105 Ways to Give a Book

Book Meme In Five Questions

I saw this book meme over at Big A, little a, originally created at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Two of my answers were the same as Kelly’s, and I said as much in the comments. She responded in the comments with “Do the meme, MR!” Notice the exclamation point. How can I not do it now? Because when Big A says jump, MotherReader says, “With these jiggly thighs? I think not.”
Anyway, here are the questions:
  1. What are your five most important books?
  2. What is an important book you admit you haven’t read?
  3. What classic (or childhood favorite) was a little disappointing on rereading?
  4. What book do you (or did you) care most about sharing with your kids?
  5. Name an acclaimed book, either classic or contemporary, that you just don’t like.
What are your five most important books?

This is bound to be embarrassing, because they’re not very smart books, but I picked the books that I thought most influenced some aspect of my life.
  • Illusions, by Richard Bach, is the tale of a reluctant messiah. It’s a very interesting, if very seventies, story about the power within yourself. It also has lots of wonderful quotes from The Messiah’s Handbook, like, “If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.”

  • Cosmos, by Carl Sagan, is also from my youth. It was a book I read when I was trapped in the intellectual pithole of the mountains of Virginia. It’s the book that reminded me to keep challenging myself.

  • Hobbit/Lord of the Rings are getting put together as one big book, because who’s gonna stop me? These books expanded my world to include worlds I could imagine.

  • Bridget Jones’ Diary may seem like an odd choice, but it’s the matriarch of chick lit. It’s the first book to really be funny and light in a woman’s sort of way, and I like the freedom of that sort of writing. The book was published just when I had a baby, and the books that I used to read were too heavy for my sleep-addled brain to handle.

  • Raising Your Spirited Child also may seem like an odd choice, but when you’re a mom with a fiesty two-year-old, this book can be a saving grace. It made me realize that all techniques for tantrums and limits don’t work with all children. I was able to handle both of my spirited children with far more talent than I would have without this book.
What is an important book you admit you haven’t read?

Probably almost any important adult book you can name — other than the ones that you had to read in high school. I am woefully undereducated in classic literature. I looked at the shelves yesterday to think of the kids’ book that it would be most embarrassing to admit to skipping, and I landed on this revelation. I had never read anything by Roald Dahl until this year, when I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I know, shocking.

What classic (or childhood favorite) was a little disappointing on rereading?

Kelly and I have the same one here, Little House on the Prairie. The writing style is not strong and all the racial things made me squirm.

What book do you (or did you) care most about sharing with your kids?

This was the other place I agreed with Kelly naming Winnie-the-Pooh. I’m afraid all the Disney crap has made people believe that this is a book for toddlers, when the books are really quite funny and sophisticated. I’d also add the Raggedy Ann Stories, because I loved them as a kid.

Name an acclaimed book, either classic or contemporary, that you just don’t like.

Okay, say it with me folks...Tulane.

I tag anyone who wants to be tagged. Oh, oh! You know who I tag? Brotherhood 2.0. If you haven’t been following the video blog of John Green and his brother Hank Green, you have been missing something special. Go. Go, watch it now.
Category: 5 comments

5 comments:

web said...

Oh dear... LHotP is next in line for us...

Magpie said...

Try reading Roald Dahl's short stories. They're for adults, and they are creepy creepy but beautifully written.

Kelly said...

Hey, thanks MR.

Wendy: I still LOVE LHitBW.

Andromeda Jazmon said...

I did it too. I am with you on LOTR and Pooh. This is a fun meme!

Robin Brande said...

MR, I didn't read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory until last year, and that was just because someone gave it to me.

But aren't you happy you did? I hope you got the edition with all the drawings. Loved those.