for me, too! Laugh!
Two of my favourites, and which had a great influence on me, are "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, and "Swallows and Amazons" by Arthur Ransome.
THe latter inspired a permanent love of outdoors life in general, and sailing and water in particular, and the former opened my eyes to society, and politics.
Londongirl-Some books are just more equal than other books, aren't they, ;)?
I have never heard of the Arthur Ransome book before. Maybe I will check it out. Thanks for coming by and reading!
I guess the next installment would be My top 10 Philosophy books then fiction, biography and so on.
Now now, I may find my way throught 10 philosophy books... or maybe not! Opps! Lita, you game? :-)
Well, CW-- You probably should farm out the philosophy and biography installments. I'm probably not the best choice out there! (My boyfriend could definitely write the biography top ten, actually!) I'm thinking Scott Mandrake or that Nickny79 (who I'm trying to turn around) for philosophy. And hey! I'll bet Pam Grundy might make an interesting biography top ten writer. :)
You would be surprised if I told you that I love P.G Wodehouse who doesn't fit into any of those categories. Yes I do read some inspirational, self help, leadership oriented themes like the Monk who sold his ferrari, who moved my cheese, accidental CEO and so on.
I read Mahatma Gandhi's My experiments with truth although I found it very difficult to apply for 95% of the human population those examples he gives but what do I know since I was an idealist reading works of Ayn Rand in those days..LOL
Great job! I don't think I could ever narrow my favorites down to just 10. They seem to change, monthly. While Stephen King always has a place on my list, the rest depends upon what I'm reading at the time. Aside from King, my collection includes: Mark Twain, Poe, Jules Verne, H.P. Lovecraft, Hemmingway, you get the idea. While I have read many of the books on your list, it shames me to say, that I still need to pick up a copy of The Great Gatsby. Thanks for the reminder!
Reading is such a personal thing. You just get wrapped up in a book and the great thing is that everyone can take something unique out of the experience. Let me add a couple of my favorite Canadian authors - Margaret Atwood and Ann-Marie McDonald. Thanks for the great hub Lita - I'm a new fan now!
CW- I've actually read Ghandi, and quite a bit of philosophy... Just--I'm not the best choice for a list given my areas of expertise... We need somebody schooled in philosophy! Hmmmm, hmmmm.
BT- I'm ashamed to admit what I haven't read, too, :), even though probably by any standards, I've read a lot... Actually, I'm learning what I haven't read by everyone's comments. Thank you for stopping by and reading!
Cindy-- I know and like Margaret Atwood--Handmaiden's Tale is chilling. Don't know--off hand--Ann-Marie McDonald. Will have to check her out. And I totally agree that reading is personal. Thank you....
Nice list Lita!
Even me, being from a different culture do appreciate many of the books on your list. LOL I know it sounds weird, could not put this entence any more clear, pardon my ESL :D
Did you get to reading Herman Hesse yet?
Misha! Nice to hear from you on one of my hubs, :) It is OK, as I am very familiar with ESL cases as friends and etc... I have not gotten to Hesse yet, as I seem to be stuck on hubpages a lot these days!! I need to moderate it a bit, lol. But I do plan to read Hesse, yes.
Not come across Arthur Ransome? You've not lived!They are a series of books written about a group of children, and are set in the Lake District, off East Anglia, and in the Norfolk Broads, for the most part. They are set around outdoors activities, mostly water sports, especially sailing and fishing.
The first, the eponymous "Swallows and Amazons" was published in about 1930, I think. They are dated in some respects, but I re-read the whole series recently and they envoke the absolute joys of camping and sailing like nothing else I've ever read.
Hmmm, Londongirl-- I'm ashamed to say, no I haven't. But I would bet Bryan Talbot--One Bad Rat--whom I interviewed for my biography on him, did. (?) I will check him out.
I'm learning a lot about what I haven't read! LOL. See, CW? The more you know, the more you know you do not know...
Hi Lita...you show good taste in your selection of literature...John Steinbeck has been my hero for many many years...pylos
Thanks, Pylos, for coming by to check out the list! And for appreciating my taste, lol.
As we enter the days of government taking a large role in the national economy, I find myself looking for my copy of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
I love your list. It's wonderful to gain insight into the literature that other people consider important in their lives.
Thank you, Lynn, for coming by to read and for becoming a fan. :) You should talk to CountryWomen about Ayn Rand--a major influence of hers, !
I know it's a Great Sin to talk about movie versions of books (I don't usually like film-of-th-book stuff), but have you seen the version of Ethan Frome with Liam Neeson in it? I thought it was excellent, but I know I'm biased.
I liked your list. I wouldn't be able to make a list, I don't think so, at least. It must have taken you AGES to consider all the possibles, and then to choose these.
Teresa-I don't care about sins...I figure I've read enough (well, probably not as much as some) to feel like I can skin by on the film version once in a while, and be bad, ;). And yes, I did see the Liam Neeson Ethan Frome a few times, and I loved it. Visually I think they had the absolute right idea.
Where The Wild Things is one of the most requested books by the kids at our library. It is good, so you cannot blame them. Chicken Soup and Rice is also another favorite, even with several adults.
Sweetie- Thanks for reading, :). One of the projects I want to accomplish is to write and illustrate a children's book...The Flying Zuchinni's, lol. I have it 1/2 planned out. Children's books are an art form in themselves, absolutely.
Hopefully you can have a book signing for the kids once you publish your book :). A local author sold quite a few books doing this, plus got his book put into the collection.
Hey! Good idea.... The other books I wrote were distributed all over and promoted, so I didn't get in on that. Also, I didn't get royalties, so it is something to think about, whether you self publish, or otherwise.Yeah, in some ways, kids would be more fun than adults.
I enjoyed your hub so much I've answered the same request myself!
Lita, have you come across the children's book "The Tiger Who Came to Tea"? That's my son's current fave.
I think I do remember the story from when I was a kid. I looked it up and it seemed familiar. A cute book... I will be over to check out your hub soon, :)
rather unflatteringly, Isaac identifies the tiger in the book with his uncle, who has bright red hair....
Hehee! They say funny things-- One of my boyfriend's sisters kids asked, "why does uncle have a butt on his chin?" (He has a dimple.) LOL
Oh my gosh! I also read The Source at the age of twelve. My mom is a huge Michener fan and it looked interesting to me back then. None of the adults in my life believed I had read it until I wrote a book report on it.
Shamefully, I have never read The Great Gatsby and have added it to my winter reading list. Thanks for a great hub! And yes, I gave you the Thumbs Up ;-)
Thanks, Spec. Hmm! Another Source reader. That's cool. And I still think about that book. And thanks for giving me the thumbs up! I became your fan because I got interested in your story on your bio page--unusual...
I just read this. good picks. Steinbeck's final imagine is one that will always make me proud to be an Okie. We are the People that survive it couldn't be said any better.
I like that you picked Joy Harjo, I didn't think to many people outside Oklahoma or New Mexico Native American Culture had heard of her. I am Choctaw, but my mother taught Junior High Math and Science at a Creek(Mvskoke/Muscogee/Muskogee) Nation school, so that is where I graduated High School. I went to school with many of the Harjo's and they are all a talented and gifted lot.
TMG
Hi, TMG--Joy Harjo is probably my favorite poet. She's cool, and yes, her work is all there. I featued her in my "Kick Ass Writers" lol hub. I honestly don't think many in the Native community have heard of her, either (Yavapai Apache Nation around here).
I wonder what her family is like? I know she had a child really early--before she became a successful writer. That's all I know about her personally, other than the fact that she also fronts a blues band.
Thanks for stopping by to read...
I have only read a couple from your list of favorites. Grapes of Wrath of course, Feirnheit 451, Shakespere etc.
Love Bradbury when I was a kid. I would say the book that effected me the most when I was a kid was some book that didn't get very much attention I don't think and I don't remember the author but it was called, "They Cage the Animals at Night". It's the only book I ever read that made me cry like a baby.
And Great Expectations, America and the baby boom. Had no idea what the boomers impact was on how we live today but in general it helped me understand a lot of the way we are today.
Anways, I might pick up a couple of those you mentioned. Thanks!
Hey, Sandra! I never answered your post! Bad of me. I think I was really tired that week. Yeah--that's it. (sorry!)
Dickens--I don't know. I like him, I like the tongue in cheek, but the language is so rambly it is hard for me to over come that. Wouldn't you know! He wrote many of those books in installments. Prefer him on the screen, in all honesty.
And interestingly, I've never cried over a book. I've been profoundly moved, gone around thinking about it for weeks in a daze--but never cried. Movies--that is a different thing, as is music. Funny you mention this, because I've never thought of that before.
Thanks. And sorry this comes late--if you even see it, lol. :(
Good stuff! I've not yet read the Source, but I shall be on the lookout for it. On that note, ever read "Snow Crash" ? It sounds like the author took a lot of cues from this book.
Sincerely,
G|M
Thanks, GM... No I have not read Snow Crash. So many books! So little time. :) Thank you.
Oh my , I really should start reading more than just Ruth Rendell's. Thanks for your compilation of great literary works!
Thanks, ZSY264! These are just my favorites. Well, sort of... Just so many books! Welcome to Hubpages.
I loved "Where The Wild Things Are"!
Yeah, jacobt2, I think a lot of us did!! Thanks for stopping by.
I love tocheck out favorite books lists to get ideas for what to read. And I know the suggestions will be good if some of the books mentioned were ones I liked.
I loved Joseph Campbells' myths - he explains a lot of todays problems with society and troubled youth.
Thanks, Dolores, for coming by to read... Campbell is one of my favorites, yes-and I think explains a lot about our common heritage. I love to check out books, period. :)
THanks for the feedback on my gay marriage hub. Good pick on the wild things book. It's such a sleeper pick, and it's certainly not a literary masterpiece but nonetheless a great book, it's timeless,great pictures, and univerisally a beloved book, a book we all read many years ago and think fondly of, by the way they just made a moive about the book. My guilty pleasure pick would be "even cowgirls get the blues" another one of my favorite book would be Johnny got his gun" which my father made me read when I was 12. Man that's a bit heavy, he also made me read OLd man and the sea and the scarlett letter and of mice and men in my adolescent years. I just recently thanked him for doing that for me when I was young.
Thanks, marcs...That's actually kind of cool of your dad to 'make' you read those things...I think we all have to read those in school, tho, too. I'm down with 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.' What a freaky little book. There is something about 'Where the Wild Things' are that is just timeless...it is an old book, but kids still love it. I think the illustrations are genious... Thank you for coming by! Welcome to Hubpages.
Some great books here - Fahrenheit 541 - read about 20 years ago - great! Brave New World - read in school - very profound book...aren't they making a movie of 'Where the Wild Things are'? I thought I saw a preview when I watched the Harry Potter movie!
Thank you, Simon. Hmm. Didn't know about Where the Wild Things Are as a movie, but it would be a cool one! I'll check out your blog. :)
Great Hub. Where the Wild things are is fantastic. I have read most of the others but can't seem to get into The Source even though both my parents insist it is also one of the greats. Maybe one day.
countrywomen says:
12 months ago
Lita- Thanks for answering my request. Except for shakespeare I haven't ready any of the others. Now I have a long list to catch up. Also to check whether these books are very popular(you can have a poll about how many people have read 5 or more, 2 or more, 1 and so on).