1. Pride and Prejudice –Character Identification and Plot Loyalty
I know this is a super cliché choice, but bear with me. Pride and Prejudice was the first book that made me fall absolutely in love with a character. I knew that if I was born a hundred years earlier I would have in fact been Elizabeth Bennet. She was loyal, witty, independent, and headstrong—everything I loved and hated about myself. I loved seeing the plot theme in various other mediums such as one of my all-time favorite movies, Bridget Jones Diary. I’d like to thank Ms. Jane Austin for giving me a book to spout out for years to all those annoying people who ask you to list your favorite book as a fun icebreaker.
2. Clapton: The Autobiography – Non-Fiction Re-Love
Back in elementary school, I was the weird kid taking out of the library historical nonfiction about Salem Witch Trials and biographies on Abraham Lincoln. It was a very niche market and I ate it all up. For some reason, I enjoyed these books and cringed at having to listen to my teacher read The Hobbit out loud. High School and College consisted of reading because I had to and I lost my love of the game. When I read Clapton: The Autobiography as a “fun” read at the start of graduate school, it brought back all those fuzzy, warm feelings I always had deep down in my heart for nonfiction. Also, it introduced me to more of Slowhand’s works and reaffirmed my belief that he is a god of sorts.
3. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed – Power of Storytelling
I’d like to believe I have a pretty good memory. Just ask me to sing Spice Girls classic If You Wanna be my Lover, and I’ll happily prove these skills to you. As easily as I can conjure up those lyrics, I can remember my mother reading me Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. While I don’t remember all the specifics, I do remember exactly how my mom read the catch line to me. She would approach the line dramatically with a sort of rhythm that demanded that I understand the severity of danger those monkeys were in jumping on that dang bed. If you ever run into me on the street someday, I urge you to ask me how one should probably declare: “No more monkeys jumping on the bed.”
4. Of Mice and Men – High School Reading List Enjoyment
This is a super easy one to explain. Honors English meant reading 5-6 books (all while keeping complete journal entries about plot, character development, etc) during summer. Summer! A time where my responsibilities should have been limited to watching Days of Our Lives, making my brother lunch when he came upstairs and rubbed his belly (Deegan sign of hunger), getting showered and dressed for the day around 3:55 PM, and watering the flowers outside so my Mom doesn’t get too too mad at me for being a completely slacker. Most of high school reading consisted of skimming books, using SparkNotes, and reading until I had to go to one of my bajillion club meetings. Because of that, I don’t remember enjoying many books during that time period. However, I really enjoyed Of Mice and Men. I remember actually enjoying conversations in class about themes. Themes! I even nicknamed the two Christmas trees in my high school hallway George and Lennie because one was tall and thin and one was short and fat. To this day, I enjoy a nice Of Mice and Men reference.
5. Largo Desolato/ Lysistrata – Political Plays What???
In college, as a Politics major, I enjoyed many required essays and readings. However, there were two specific pieces that featured political dissidence and political philosophy in a way I wasn’t used to. They were plays, and I actually enjoyed reading them. I normally avoided poetry and plays and other such “different” formats just because I normally didn’t read them. These works taught me while also opening up my silly, close-minded heart. I re-read them every couple of years and gain something new from them every time. Damn you liberal arts professors for knowing so much.
6. The Baby-sitters Club Series – First “Can’t Put Down”
Before Twilight and The Hunger Games, there was another series that caught my attention—The Baby-sitters Club. That’s the BSC for all those who aren’t in the know. I was a girl coming to age in the 90s so of course I was all-in on the Baby Sitters Club. I remember reading the books all fast and furious like. I dreamed of being a cool teenaged girl with best friends and an established career. I had friends, but I was too afraid to actually call them and hang out outside of school. I loved the drama that these ladies faced like divorced parents and fighting siblings. It was all so thrilling that the second I finished one book, I wanted the other. Don’t even get me started on how great the movie based on these books was…
7. The Bell Jar – Favorite Passed Down “Classic”
My mom pushed hard for me to get on the Nancy Drew train. I remember seeing her entire collection from the 1960s in my grandma’s house and thinking “those books look dingy and my mom says she knows I’ll like it so NO THANK YOU.” In all fairness, she should have known better to think I’d accept her advice during my troubled years (birth-now). I would have probably actually enjoyed that series but that’s neither here nor there. Later on, when I was approaching my young woman life phase, my mom suggested The Bell Jar. By this age I knew my mother was smarter than me, but knew better than to actually tell her. I enjoyed The Bell Jar right away. It spoke out to my inner dark/angsty self (that I didn’t even know I had) in a way only my mom would have guessed. Whale done Mom.
8. Charlotte’s Web – World’s My Oyster
One of my teachers read this book out loud to us in second grade. After that, it became one of my first “big kid book” reads. I mean this was a chapter book! And I read it all by myself! I remember enjoying the act of reading and feeling proud of myself when I completed it. I mean, not everyone my age was reading books like this yet and that made me feel like I was super smart and special. All these emotions made me just want to read more. I remember feeling that I could now tackle any book I wanted to read, even if that was not at all the case. Ah yes, youthful hubris.
9. Eating Animals – Life Changer
I never really came across a book that changed my life perspective on something. That was until I was dragged to Jonathan Safran Foer’s tent at The National Book Festival. My friend was obsessed with his well-known Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (to which I now love as well). While Jonathan touched on these books, he talked mostly about his latest nonfiction Eating Animals. He talked about the importance of knowing where your food comes from. He wasn’t trying to convert everyone to veganism, but he hoped to persuade people to actively take steps that are good for animals and our environment (even if that meant going just one meal a week without meat). I was already very interested in food/ health and started eliminating processed foods from my diet, so reading this book was just the next step. To be frank, I was horrified by the truth of where my food came from and I almost immediately gave up “meat” and eggs. I used to get cheeseburgers at almost every restaurant and today I’m writing this post as a temporary vegan. I’d say you definitely made an impact on my life Mr. Foer.
10. Jonathon Livingston Seagull/ The Little Prince – Understanding Comes with Age
I never knew my father as a reader. Apparently back in his day he enjoyed it very much, but then he got kids and BBC comedies on DVD. When I was in high school he gave me his personal copies of Jonathon Livingston Seagull and The Little Prince. I read them because I was intrigued by books my dad actually loved. After reading them I walked away with one main feeling—I don’t get it. I mocked my dad for liking a book entirely about a bird trying to fly. I didn’t understand the big deal about a kid who drew a lot and talked about his travels. It actually became a running joke between us that he only liked these books because they were short as hell. Then I read the two books again in my early 20s. I saw how these two novellas have powerful deeper meanings about life, nature, philosophy, and religion. As you can see, these books are now on my top 10 favorite list. I guess sometimes really understanding literary works takes time and the kind of advanced age I now possess.
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