So now that I've gotten my favorite book of all time out of that way, I am compelled to write about more books I love. The list is long. These are just the books that roll out of my head. The ones I can't stop thinking about, even years later. These books are my old friends. I'm sure other people feel the same way about the books that are significant to them. Am I the only one who pulls a book out of a shelf at the bookstore just to stare at it lovingly? I can't just ignore a book that I know. I must say hello, it's only polite. If I happen to be with someone when I visit the bookstore, and they don't leave when they see me petting and talking to the books, I will immediately start pulling out books and handing them to the person. Imagine you are with me at a bookstore and I am piling these books into your arms, because that is exactly what I would be doing.
I should probably mention that there will be a lot of women authors, science fiction and fantasy, children's books, young adult books, some victorian literature, and some short story collections in my book lists. Oh and many of my favorites have a historical bent. I was a history minor in college and I love the blending of literature and history.
Kindred by Octavia Butler
This is Butler's first book and it is an emotional punch to the face. A black woman is forced to time travel back to the antebellum South. I will not say any more about the plot. I read this book in one day.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
As usual, the book is better than the movie.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
This book is so beautiful. As I mentioned in my previous post, reading feels like an exercise in empathy to me, and Bender creates a main character who I felt deeply for and wanted to shelter. The main character, Rose, is forced to taste the emotions of the people who prepare the food she eats. I think that this book should be required reading for anyone who has ever felt alone and unsure of their place in the world (so every single human being should read this book).
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
This book is non-fiction and is basically a collection of letters between a woman in New York City and the owner and staff of a bookstore in London. The correspondence starts in the late 1940s and continues into the late 1960s. It is so interesting to read about living in London right after World War II. A warning for bibliophiles: you will seethe with jealousy over the unbelievably cheap rare books that she orders.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I simultaneously love and hate this man for wringing all the tears from me. Teens with cancer fall in love. Oh no. Now you won't read it. But you should! Because this book will also make you laugh. Green sucks you in and you will not be able to stop reading. His other books are great as well. Plus he has quite the fun online presence. You should check him out.
Alright, now I have shared a total of six books. There will be more in the near future. It would be neat to get to one hundred or something. Tomorrow I will be going to tea in San Francisco and possibly seeing Sweeney Todd in Berkeley. That leaves very little time for blogging. I don't know when I will get to it, but I would like to do a post on just my favorite science fiction. So be on the lookout for that.
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