My friend, KB (or as I like to call her when I'm slightly out of it, Kimothy Kimantha Leonard Lynn Johnson Beyer), tagged me in a Facebook thing that I have been putting off for weeks now, for no real reason. Today, I had hoped to finish my pillow, but somewhere between crippling lethargy and realizing that I was lying in a pile of dog sheddings on my carpet, I abandoned sewing and lost track of my needle. As a result, I cannot think of a single thing to write about tonight, so here is a list of 10 books. The text of the challenge actually reads as follows:
"In your status, list 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. They don't have to be the "right" book, or great books of literature, just books that have affected you. Tag 10 friends, plus me so I can see your list."
I am really crap about chain mail and such. In fact, I'm pretty sure someone emailed me one of those pay-it-forward recipe emails about a month ago, I and I still haven't forwarded it on. I am a terrible human being.
Anywho.
In no particular order:
1 - Pride and Prejudice: Didn't I just finish writing a scathing review about a movie that lifted a third of its plot from this book? Yes, yes, I did, but that doesn't change how much I love P&P. Part of it is influence. No, not from my lady friends. From my dad, actually. He spent about 5 years trying to convince me to read this book, and probably because I'm a little wretch, I put it off. It wasn't until very late in high school that I got around to it, and now I kick myself every day.
2 - Firmin: My friend, MM (affectionately known in Freshmen Year as "Shirtless Mike") bought me this book for my birthday. No particular reason. He'd never heard of it, never read it, knew nothing about it, except that it looks like this:
Yeah, no really. They printed it on shaped paper to look like someone had taken a bite out if it. It could have been an awful book, but he got it anyway.
Well, fortunately, it was actually a really interesting read. Firmin is an anthropomorphized rat who is literate and has to deal with the handicap of being a rodent when he loves the human world. As much as I like it, though, read this book only if you want to face tragedy on literally every page.
3 - The Legend of Luke: I freaking love Brian Jacques, even though all the Redwall books totally reinforce classism. Legend of Luke was always really one of my favorites, for some reason. I can't begin to explain, but I guess that's how it goes.
4 - Siddhartha: Ohm.
5 - The Prisoner of Azkaban: I love all the Harry Potter books, but #3 really stuck out as being my absolute favorite. Possibly because it had that defining first point in the series when you become aware that JK Rowling has no intention of making this sunshine and daisies for Harry's mental health.
6 - The Hardy Boys: Mystery of the Samurai Sword: I remember almost nothing about this book. All I remember is arbitrarily picking this up at the library when in 4th grade and absolutely loving it. And upon revealing that to my 4th grade class, everyone was stunned because I was a girl and preferred Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew. To this day, I've never read a Nancy Drew book.
7 - The Zoo Story: Junior year was a very depressing time in terms of English class, because all they would have us read were distorted American Dream novels and plays from the Theatre of the Absurd. This one in particular sticks out because I had to act it out for my class. Who did I play? A transvestite, a drunken landlady, and a dog. I had one line: "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR." You bet your sweet tookus that Ms. Ajemian gave me an A+ for that one.
8 - Romeo and Juliet: This is definitely not my favorite Shakespearean play, but it's stuck with me through the years, likely because I've seen and read so many variations, and the way I've felt about the story has changed drastically since I first read it in 3rd grade. Back then, it was just a really tragic, touching love story. Ever since high school, though, I've more viewed it as a critical commentary on the powerful, if capricious nature of the heart.
9 - Ella Enchanted: I love this book to tears. I love most Cinderella iterations, but this one has always taken the cake for me.
10 - My Teacher Flunked the Planet (and the other My Teacher is an Alien books): I think I only read this because it was on C's shelf. To be honest, I had a hard time with this one as a kid, because for the first five years of my life, I was too scared to open it (the cover had an alien ripping a fake skin off his face, and we all know my tolerance for things remotely horror.) I'm glad I read it though, because it was a remarkably thought-provoking series for children about whether or not humanity is "worth saving".
I tag... all of you punks.
Until the next.
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