Today's question comes from Shelley and asks:"This can be a quick one. Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books that you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes"
My answer:
Though not necessarily my "favorite" fifteen, these are books, both fiction and nonfiction, that have really stuck with me over the years. They have opened my eyes to new places, cultures or time periods. They have increased my understanding, or broadened my perspective of people or events. The writing may have been some of the best I'd ever read, or perhaps it was a book from childhood that I returned to over and over again.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
- Corelli's Mandolin by Louis deBernieres
- Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street)
- A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
- A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
- Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
- The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede
- And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts
- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
- The Diary of Anne Frank
- Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
I forgot to list The Diary of Anne Frank! How could I?!
ReplyDeleteStuck forever and ever!
I've been wanting to read Long Walk to Freedom for ages. Great list.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I'm slowly working my way through Kristin Lavransdatter and loving it. It's lucky it's a bigbook because I really don't want to leave in behind!
ReplyDeleteI've got The Cairo Trilogy on my TBR short list. It looks so good!
ReplyDeleteLezlie
Great list! The only one I have read is Pride and Prejudice, but I put Persuasion on my list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog! Your list has given me lots to look at on Amazon and add to my wish list! Happy BTT!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for a while now.
ReplyDeleteI love your list! You've got a few that I really want to read: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A Fine Balance, and A Suitable Boy.
ReplyDeleteMahfouz rules! I'm glad it appears on a blogger's list. First time I've seen this entry. :)
My full list.
You're the 2nd person to list Harriet. I love the movie with Michelle Trachtenberg but I've never read the book. Maybe I should head to the bookstore . . . Here's mine.
ReplyDeleteI love East of Eden. It's on my list also.
ReplyDeleteI also had Kristin Lavransdatter!
ReplyDeletehttp://1morechapter.com/2009/06/04/btt-sticky/
Good list. I forgot about East of Eden.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list! Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI've got about eight of those books on my TBR!
ReplyDeleteAlso, Fine Balance - what an amazing book!
Sticky
Oh, I remember reading The Good Earth! That book really stuck with me, too, but I didn't think about it at all when I was putting together my list.
ReplyDeleteHarriet the Spy! I love it! Every single time I check out a copy of a Judy Blume book for a child at the library I conjure up the taste of bubble gum. Some of those childhood books really do stick with you don't they.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I should have mentioned Diary of a Young Girl, too - I think I read it a dozen times as a young girl.
ReplyDeleteYour list looks a lot like mine. Great choices. I have Kristin Lavransdattar on my TBR pile right now! :-)
ReplyDeleteCrossing to Safety is an excellent choice.
ReplyDeleteHarriet the Spy made me reconsider my career path, when I was in fifth grade.
I haven't read any of your list...but I was eager to read Anne Frank
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I haven't read any of the books on your list, but I have several of them on my wish list(just have to make my TBR pile a bit smaller first).
ReplyDeleteA bit embarrassing being Norwegian and haven't read Kristin Lavransdatter.
Enjoy your weekend :)
This was such a good Booking Thursday question! Thank you all so much for visiting and commenting on my list...I've really enjoyed perusing your lists, too. There were several books I forgot to include, and even more that are on my 'must read' list. This is the most fun I've ever had with BTT!
ReplyDeleteI love that everyone spots a book on another's list that they forgot to add! :D I agree, I should have added 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 14 and 15. I said we should have been able to list 50 books! LOL
ReplyDeleteI adored A Tree Grows In Brooklyn! You've got some on here I want to check out for sure. :)
ReplyDeleteHarriet the Spy is an awesome book! You just gave me a happy memory. As well as a reminder to finally pick up The Cairo Trilogy. Great list. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteYou've got some great ones there...East of Eden is one of my all time favorites, The Good EArth was another favorite. I have Kristin Lavransdatter on my shelf. I've been wanting to get to it forever now.
ReplyDeleteIcedream - 50 books would have been a lot easier!
ReplyDeleteAmymarie - I don't know how I missed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I was growing up. It was only a few years ago that I finally read it!
Frances - There was a time, when I was around 10, that I used to reread Harriet the Spy once a month! I hope you get to the Cairo Trilogy soon.
Dar - This has been the best BTT in a long time. Making my list made we want to reread all of those books!
I have read Pride and Prejudice and The Diary of Anne Frank. Can't books!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and comment my blog, I wish you a good weekend! Sorry for comment late!