You're It!
I've been tagged by December! Let's see...
#1 - One book that changed your life: Madeline L'Engle's second Austins book, The Moon By Night. The 14 year old heroine, Vicki, sees a play of The Diary of Anne Frank and cannot understand how a loving God can let such horrible things happen to good people. Another character thinks it is because God is too committed to our having and exercising free will to interfere every time someone uses their right to make the wrong choice. If there were no consequences, there would be no true free will. I was 14 when I read it, and related with Vicki completely. My grandparents had just been murdered, and I was having trouble with all those questions. Whether or not you agree, those passages helped me tremendously.
#2 - One book that you've read more than once: It would be easier to list the ones I haven't read more than once. I'll put an annual read for me- Within Heaven's Gates by Rebecca Springer. It's her recounting of going to heaven during a lengthy coma-inducing illness. No clouds or harps here; it is described as an incredibly beautiful place but the inhabitants still have work to do. Joyous work to be sure, but far from bland or boring, which I always viewed the harp-playing cloud sitters to be. Reading this lovely account of the afterlife totally took away any fear of death I ever had.
#3 - One book you'd want on a desert island: The SAS Survival Guide: How to Survive Anywhere, on Land or at Sea by John Wiseman is running neck and neck with the Bible. If I didn't manage to pull off the things advised in the guide, I'd surely need to know how to pray.
#4 - One book that made you laugh: To Hell with All That, Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife, by Caitlin Flanagan. Think Erma Bombeck writing for The New Yorker.
#5 - One book that made you cry: Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. I was 12 when I read it. This was the first time I really became aware of racism, and could see it in some of my own relatives and neighbors. A harrowing thing.
#6 - One book that you wish you had written: Make that One book you wish you had submitted and I'll say Virtual Danger by Robyn Harper. Dang, this synopsis thing is kicking my behiney.
#7 - One book that you wish had never been written: I don't think I can go there. Even evil books deserve to be published. I'll call them crap from the loudspeaker that goes to 11, but I can't wish them undone.
#8 - One book you're currently reading: Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle. (Jayne Ann Krentz' futuristic/sci fi pen name.) Woman can build her some worlds. Just put a stranded human colony on another planet, throw in some stuff from long-dead aliens and trigger some human psychic evolution, but make the tech about the same as present day earth. All the benefits of aliens without the weird names. You just can't go wrong.
#9 - One book you've been meaning to read: One book I've been meaning to finish is London: a Biography by Peter Ackroyd. Good history ho that I am, I've been stuck in the 1500's for months now. Maybe I just can't move into Elizabethan times; I don't know. I may skip ahead to the Regency.
#10 - Tag Five People: Rather than a tag, why don't you just respond to the questions in the comments? One question or all of them, whatever you like.
#1 - One book that changed your life: Madeline L'Engle's second Austins book, The Moon By Night. The 14 year old heroine, Vicki, sees a play of The Diary of Anne Frank and cannot understand how a loving God can let such horrible things happen to good people. Another character thinks it is because God is too committed to our having and exercising free will to interfere every time someone uses their right to make the wrong choice. If there were no consequences, there would be no true free will. I was 14 when I read it, and related with Vicki completely. My grandparents had just been murdered, and I was having trouble with all those questions. Whether or not you agree, those passages helped me tremendously.
#2 - One book that you've read more than once: It would be easier to list the ones I haven't read more than once. I'll put an annual read for me- Within Heaven's Gates by Rebecca Springer. It's her recounting of going to heaven during a lengthy coma-inducing illness. No clouds or harps here; it is described as an incredibly beautiful place but the inhabitants still have work to do. Joyous work to be sure, but far from bland or boring, which I always viewed the harp-playing cloud sitters to be. Reading this lovely account of the afterlife totally took away any fear of death I ever had.
#3 - One book you'd want on a desert island: The SAS Survival Guide: How to Survive Anywhere, on Land or at Sea by John Wiseman is running neck and neck with the Bible. If I didn't manage to pull off the things advised in the guide, I'd surely need to know how to pray.
#4 - One book that made you laugh: To Hell with All That, Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife, by Caitlin Flanagan. Think Erma Bombeck writing for The New Yorker.
#5 - One book that made you cry: Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. I was 12 when I read it. This was the first time I really became aware of racism, and could see it in some of my own relatives and neighbors. A harrowing thing.
#6 - One book that you wish you had written: Make that One book you wish you had submitted and I'll say Virtual Danger by Robyn Harper. Dang, this synopsis thing is kicking my behiney.
#7 - One book that you wish had never been written: I don't think I can go there. Even evil books deserve to be published. I'll call them crap from the loudspeaker that goes to 11, but I can't wish them undone.
#8 - One book you're currently reading: Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle. (Jayne Ann Krentz' futuristic/sci fi pen name.) Woman can build her some worlds. Just put a stranded human colony on another planet, throw in some stuff from long-dead aliens and trigger some human psychic evolution, but make the tech about the same as present day earth. All the benefits of aliens without the weird names. You just can't go wrong.
#9 - One book you've been meaning to read: One book I've been meaning to finish is London: a Biography by Peter Ackroyd. Good history ho that I am, I've been stuck in the 1500's for months now. Maybe I just can't move into Elizabethan times; I don't know. I may skip ahead to the Regency.
#10 - Tag Five People: Rather than a tag, why don't you just respond to the questions in the comments? One question or all of them, whatever you like.
posted by Robyn | 2:13 PM
7 Comments:
#8. One book I'm currently reading - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (who fittingly enough dedicated it to Harper Lee)
It is so, so good.
Books I wish I'd written:
How 'bout my own so that I could cash that big ole royalty check and retire to a tropical island and hire a maid who will scrub the toilets and I could foist the children off on the nanny instead of hearing, "Mommommommom! Do we have anything to eat?" from the 10 year old and ,"Maaaaahmmmmmamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamaama! waaaaaaah!" from the one year old?
I'm sorry...I forgot the question...
Already done it.
Nice meme, Robyn.
Good thoughts on #7. You are right. -JTC
#1 - One book that changed your life: Your Erroneous Zones by Dr. Dwayne Dyer. The first time I ever came across the concept that I had control over my own feelings.
#2 - One book that you've read more than once: I’ve probably read the Lord of the Ring trilogy more than any other books. I even wrote a thesis on Gollum as a tragic hero.
#3 - One book you'd want on a desert island: There is actually a book called Survive on a Desert Island. Have to go with that.
#4 - One book that made you laugh: The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love. Required reading, BTW.
#5 - One book that made you cry: A Child Called It
#6 - One book that you wish you had written: Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke
#7 - One book that you wish had never been written: Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book. Actually, I just wish I didn’t own a copy.
#8 - One book you're currently reading: The Glass Castle
#9 - One book you've been meaning to read: Water for Elephants
You know, I never read that Madeleine L'Engle book, but I did read A Wrinkle in Time and loved it. What's funny is that I made my sixth grade literature students read it once, and they hated it. Different generations...
Wow. First of all, I came here via Jenny's because your comment there was so fantastic.
Secondly, love this post and all the books you mentioned. Well, I haven't read a lot of them. But I love the way you describe them, and so I'm putting them on my list.
Thirdly, here's the best I can do while also watching Grey's Anatomy:
1. A Tale of Two Cities. Not sure why, but it made me love reading.
2. Absolute Truth. By Susan Howatch.
3. I choose the Survival Guide you mentioned. Smart one.
4. Naked. David Sedaris.
5. The Color of Water. James McBride.
6. Atonement. By Ian McEwan.
7. I agree with your answer. But I wish I'd never read Love in the Time of Cholera.
8. The History of Love. Nicole Krauss.
9. London Fields. Martin Amis.
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