tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-522319810296642659.post3588111363211177784..comments2024-03-28T13:54:54.596-05:00Comments on RA for All: Monday Discussion: What Three Books?Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085260877904727608noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-522319810296642659.post-86693474870658782892014-06-10T16:31:20.308-05:002014-06-10T16:31:20.308-05:00The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain
This book intr...The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain<br />This book introduced me to historical fiction, which turned out to be a lifelong love. <br /><br />Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly. I still read this book every couple of years. The story of a "holy fool" who gave away everything he had and was happier than he had a right to be. A reading experience that helped me find my spiritual center.<br /><br />The Once and Future King by T. H. White. This book has everything -- humor, romance, mystery, fantasy, pathos, sadness. You can find the whole human condition in this one book. <br /><br />I also have to echo Tara and add The Princess Bride. I loved this book, and it's my favorite movie.Bettyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16555712475905654097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-522319810296642659.post-513601334369281972014-06-09T20:09:09.501-05:002014-06-09T20:09:09.501-05:00Wow, that is a tall order! I, as a rule, don'...Wow, that is a tall order! I, as a rule, don't play favorites among books - or anything else, for that matter. I've never really questioned what books define who I am. But I'll take a stab at it.<br />1. The Princess Bride : S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure: The "Good Parts by William Goldman. I saw the movie first and fell head-over-heels in love with the characters and their ordeals. I found the novel and the love affair only deepened. The book is, in many ways, a farce, but the characters spoke to me and the adventure and wit and romance and magic of the story kept bringing me back. <br /><br />2. Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man was one of my first forays into science fiction. It is a collection of short stories with a connecting narrative woven throughout. The illustrated man is covered in tattoos but if you look at them closely, they will show your future (not the pretty parts). There are still scenes and pieces of story that come back to me more than 20 years after I last read it. <br /><br />3. Around the same time, I acquired a copy of Jean M. Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear. While the rest of the series was not to my liking, I found the first to be absolutely riveting. I related very intensely to Ayla's status as "other" and, later, as "outcast."<br /><br />Looking at this list, these books don't define me as much as they helped to shape me. They are all books I read between the ages of 10 and 13 and have become a part of me. <br /><br />One more recent book that I feel should be on the list is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. If I had a favorite book ever, this would be it. Tara BPLteennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-522319810296642659.post-5864628877125465072014-06-09T14:32:00.425-05:002014-06-09T14:32:00.425-05:001. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, The Count Of M...1. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, The Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Leroux. In that order. They are all stories of personal transformation/reinvention which is something I've always identified with in life. They incorporate horror and romanticism - two of my favorite elements in literature. Most of all, they have magnificent central characters with a powerful message of real meaning for the reader. You feel better for having known their stories. I guess it isn't an accident that two of the three were written in 19th century France and that the remaining title was set in the France of the 18th century. These books represent a philosophy which has fallen by the wayside. The rarity of it magnifies the value it contains. <br /><br />A close fourth is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It is the first horror novel. It is the first sci-fi novel. But again, I love it for the underlying meaning it has: the commentary (prophesy?) on the nature of science, mankind, and creation. John BPL RAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-522319810296642659.post-50537359529993365522014-06-09T14:07:29.268-05:002014-06-09T14:07:29.268-05:001. Anne of Green Gables - as a child, I was comple...1. Anne of Green Gables - as a child, I was completely captivated by Anne Shirley's imagination and I did my best to emulate it. I think it's a major part of who I am today - always seeking to be creative and to imagine the big possibilities.<br /><br />2. Jane Eyre - one of the first books I think I truly fell in love with. As a teen, I related SO well to Jane, the obscure outsider who didn't really belong. I also find her road to independence and finding herself to mirror my own journey into adulthood.<br /><br />3. The Shadow of the Wind - my favorite book for bibliophiles, I think the spooky atmosphere and beautiful language is reminiscent of Jane Eyre and it seems like a book Anne Shirley would love to read. It's one of my favorite titles to give to patrons.Christinoreply@blogger.com