October 05, 2006

The Book Meme

I meme infrequently, but I'm always up for a book meme, because I get to share my favorites and also learn about yours. This one was from Kodachrome:

1. One book that changed your life:

Two: Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet and Men in Dark Times, Hannah Arendt

The Prophet belonged to my adopted Mamaw, who died when I was four. I grew up reading it, over and over, and despite the fact that I am not religious (at least not consciously), it is my moral compass in most things. The chapter On Love in particular is close to my heart.

I read the first essay in Men in Dark Times in college. Whenever I feel overwhelmed about the way the world is going and my own place in it, I return to that essay.

2. One book that you've read more than once:

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Another favorite. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye." I always wanted to be tamed.

The book that I’ve read more times than any other: The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis.

In second grade, I read the entire the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe series, and read several of the books more than once. I read the Horse and his Boy 18 times.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein. I know it's a trilogy, but that is only because it would be too thick as a single book. It counts.

4. One book that made you laugh:

I cannot for the life of me think of a book that made me laugh. I would say one of David Sederis' books, but I don't laugh when I read those nearly as much as I do when he reads them to me (and to everyone elseon public radio). His essay about having to lick the light switch before he left his bedroom as a kid simultaneously made me laugh myself silly and feel insanely close to this very quirky man.

5. One book that made you cry:

Two. One long, one short. The Wall, John Hersey. Stones for Ibarra, Harriet Doerr. Read them now.

6. One book you wish had been written:

My own.

7. One book you wish had never been written:

I haven't read a book yet that I actually wish hadn't been written, but On the Road by Jack Keroac comes close. I don't know how I finished it. Or why. I was annoyed the whole time. I guess I just wanted to know what all the hype was about. Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook is a close second. Except for the hundred pages about the girl in love with her brother. That was interesting. I assume that Henry Miller would also fall into this category for me, which is why Tropic of Cancer sits on my shelf untouched.

8. One book you're currently reading:

I only read one book of fiction/literature at a time. I've been reading Anna Karenina by Tolstoy forever. I'm taking it slow!

9. One book you've been meaning to read:

I'll go with Kodachrome and say Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, I also want to read the latest book by Ishiguro.

10. Some favorite books not on this list:

Go Down Moses, Faulkner.
Beloved, Toni Morrison.
Seven Gothic Tales, Isaac Dineson.
Labyrinths, Borges.
The Awakening, Kate Chopin.
The Planter of Malata, Joseph Conrad (more of a novella or story).

Maybe we need to make lists of our top 30 books?

People to tag:
[Edited to add: I am linking to their responses as I get them. That way we'll have even more book lists to share.]

Jennie
Andrea
MJ
John

Posted by Julia at October 5, 2006 10:32 PM
In main
Copyright Julia Trice, 2004-2006.
All rights reserved.

Comments

I can't believe I've been tagged... humbug.

You gave me a book of essays by Borges years and years ago, but it has fallen by the wayside in the midst of moves and dividing piles of books like thick stands of orange daylillies.

Posted by: John at October 7, 2006 09:02 AM

On Beauty is definately worth a read, but her first, White Teeth, was even better. I love The Little Prince too! That, and Anthem by Ayn Rand would probably my most re-read books, with The Hours at a close 3rd (I highly recommend it). I love your blog, btw- it's one of my favorites. I read it all the time, but I am not sure if I ever commented before.

Posted by: Ellen at October 6, 2006 08:28 PM

It's been some time since I left a cooment but had to break my silence :-) You have excellent taste in books! I really enjoyed reading your meme. I made it through Tropic of Cancer recently, but just barely. I only read one book at a time too, and I'm very stubborn about finishing even if I don't like it.

I'm enjoying the many FOs too!

Posted by: Julie at October 6, 2006 07:36 PM

OK, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who was so annoyed with On the Road. I read it twice, mostly because some of my male friends worshipped it, and really disliked it. My theory is that it's harder for women to connect to such a man-centered story.

I have to disagree about the Golden Notebook though, it's one of my all time faves! Of course, I read it as a teenager, I might have a different view now....

Posted by: Jenna at October 6, 2006 02:21 PM

the horse and his boy was my fav of the series too, hooray. a lot of the other books i've heard of but never read, so great now my already-long to-read list has grown ;)

and i'll totally post up my own soon, thanks!

Posted by: andrea at October 6, 2006 01:35 PM

I used to carry "The Prophet" around with me wherever I went in my teen years and had a lot of it memorized. It's a beautiful book. Thanks for reminding me of it. It's still on my bookshelf and is worth picking up again. You've also added some titles to my "Must Reads." Books I love are The Good Earth, Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Black Beauty (I cry every time), The Hundred Secret Senses, and many more that I can't think of off the top of my head. Unfortunately, there's just not enough time for everything I want to read and knit.

Posted by: Leslie at October 6, 2006 01:32 PM

Thanks for the thoughtful, detailed list, Julia. My "must-reads list" has now grown, thanks to you. I definitely will look up _The Prophet_ and Arendt's essay, and those texts which made you cry. Also, I would definitely be up for a top thirty list; not only would it would allow for me to journey back into my own reading past, but it would also enable the discovery of new paths via other people's reading pasts. Lastly, I'd love to read your book someday: are you a writer in hiding, or do you keep that part of you separate from the knitting blog?

PS: That particular Levertov poem wasn't found on my own bookshelves, but I had a happy day of discovering it in the library's stacks, along with other poets I've been missing lately. So thanks for provoking me into a reunion of lost souls for one afternoon--:)

Posted by: kodachrome at October 6, 2006 12:37 PM

Thank you Julia!

Posted by: Cathy at October 6, 2006 12:35 PM

I need to recommend two books for you to read -
The year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

AND,

The memory-keeper's daughter - Kim Edwards.

I sobbed when reading The Wall.......

Posted by: christine at October 6, 2006 08:58 AM

A meme I can sink my teeth into! Now I have another list of books to read, thanks to you. The Little Prince and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe--all great books, aren't they? Timeless. I can read them today and still feel the same excitement as when I was little!

Posted by: MJ at October 6, 2006 08:56 AM

Tag, I'm it. This will take a little work, but I'll get it on my blog ASAP.

Posted by: Jennie at October 6, 2006 08:36 AM

This is a wonderful list! Thank you so much for sharing!

Posted by: Nonnahs at October 6, 2006 08:36 AM

Oooh, we share a lot of favorites (and ditto about the taming). I'll have to try and read a few of the ones I'm not familiar with. Hopefully they'll have them on CD at the library so I can knit and listen :)

Posted by: Elli at October 6, 2006 07:13 AM

It's so funny that you mention Kahlil Gibran. Some friends and I were discussing The Prophet the other night... specifically the chapter on Giving. The idea that charity does not decrease wealth is one that you do not find often in this society, but I believe it to be true. I have to go back and read that chapter again. It's too beautiful.

Love your list!

Posted by: laura b at October 6, 2006 07:06 AM

Hey Cathy - A meme is a series of questions that you answer about yourself and then pass on to others so that you can see their answers. I didn't know what a meme was until this whole blogging thing, either. Most of them I just ignore, but if it's about books or knitting, I'll play! Also, apparently it's pronounced 'meem', but I always say it 'may-may'. Sounds kind of French to me!

Posted by: Julia at October 6, 2006 06:49 AM

Maybe not a list of Top 30 books, but definately 15 would be "doable".

Thanks for sharing!

Posted by: geniap at October 6, 2006 06:07 AM

I don't mean to sound like a complete idiot, but what is a meme? Thanks.

Posted by: Cathy at October 6, 2006 05:57 AM