Day 30: My Favorite Book of All Time

I am taking part in the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!  *could someone please tell me why my draft page reads "30 Day Book Challenge" and my actual blog page reads "96 Day Book Challenge"?  How do I fix this*

My favorite book of all time?  Do you have any idea how many books I've read in my life?  The answer to this question would depend on the day of the week you asked me.  If you asked me again tomorrow, I'd probably have a different answer.  If you'd asked me yesterday then I probably would have said something different than whatever I say today. 


There are several obvious answers here.  Harry Potter comes to mind.  It's one of the only books (all 7 by the way) that I can reread and still enjoy the second and third and hundredth time around.  The Witches of Eastwick also comes to mind.  It's so beautifully written.  I love it. It goes without saying that Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere is a masterpiece.  I reread it too.  It's amazing.  I love it. Anyone who knows me well would expect one of those answers.  Today, though, I think I'll go with something else.

Again, it's a series and not a single book. I had no idea I read so many series until I participated in this challenge!  My favorite book(s) of all time (today, anyway) is Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew series.  Nancy Drew isn't my favorite book because it's timeless and a joy for little girls to read (though it is).  Nancy Drew is my favorite book because my grandma on my dad's side read them while she was in the orphanage and she loved them so much that she gave me one of her priceless treasures (her own Nancy Drew from that orphange) to read for myself when I was a little girl.  I read it and I loved it.  Then we decided that we should both have the entire series, but we wanted the out of print yellow books from her childhood.  So a mad treasure hunt was born.  Every one in my family (on both sides) got in on it.  My grandma and I, by the way, finally completed our collections about two years ago.  I love these books.

Day 29: A Book Everyone Hated, But I liked

I am taking part in the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!  *could someone please tell me why my draft page reads "30 Day Book Challenge" and my actual blog page reads "96 Day Book Challenge"?  How do I fix this*

What does "a book everyone hated" even mean?

Does it mean a banned book?  Banned books are often loathed by significant (albeit idiotic) segments of the population, while other (less idiotic) readers champion these books with fierce pride. 

Does it mean a book that really did not sell well? 

A book that got really bad reviews? 

I'm not sure what today's challenge is.  I'll just have to interpret it the best I can. 

I've decided it means a book that most people don't want to read:

Manuscript fragment of The Canterbury Tales, courtesy of The Independent News

I had to read portions of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales in high school, and then I had to read portions of it again in college.  Both times my classmates bemoaned this wonderful work of literature.  I didn't.  I love The Canterbury Tales.  I giggle at Chaucer's bawdy humor and admire his use of the written word to say things he may not have otherwise been able to say (without getting flogged or worse).

If you haven't read Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (or if you have and you didn't like them), then please give this book a chance.  Read it for what it is--medieval satire at its finest.  Enjoy it.  It's brilliant.

Day 28: Favorite Title

I am taking part in the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!  *could someone please tell me why my draft page reads "30 Day Book Challenge" and my actual blog page reads "96 Day Book Challenge"?  How do I fix this*

Most of the time I browse book shelves and pull out books based upon their titles.  Then I read the back (or the book jacket) for the synopsis.  If I like what I see, I might flip the book open and read a random page here and there.  If I don't like what I see then I put it back on the shelf.  A good title though--that's what initially piques my interest.  


A good title is essential to book sales.  It's so important to have a title that will grab a reader's attention and inspire curiosity.  And there are so many great titles out there!  It's hard to just pick one, but I'm going to try.

I only picked this book up because it had "Grimm" in the title.  I love Grimm's Fairy Tales.  I especially enjoy the original grisly tales.  The "Legacy" part of Polly Shulman's title insinuates a connection to those darker stories.  I glanced at the book jacket and I was hooked.  I bought it.  I read it.  I loved it.  But I don't think I ever would have even pulled it from the shelf if not for the title.

Shulman's title addressed a particular audience.  It was aimed at people like me--people who are interested in the original Grimm tales.  This title is effective because it markets to a particular audience.

If you're intrigued by the title, then read it.  It's worth it.

Day 27: The Most Surprising Plot Twist or Ending

I am taking part in the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!  *could someone please tell me why my draft page reads "30 Day Book Challenge" and my actual blog page reads "96 Day Book Challenge"?  How do I fix this*

I can't say anything about it because it'll give the whole book away.  What can I tell you?  It's very hard to surprise me.  I figured out the movie "Sixth Sense" in the first 20 minutes.  I am pretty familiar with the standard plot lines and character archetypes.  Thus, I am pleasantly surprised when a book takes me some place I didn't expect to go.  You've got to read this one for yourself:

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Day 26: A Book That Changed My Opinion About Something

I am taking part in the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!  *could someone please tell me why my draft page reads "30 Day Book Challenge" and my actual blog page reads "96 Day Book Challenge"?  How do I fix this*

This is tough.  I read a lot of books.  A LOT OF BOOKS.  But do I really read a lot of books that change my opinion about something?  I mean it's not exactly easy to change my opinion.  I'm stubborn as an ox.  Once my mind is set it's pretty difficult to change it.  You'd have to present a pretty strong argument to sway me.


Surely no book has changed my convictions!  I thought there must not be one.  Then I thought but what if it's something more subtle, a subtle nudge of the mind?  Then I knew there was such a book, a book that gently nudged my opinion in a different direction.

That book is Eat Pray Love.  

I don't normally read these kinds of books.  Even as I purchased it I thought, "There might be a lot of hype about this book, but I bet it sucks." Then I read it.

When I read Eat Pray Love I was going through a rough patch.  Nothing in my life was going according to plan.  Nothing was working out the way I was convinced it was supposed to.  I wasn't happy, but I couldn't figure out why.  I wasn't miserable, but I thought a lit bit of misery might be better than all the apathy I'd wrapped myself up in.

I was 25 years old and I thought I was supposed to have it all figured out.  I was supposed to know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  I was supposed to want kids RIGHT NOW because I had the husband and the house and everybody said kids were what I should be craving.  I was supposed to have a career and be climbing some sort of nonexistent ladder to gold and riches and professional recognition.  I was supposed to know it all and have it all and want it all.

Except I didn't.  I didn't know it all.  I didn't even know what kind of career I wanted.  I was laid off, unemployed, and unable to commit to a single career choice.  I didn't have it all.  What I had was a financial crunch and a pressing need to find some kind of work.  What I had was a mountain of indecision and lots of self doubt.  And I most certainly didn't want it all.  I absolutely did not want that child everyone was harping about.  I did not want to be a mother.  I did not want to be responsible for someone else when right then I couldn't even really feel responsible for my self.  How could I help a kid be whoever they wanted to be if I didn't even know what I wanted to be?

I was a mess.  I felt like a failure.  How could I not know what I wanted or why I wanted it or what kind of job I was destined for?  What kind of a useless human being was I?

Then I read Eat Pray Love and it was like a breath of fresh air.  It was like I could breathe again.  Here was this woman, this woman who was older than me, this woman who outwardly seemed to have it all.  Except she didn't.  She didn't know what she wanted either.  She didn't want it all either.  She was confused too. And she was over 30!  She was over 30 and she didn't know it all!  Wow. She wasn't doing what she was supposed to be doing.  This chick was a big mess too!

With each page I slowly began to forgive myself.  If Elizabeth Gilbert didn't know it all in her early 30s then how was I supposed to know it all at 25?  If Elizabeth Gilbert only found happiness and contentment through doing what everyone said she wasn't supposed to do, then why did I feel like I should be doing anything specific at all?  If Elizabeth Gilbert could travel the world....oh wait.  Darn.  My bank account wouldn't allow for that.

But I did change my opinion about something pretty important by reading this book (even without traveling the globe)---myself.  I let go of my self loathing.  I didn't have to know it all.  I didn't have to do anything or be anyone or know everything or have it all or want it all or be it all and all of that was okay.  It wasn't the end of the world.  It didn't make me a failure.  It just made me human.

So thank you Elizabeth Gilbert.  Thank you for documenting your own meltdown and your journey to contentment.  I appreciate it. I hope I'll be as successful on my journey as you were.

Day 23: A Book You've Wanted to Read For A Long Time But Still Haven't

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!
A lot of you are going to be downright irritated at me, but I still haven't read:

I know it's supposed to be marvelous, but for some reason I just havne't gotten around to reading it yet.  I just hope it's worth all the hype!

Day 22: Favorite Book I Own

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!

If you've ever been in my house then you've seen the many book-lined bookcases that hug my walls.  My home is overflowing with books, and I like it that way.  So you can imagine how difficult it is for me to choose just one book to call my favorite.

I mean do I choose my favorite book to read?  Or perhaps the reference book I use most?  Maybe I should go with my prettiest book.....or my oldest....or my biggest?  Perhaps you'd like to know more about my smallest book? 

I could certainly select any of those.  I have lots of favorite books.  But this morning I think I will go with a book that changed my life:

This book, The Ramayana, is an ancient Indian epic.  It was assigned reading for a college course I only enrolled in because it fulfilled a general education requirement.  The course was Introduction to Asian Religions. 

I am not particularly interested in Asia, or its numerous religions, and I was sure this class would bore me to tears.  I am a historian of Western history and culture, a medievalist if you want to get particular.  I've always been drawn to medieval history.  Eastern history?  Eh, not so much.

So imagine my surprise when the course didn't actually bore me to tears!  I found I actually enjoyed reading and analyzing The Ramayana.  I enjoyed participating in class discussions. I enjoyed learning about this culture and their religions, all so very different from my own. 

The Ramayana is a big reason I changed my major to Religious Studies.  This book opened my eyes to something beyond my own experience.  It introduced me to a world I did not know existed, to a discipline that I have come to love. 

I'm still a medievalist, but now I'm a medievalist who sees the big picture.  I see the interconnectedness of the world's religions and cultures. 

Thank you Dr. Meyer for assigning this book and for introducing me to the academic study of religion.

Day 20: Favorite Romance Book

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!

When I was a teenager I read romance novels like my life depended on it.  I read them all the time.  Then one day, out of the blue, my tastes changed and I just did not find them overly entertaining anymore.  I do read the occasional romance novel though and I have several romance books to suggest to you today:

I am the first to admit that I am not a huge Nora Roberts fan (*gasp*).  I know, I know.  Everyone loves her books.  I used to.  Then I figured out they all have the same basic plot and I started being able to figure out what was going to happen to the characters....then I got bored and stopped reading her books.  They're still good, fun reads.  I just don't like being able to figure things out so easily.  Carolina Moon is by far my favorite Nora Roberts book.  If you haven't read it (even if you aren't a fan), you should give it a try.

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning is amazing.  It keeps you guessing.  It keeps you interested.  Each book is a page turner.  I kept all of these books and I intend to re-read them later.  You should read the entire series.  It's fricken fantastic.

Some people may disagree with my categorization of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew as a romance, but I consider this play a romantic comedy.  It's wonderful and I love it.

And finally, my all time favorite, a 12th Century tale of love, honor, and betrayal:

Tristan and Isolde is an amazing medieval romance.  The earliest editions date to the 12th Century and were written by the French Beroul and Thomas of Britain.  Sadly, both extant manuscripts are filled with holes (both literally and figuratively).  Gottfried von Strassburg's version is widely accepted as the most complete text and it is believed that Strassburg drew from both Beroul and Thomas of Britain to write his version.  This love story is timeless. You should read it. It's way better than the movie.

Day 19: Favorite Book Turned Into a Movie

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)!

My first choice is obvious.  The movies are *almost* as good as the books.  In fact, the movies stick to the books much better than most books-to-film productions.  The casting was phenomenal too.  I am currently re-reading the entire series in anticipation of the final movie:

My second choice is a book I read after I watched the movie.  The movie was so great that I had to read the book, and the book didn't disappoint!

And my final choice is a book-turned-movie that I am in love with.  I don't know what I like better--the book or the movie.  I've read the book twice.  I've watched the movie twice.  I'm about to reread and rewatch both for a third time.  If you haven't read it then you should (or at the very least you should watch the movie):

Day 18: A Book that Disappointed Me

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)! 


I know I've complained about this particular book a lot, but in all fairness it was the first book to come to mind when I read today's challenge.  This book did disappointment me. I truly believed this book was going to be a YA masterpiece....like Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia.  It wasn't.

Day 16: Favorite Female Character

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)! 


If you know me, then this one is a given.  You already know the answer.  There is only one possibility: 

That's right--it's Hermione Granger.  She is so much like me, it's frightening.  I was the bossy know-it-all child with her hand waving madly to answer every question the teacher posed.  Our personalities are very similar.  How could I not choose Hermione as my favorite female character?

The image above belongs to Warner Brothers and I cannot claim it as my own.

Day 14: Favorite Book of My Favorite Writer (a simple list)

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)! 

Instead of writing a great deal, I'm going to make a simple list.  These are my favorite authors and my favorite books by those authors.


Favorite YA Author:  Michael Scott
 The Magician:  The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Favorite Fiction Author (Adult):  Leslie Silbert
The Intelligencer

Favorite Mystery/Crime Author:  Kathy Reichs
Cross Bones

Favorite Fantasy Author:  Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere

Who is your favorite author?  What's your favorite book by that author? I'd love to know!

Day 13: My Favorite Author

This is a tough one.  I have so many "favorite" authors that I can't choose just one.  Instead, I think I'll choose a few--but from different genres.  That's not cheating is it?  It is?  Well I'm doing it anyway!

Favorite YA Author:

Um DUH--it's J.K. Rowling.  BUT veryone says J.K. Rowling and she hasn't written anything since the Harry Potter series (except for Tales of Beedle the Bard which I still consider part of the HP franchise).  So I'm not going to go with J.K. Rowling.  I'm going to go with someone else:

Michael Scott, author of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, is a true storyteller.  I haven't read a book he's written that I didn't absolutely LOVE.

Favorite Fiction Author:

Leslie Silbert is my favorite adult fiction author.  You've probably never heard of her.  She's only written one book and that was ages ago.  I really wish she'd write another one.  Leslie, if you're reading this pleeeeeease write another book. For me?  Because I loved The Intelligencer and I think you rock.

Favorite Mystery/Crime Author:

I read  A LOT of gruesome murder mysteries.  The grosser it is, the more horrific it is, the better it is.  I read James Patterson's Lady's Murder Club series.  I have read every Patricia Cornwell book out there.  My favorite author in this genre, however, is one I have met on occasion.  In fact, she taught me anthropology.  She's also good friends with most of my department (at my grad school).  Maybe I'm biased.  But I love her books and I love the tv show based on her books.  It's Kathy Reichs.  My husband says I like the series so much because I am a lot like Temperance Brennan (which is unfortunately pretty true).

Favorite Fantasy Author:

He's probably your favorite fantasy author too.  He's everyone's favorite.  I don't know anyone who doesn't love his books.  My absolute favorite book of all time is one of his books.  It's called Neverwhere.  That's right folks--It's Neil Gaiman.

Day 12: A Book I Used to Love but Don't Anymore

I'm taking part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.  Click the link to do it too (and add your blog to my meme)! 


This is a tough one.  I think I'm going to have to go with a book I loved as a child, but I have since outgrown.  We get older and as we get older our tastes change.  Drum roll please....

      

That's right--I don't love The Babysitters Club anymore.  I still think the series is great for kids though!