Im a little late responding to my friend Rose Marie Sniffins invitation to list the 10 books that have had the most profound effect on my life. I put some real thought into this, and I realized that the list I came up with is dominated by books that I read as a child or as a teen. Sadly, I dont make time for reading like I should these days. I miss my book club! So Im sending out this challenge to my book club friends: Diane Harris Cocchiarella, Maureen Miller Farabaugh, Trish Smith, Charlotte Eschmann, Vivien James, Celia Walker, Elizabeth Conrad, Dee Fisher and anyone that I may be forgetting (gosh, I hope not!). So heres my list: Good News for Modern Man - this is a modern English translation of the New Testament that came out in the late 60s or early 70s, I think. I received a copy when I went on a youth retreat, and literally read it to pieces. Striped Ice Cream, by Joan Lexau. I read this when I was maybe 9 or 10, and Ive never forgotten it. The story centers around a poor, inner-city black family, in particular the youngest girl. Truly one of the best books I have ever read. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. Another childhood favorite. Reading about Jo Marchs adventures made me want to be a writer when I grew up. The Diary of Anne Frank - my fifth-grade social studies teacher gave this book to me as a going away present when my family moved. What an amazing book for an impressionable pre-teen! Helen Kellers Teacher, by Margaret Davidson. Another Scholastic Book Club memory, and another inspiring story. Pride and Prejudice, or just about anything else by Jane Austen. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong century! A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This book haunted me for weeks after I read it with my book club. Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough. Read this biography of Teddy Roosevelt and his family when I was in college, and fell in love with it. Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh - a collection of essays written by an incredible woman who lived an incredible life. I try to reread this every five years or so - I always find something that applies to that particular point in my life. And how can I make this list without including the greatest American novel ever written, To Kill a Mockingbird? Love, love, love every word of it! OK, and I have to cheat and add one more title - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. A beautifully crafted coming of age novel that touched me deeply. Let me hear from yall - are any of these books on your list? I have so many more I could add, but I dont want to bore you to death.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 22:13:49 +0000
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