Last Monday Irene was tagged by Leslie to take fifteen minutes and make up a list of fifteen books that have stayed with her—so, of course, I had to make up a list too.
But I limited mine to novels because it was just too overwhelming to make decisions otherwise.
In no particular order (and with some ganging up), here is my list:
The Emily Trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Trust Me and Hidden Talents by Jayne Ann Krentz
His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) by Phillip Pullman
The Chronicles of Narnia (particularly The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
by C.S. Lewis
Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Weaveworld by Clive Barker
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Shining by Stephen King
The Tales of Alvin Maker by Orson Scott Card
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I think it’s obvious from my list that I was never an enthusiastic English literature student even though I have a B.A. in the subject. I like mystery, fantasy, science fiction, romance, the occasional horror novel and books about individualistic children finding their true path in life.
The only one I actually recall studying in university was Pride and Prejudice. But I didn’t appreciate it until I saw Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 TV mini series. The fact that several people phoned afterwards to say that Colin Firth looked like my husband obviously affected my judgment.
As to the other books on my list, each choice was an instinctive one. I think the books you gravitate to are like the people you hold dear. You can’t always explain the attraction, you just know it’s there, so the best thing to do is just go with the flow.
14 comments:
You're married to Mr. Darcy? Who knew! Okay, so does he jump into the pond in your backyard, after riding on a horse? Let me know. I'll be driving up to see you immediately!
Ronna that comment is sooo hilarious!
My Mr. Darcy clone is older and grayer and Scottish. But still cute if I say so myself!
MMmm, I got my degree in English too :) And rarely do the books I studied end up on a fave list... but I think it made me a better reader in the end. And you too... I noticed no Twilight on your list :) We share some faves though!
My degree was in French and Italian, as you'll see from my list of books, hehe! My profs would be disappointed, I'm afraid...
Yes Twilight is not on anyone's list. I've been looking at what people read on the transit systems, and no Twilight there either. I'm still seeing Harry Potter.
I googled Inner Harbor, discovering it's the third in a series, with the first being Sea Scape. I immediately went to the TPL's site and requested it! I haven't read a Nora Roberts book in a long time and am looking forward to reading this series. (I posted my book list in a comment on Irene's blog and since have wished I could change it at least a dozen times. Books keep popping up in my mind, making me think, "why did I say this one and not that one?" Sigh.)
Colin looked like your Husband?Woohoo! Girl I don't recognize any of those books -except for The Shining and P&P of course. Ugh...wish I had more time to read!
ooohhh lucky you to end up with Mr Darcy! well I do love anything by Jane Austen and you wrote a good list!
Love your list. I'm like you, I'm into more mystery, science fiction and fantasy. As well, as suspense.
I see you have Lord of the Rings and The chronicles of Narnia. Awesome!
I've been meaning to read the Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. I bought these books for my niece and liked synopsis.
I notice there are no comic books listed, ...very cultured!
I love "The Secret Garden" too. I can read it so many tmes and find out new aspects of myself. I always recommend it to younger girls so they can get that view on the world early on. Have a fantastic week.
Oh, reading is such a delight! I was actually stuck to pages of angels and demons by Dan Brown. I know this is probably politically in-correct, but for me it was a real page-turner. Simply could not put the book down. Of course, there are so many of the historical, religious, scientific back-ground discussions in the book that don´t make it to the film. Shame really.
Did you know I designed costumes for Narnia? (There should be a link in december -08... on my site)
I think many of us lazy English majors ended up loving literature because of those wonderful books we read when we were kids. Pooh's on my list, since I think he understands the secrets of the universe. Don't forget what C.S. Lewis said: "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."
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