Good thing one of the official rules about Booking Through Thursday is that you do not have to answer on Thursday, because I missed this one. But I like it and thought I would participate, even if late.
The title this week was "Sticky" and the topic is: “This can be a quick one. 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.”
My list, in no particular order and not necessarily with much explanation for why it stuck with me:
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron (one of my Top 10 favorites)
Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell (my "desert island" book)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (still the only Civil War novel I enjoy; another Top 10 favorite; one of the few books I have read more than once)
Warlock by Jim Harrison (Harrison's funniest, goofiest book; the one I recommend to many first time Harrison readers)
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (my childhood favorite)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (my high school favorite; another that I have read more than once)
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (my college favorite, but I'll never get through it twice)
Parliament of Whores by P. J. O'Rourke (if you like Ayn Rand, you'll love P. J. O'Rourke)
The Assistant by Bernard Malamud (a treasure recently found)
Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille (the best of its kind)
The Age of Reagan by Steven F. Hayward (a really good biography)
Love Among the Chickens by P.G. Wodehouse (my first Wodehouse book)
Pale Fire by Vladamir Nabakov (genius)
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (diabolically clever; I have read it twice -- once out loud to Hubby)
Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco (a book I recommend often; the thinking reader's Da Vinci Code)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
15 Books
Good thing one of the official rules about Booking Through Thursday is that you do not have to answer on Thursday, because I missed this one. But I like it and thought I would participate, even if late.
The title this week was "Sticky" and the topic is: “This can be a quick one. 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.”
My list, in no particular order and not necessarily with much explanation for why it stuck with me:
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron (one of my Top 10 favorites)
Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell (my "desert island" book)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (still the only Civil War novel I enjoy; another Top 10 favorite; one of the few books I have read more than once)
Warlock by Jim Harrison (Harrison's funniest, goofiest book; the one I recommend to many first time Harrison readers)
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (my childhood favorite)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (my high school favorite; another that I have read more than once)
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (my college favorite, but I'll never get through it twice)
Parliament of Whores by P. J. O'Rourke (if you like Ayn Rand, you'll love P. J. O'Rourke)
The Assistant by Bernard Malamud (a treasure recently found)
Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille (the best of its kind)
The Age of Reagan by Steven F. Hayward (a really good biography)
Love Among the Chickens by P.G. Wodehouse (my first Wodehouse book)
Pale Fire by Vladamir Nabakov (genius)
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (diabolically clever; I have read it twice -- once out loud to Hubby)
Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco (a book I recommend often; the thinking reader's Da Vinci Code)
What? No "Finnigan's Wake? ;-)
ReplyDeleteLezlie
I, too, love The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I still remember in elementary school, when our town built a brand new public library, the children's librarian came to read us the first few chapters (in the hope we'd want to know the rest of the story and go to get library cards).
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list. I really must read Gone With the Wind and A Dance to the Music of Time! Amsterdam is on my tbr pile.
ReplyDeleteLezlie -- I would have to remember something from FW to say it stuck with me! :) Flowed right over my head is more like it.
ReplyDeleteSprite -- Thanks for visiting. Smart librarian you had -- that would have done the trick for me!
JoAnn -- Dance is my favorite "book" (all 12 of them). It's the book I wish I could write. Enjoy!
Trying to gather as many of people's responses to this as possible on Facebook... come to http://www.facebook.com/15books and post your list!
ReplyDeleteyeah. i agree on Finnigan's Wake. i am frustrated to the point of anger over that book. when you think about the author, a man capable of a work like "The Dead", and what FW could have been if that a-hole cared even just a little bit about 'connecting' with his audience. gah.
ReplyDeleteMotard -- Finnegans Wake almost killed me. I certainly couldn't "review" it, but my thoughts about reading it are here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog!
You're spot on about Foucault's Pendulum being "The thinking man's Da Vinci Code"... I remember watching the film of "Da Vinci Code" (couldn't make myself read it) and thinking "He's turned wine into water, this guy..."
ReplyDelete"Wine into water" -- funny!
ReplyDeleteToo bad some of Eco's other books don't stack up. I love Name of the Rose, but "Island" something -- the one about longitude -- almost killed me!