Deb at San Diego Momma tagged me with a very cool meme; a meme that speaks directly to my book-lovin' soul. Like Deb did, I'm going to give you some background on me and books first. 'Cause I am all about the back story!
I can't remember a time when I didn't love books. My first memories are of the Little Golden Books you could buy at the grocery store. My mom may have been a single mother on welfare who bought our clothes at the Goodwill, but she always seemed to be able to swing a book purchase.
When I was in elementary school I was a latchkey kid. The library was on the way home from school--I was allowed to be at home or at the library until my mom got home from work. I was usually at the library. I wasn't very good about writing my book reports in a timely manner--I was too busy reading books.
My mom used to punish my sister and I both by taking our books away. I used to hide books under the bathroom sink on housecleaning day so I could take extended breaks. Some of the best times I can remember as a family (mom, stepdad, sister, me) were when we all curled up on the (burnt orange) sectional in front of a roaring fire, absorbed in our own books. My stepsisters still tease me about my habit of reading in the car at night. I'd read by the light of the streetlights. It had a rhythm to it--bright, dim, lose the light completely for a second, bright, dim, lose the the light completely . . . Now I wonder why nobody gave me a flashlight!
When my mom died several years ago I didn't realize how depressed I was. She died on May 1 and after the initial flurry of activity I dove into my books. It wasn't until the kids went back to school after Labor Day that I realized that a 300-400 page a day book habit might actually be a sign of something deeper.
Like the rest of you I don't read as many books now that I blog. Combine that with the reading I do for school and my pleasure book reading is down to about 2-3 novels a month. But, I am never, ever without a book.
And now for the meme . . .
1. List three books you’ve always meant to read, but haven’t gotten around to reading.
2. Share the two books that changed your life.
3. Recommend the one book you’ve been talking about since the very first day you’ve read it.
1) Three books I've meant to read:
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi: I just cannot get into it. It seems like it would be right up my alley, but no. I don't think I'm alone here--I believe my entire book group abandoned it.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I have tried valiantly. I believe I've made it about 1/3 of the way through the book. It should be a book I like, but again, no. I keep it around just so I can feel guilty every time I look at it.
Things Fill Apart by Chinua Achebe: I was so bored. I'm sure it is life-altering, but I'd have to be able to get through it first. Again, total guilt.
2) Two books that changed my life:
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck: I believe I first read this when I was 13. Why did this book change my life? It opened my eyes to the rest of the world in a very real way. It is so well-written and absorbing that it was a totally transformative experience.
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and it's all small stuff) by Richard Carlson: I am so totally not a self-help book person. I don't even know what moved me to read this book. I do know that the following changed my life. The author says to ask yourself "Would I rather be right or would I rather be happy?" What a novel concept. Of course I would rather be right. And while I was being right I'd be happy to bludgeon anyone in the vicinity with my rightness. So I started practicing letting other people be right (even when they really weren't), and I became a much happier person.
3) The book I've been talking about since the very first day I read it:
The Time-Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: This book just captivated me. I don't normally like anything that smacks of science-fiction, but this book intrigued me from the first page. I recommend it to everyone I talk books with. This falls into the category of a you either love it or you hate it book. You should definitely try it.
As always, If I tag you and you don't feel like playing my feelings won't be hurt. Because he's a brand-new find (and a friend of Bossy's) and I know he loves books, I'm tagging The Jason Show. Because a woman with as many books as she has in her house (and who displays them so artfully) will have some great responses, I'm tagging katydidnot. I'd love to hear some ideas from the other side of the pond, so my final tag is The Reluctant Blogger.