I came across this little exercise by Laura from Buttontapper.com
I liked the notion of listing books that would always stick with you, as opposed to favourite books or happiest books. I tried to answer mine specifically keeping in mind books that stuck in my mind. Certainly Lord of the Flies, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With our Families, and The Road aren’t on the list because they made me laugh, but rather because they were profoundly upsetting to me (particularly the nonfiction, of course, which should really be on a separate list entirely) and thereby memorable.
THE RULES:
This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Ready? Go!
Here are mine:
1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
5. The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy
6. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
7. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
8. Franny & Zooey by JD Salinger
9. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
11. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
12. Life After God by Douglas Coupland
13. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
14. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
15. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
Fun. Although this was less than five minutes, and I ended up with nineteen books and had to cut it down to fifteen. Heh.
What would your 15 be?
A Wrinkle in Time, Love You Forever, The Secret Garden, Hangin’ Out with Cici (Francine Pascal!), Shantaram, The Stand, The Human Stain, The Edible Woman, Fifth Business, Lord of the Flies, Remains of the Day, The Time Traveller’s Wife, Life of Pi, The Sweet Hereafter, Middlesex. Under 2 minutes, though I know I will think of 5 others as soon as I click “submit!”
In no particular order….
The Red Tent, Middlesex, I Know This Much is True, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Obasan, Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, A Wrinkle in Time, The Birth House, The Kite Runner, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Midwives
Bel Canto ~ A Clockwork Orange ~ The Poisonwood Bible ~ The Bible ~ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ~ The Chrysalids ~ A Separate Peace ~ 1984 ~ Bel Canto ~ It ~ Helter Skelter ~ Charlotte’s Web ~ To Kill a Mockingbird ~ Bastard Out of Carolina ~ Fall on Your Knees ~
Hey, Jennifer, Lily and Salma! I just saw these comments now - thanks so much for contributing. Bel Canto, Shantaram, The Remains of the Day, The Time Traveller’s Wife, The Poisonwood Bible and the Red Tent were all definitely on my “long list”. 15 wasn’t enough.
Lorna Doone, Grapes of Wrath, Lonesome Dove, Crime and Punishment, In Cold Blood, The Lovely Bones, Beloved, Straight Man, Othello (that’s a play, but…), To Kill a Mockingbird, Huckleberry Finn, Liar’s Club, Loving Frank, The Women, Travels with Charley
Hi Jan,
Thanks! What’s exciting is you list numerous books I’ve never read (Lorna Doone, Lonesome Dove, Straight Man, Liar’s Club, Loving Frank, The Woman, and Travels with Charley). *sigh* On the list (which is now taller than I) they go.
Thanks for posting!