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Tome Sweet Tome
January 8th, 2008
I have recently been going through all of The Son’s books (he has quite a collection) to put away some of the ones that are way too young or old for him. There are so many wonderful classics there, that I decided to share with you the list of my all time favorites in the order (more or less) that I loved them. I always think you can learn a lot about a person by their bookshelf, so here is a little bit more about Hey You.
The Pokey Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey and Gustaf Tenggren
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess
Hop on Pop by Dr. Suess
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
The Little House Series by Laura Ingles Wilder
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
The Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Bridge to Terbithia by Katherine Paterson
As the Waltz was Ending by Emma Macalik Butterworth
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Harry Potter The Goblet of Fire is my Favorite, but the whole series really by JK Rowling
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Red Tent my current all time favorite by Anita Diamant
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Stone Tables by Orson Scott Card
The Teachings of Don Juan: a Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda
Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
Wicked and Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine
Attachment Parenting This one is a must read for all parents By Dr. William and Martha Sears
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank I read this as a child, but re-read it after our trip to Amsterdam, OMG I missed so much as a kid
Children Playing before a Statue of Hercules favorites of David Sedaris
Villages by John Updike
Okay, I showed you mine now show me yours!
9 Responses to “Tome Sweet Tome”
As a child I was enamored with all things Seussical. I loved The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Oh the Places You’ll Go and ABC. I also loved Corduroy (that little bear with the missing button for his overalls…sad tale, I do say) and The Velveteen Rabbit.
My absolute favorite book as a child was Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Yellow Sled by Maj Lindman (1936). My copy was originally my grandfather’s, then my mom’s and now it sits as a trophy on my bookshelf. SSSYS had a great message…sacrifice and service to others above self.
As a pre-teen, I must admit (though am ever-so-slightly ashamed to) that I read Sweet Valley Twins, Babysitter’s Club, R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books religiously. Okay…seriously…don’t make fun. You know you did it too! So, don’t even try to lie about it now.
In my teen years (much to the nudging of an unscrupulous AP Lit teacher), I read mainly classics…but, here’s the twist…I actually liked them. Most notably of course are: The Great Gatsby, Candide, A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter.
In college…if I didn’t have to read it, I didn’t read it. Seriously. Most of my collegiate literary dabbling was required for coursework, much of which was consumed by The AP Style Manual, political science textbooks and several versions of the biology texts (I had to take biology 3 times, as I kept passing out and having to drop the course). However, I did read a large number of newspapers and magazines. Does that count? I say yes!
As for now: Well, a few years ago, I went through a phase where I only read religious books (including fiction), and I must say that overall, I am NOT impressed. However, there are/were a few gems among the mud that are worth you reading. I loved Veritas Conflict (modern collegiate spiritual warfare…very cool) and both Heavens to Betsy & Earth to Betsy (comedic books about a female minister trying to balance work, community, a relationship, and her overbearing mother…I can relate!). I also really liked Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What, Pop Goes Religion, Velvet Elvis and Body Piercing Saved My Life (a non-Christian’s take on Christian music…very interesting and enlightening).
So now….yes…back to now: News Flash: I am no literary genius. I am not even a book lover. Rather, I’m still trying to find my special place. But, isn’t that what reading is all about…discovery? I say yes! I must admit that I am an awfully slow reader…which puts a damper on my thirst to find the perfect book. Plus, I work 40+ hours as a copy editor at a newspaper (3a-12p), which leaves little time for this new passion. I once took a speed reading course in college…but to no avail. I’m still slow as molasses.
But…I have enjoyed Dan Brown books, The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury, The Harry Potter books, The Sweet Potato Queens, The Shopaholics (she is so me.) and a random assortment of other books I pick up here and there on bargain racks at local retailers.
So…I guess if you have any suggestions for this would-be-book-lover…well, whatever…it’s not like I have time to read any suggestions you may have. Besides, I’ve recently resorted to reading children’s books (Everyone Poops, The Gas We Pass, Walter the Farting Dog, etc…don’t laugh! Okay…laugh.).
Ok, I’m only going to give my short list, because I don’t feel like typing all night long to give my long list. So here goes:
1. Anything by Orson Scott Card
2. Anything by Clive Cussler
3. Anything by J.R.R. Tolkein
4. Anything by Isaac Asimov
5. Anything by Stephen King
6. And of course the Random Pick
there, I told you it was a short list….but I assure you if you look at the number of books each author has written you’ll be able to keep yourself entertained in books for months to come.
Okay, so Hey You asked me to post my book list. I’m hoping it won’t get as long as hers, but no promises. I started reading very early in life (before Kindergarten) and reading continues to be my favorite pastime and my way of “getting away” for awhile. My number 1 fave is and always will be The Stand by Stephen King. I have two copies of this book, one for reading (paperback, it’s been taped together several times) and one for posterity (hardback). Actually I’m like The Husband in that I will read and enjoy ANYTHING by Stephen King, but my faves are (in addition to The Stand) Rose Madder, Cell, It, Insomnia, Hearts in Atlantis, and his latest, Duma Key. I also enjoy the entire Harry Potter series. I like anything by Gregory Maguire, but my fave is still Wicked. I like Dean Koontz and Michael Crichton. I LOVE The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. A Painted House by John Grisham is my favorite of his, but I also like some of his other novels as well. In the past few years, I’ve gotten into some of Nora Roberts’ trilogies, and my favorite is the Circle Trilogy. I liked Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events books were great for a quick read. A friend from grad school turned me on to Terry Pratchett, a British novelist with a wicked sense of humor (I suggest starting with Night Watch, and don’t ignore the footnotes, they’re usually the funniest). I like East of Eden by John Steinbeck, and I LOVE The Hobbit by Tolkein. As a matter of fact, if you picked a random book from Hey You’s list, I’ve probably read it. We have similar tastes in literature. Okay, this comment is officially WAY too long. I have more books that I love, but don’t have the time to spend putting them here.
Okay well I guess I will do this. I am going to break this down into childhood to teen, all time, and what I like as an adult.
Childhood to teen
Black Beauty
The whole Black Stallion Series
The Babysitter Club
All time (I read these once every year)
The Good Earth
All of Jane Austen’s books
Harry Potter 3 an 5 ( I like 1-5 , but I am not a fan of 6 and 7, especially 7)
Jane Eyre
Anne of Green Gable series
Lately (as in as an adult)
Angels and Demons
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, and Darcy and Elizabeth(these are a little saucy for a Jane Austen fan, but they were fun reads to me)
The whole Gentleman Trilogy by Pamela Aidan
The Leven Thumps series( its pretty good, it makes me smile at least)
The Red Tent
There are more, but I have been packing my books and so I can’t go look at them. I need to read more but school and such get in the way. I read books by C.S. Lewis and Bonheoffer quite a lot, but I don’t know if I would put those in any of the categories up above. I have actually read some outstanding fanfics online as I am a strange cookie, but still I count those as reading
Okay my short list
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Praise Habit
All of Dan Brown’s book
DragonLance Chronicles
Ragamuffin Goespel
Forever Knight
I read a lot, but that is my super short list. My real list would be too long.
These are all favorite reads I both enjoyed personally and love to read to children.
The Poky Little Puppy
How Do We Get to the Zoo
Little Red Riding Hood
The Three Pigs
The Three Bears
The Rhymes of Mother Goose
Anything by Dr. Seuss (Favs are Yertle the Turtle and Green Eggs and Ham)
The Giving Tree
Black Beauty
Heidi
Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates
The Bobbsey Twins Series
Mother Westwind Series
King of the Wind
Where the Red Fern Grows
There’s a Hair in My Toothbrush
Here are some that come to mind I loved to read at some point in my adult life, but its been a long time
To Kill a Mockingbird
Wuthering Heights
Gone With the Wind (I don’t even know how many times I read this, but totally wore out two volumes)
The Old Man and the Sea
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
The Cross and the Switchblade
The Hobbit
The Lord of The Ring Series
The Prophet
The Good Earth
A Tale of Two Cities
A Raisin in the Sun
Anything by Edgar Allen Poe
I went through a period where I read anything by Janet Dailey (Particularly The Heiress, Silver Wings and Santiago Blue, The Great Alone, The Glory Game) or Jude Devereaux (A Knight in Shining Armor) several years back. Now I read rarely for pleasure, but you all inspire to try.
Books of the Holy Bible which are my favorites:
Genesis
Exodus
The Book of Ruth
Esther
Psalms
Proverbs
Luke
Acts
The Pauline Letters
Okay I expect y’all to give me some good books to review!
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