Thursday, January 17, 2013

The Library of My Life

A gal from one of my book groups posted the challenge to list the books that define "you" - may they be the most memorable, influential, or just stick with you in terms of helping make you who you are.

So, here is the "library of me"!


Where the Sidewalk EndsShel Silverstein
I received this as a gift from my aunt on my 6th birthday, and could recite my favorite poems by heart from reading them with my parents so often.

The Night Before ChristmasClement Clarke Moore
One word meaning to this one….Dad J

The Baby Sitter’s ClubAnn M. Martin
As a pre and early teen, these books got me reading again after losing interest for a good couple of years and I devoured them!

NightElie Wiesel
The first book I ever “had” to read for school that I completely understood why it was required reading. It was also my first introduction to sympathy vs. empathy, because it made me understand that I could never actually empathize with the experience of the holocaust.

Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen
The first historical fiction I fell in love with and set loose my grandiose ideas of old-school love and romance

North and South Trilogy John Jakes

This trilogy set in stone my love of historical fiction and is one of the few long trilogies I have re-read multiple times

The Celestine Prophecy James Redfield
Though not what I personally believe and I was raised from the beginning to be open-minded to the beliefs of others, this book was an amazing lesson in opening my mind even further to what the term “higher power” can mean to different people

The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
Just an all-out inspiring book about finding love and friendship in different ways

Desert SolitaireEdward Abbey
The beautiful writing of this book has always hit home with why I love the outdoors and why the greater Yellowstone area has the magnetism it does for me and many of my beloved friends and family members

Yellowstone TrailsMark Marschall
This hiking guide was given to me by a roommate during my first summer working in Yellowstone and it opened my world to places and experiences I would have never imagined before coming here

The National ParksDayton Duncan
This companion to the PBS documentary landed on my doorstep at a time when I was questioning my next step and where it would take me. It reminded me why I had chosen to be where I am in the first place and help me decide that my next step (for the time being at least) was to stay right where I was.

The AlchemistPaulo Coehlo
A good friend of mine took a copy of this book and wrote numbers 1-100 on the inside covers with the instructions to read the book, add your name and pass it along, with the final person sending the book back to her so she could see where it went and who it reached. Though not one of my all-time favorite books, her passion for it and this great activity helped teach me that many books I do love are better off being shared than collecting dust on my bookshelf  

What does your "library" hold?
 

No comments:

Post a Comment