Monday, June 8, 2009

Some Book Fun: Books that Stay with You

I found this great idea from CARE, via OH's blog: Books that Stay with You, also known as "sticky" books. Sticky Books are books that stick with you over time. The books you can't put down. The books you go to over and over again.

Since I'm of the "so many books, so little time" philosophy, there are not that many sticky books on my list. I am, however, going to include some that I will return to, should I have that kind of time. (Probably during my dotage).

My List:

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - need I say more?
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen - this touched me on many levels. The writing is brilliant and the storyline compelling
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L'Engle - this gave me hope when I was a very lonely, eight-year-old.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - ditto - and I wasn't nearly as much of a fan of the other books - that first book was the one that grabbed me.
The Godfather - Mario Puzo - and I still think it's better than the movie.
The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - again, I'm a major fan of this one, less so of the rest of the series.
The Jane Eyre Affaire - Jasper Fforde - ditto on the series thing. See a pattern?
Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris - yup... same deal on the series.
Dune - Frank Herbert - DUDE! I know... but I still loved it. Again, just the first book.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - I actually pretty much liked the whole series.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac - and yes, I did hit the road at one point, thanks to this book.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
Trout Fishing in America - Richard Brautigan - such 60s poetry, but so much part of my teen years.
Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey - Isabel Fonseca - a brilliant piece of qualitative research, beautifully told.
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (this one keeps popping into my brain as I write the list, so it should be there, right?)
The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway
The entire Annie Seymour series, by Karen E. Olson.

While this is probably long enough, I still have to include two more categories:

Even though I firmly believe that plays are meant to be seen and not read, given all my years in and around theater I just had to include these:

Richard III by William Shakespeare - yes, I love Hamlet, Midsummer, Macbeth, and Much Ado (among others) more, but this was the play that started a more than thirty-year love affair with Shakespeare.
The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde - this never fails to make me laugh and laugh and laugh.
Cyrano de Bergerac - Edmond Rostand - I truly think Rostand gives Shakespeare a run for his money with this brilliant, funny and heartbreaking play.
A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen
Pretty much anything by Bertolt Brecht

And my favorite cookbooks of all time:

The New Basics Cookbook - Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
Elegant but Easy - Marian Burros and Lois Levine
New York Cookbook - Molly O'Neill
A La Russe - Darra Goldstein
How to Cook Everything - Mark Bittman
and my new favorite - Comfortably Yum by Luisa Perkins.

And speaking of Comfortably Yum, the winner of our giveaway contest is Goofball of Goofballsworld! This was a fitting win, as Goofball just got married on Saturday (congratulations!), and now she can join her hubby in helping more with the cooking.

Now, what are your "books that stay with you"?

28 comments:

Korie said...

Wrinkle in Time I think was hands down my favorite book as a child. I still love it. Also, Where the Red Fern Grows, I read that book at least 10 times as a kid.
Also, The Clan of the Cave Bear series...I read those multiple times.
Hitchhikers Guide is fantastic as is Good Omens...in fact I like pretty much anything Neil Gaimon writes. Same goes for Christopher Moore.

I'm addicted to the Charlaine Harris series, but I won't be able to get the most recent book till October probably. The main complaint I have with it is that Sookie really is sort of a slut. And also? She needs to get off her high horse and give Bill another chance. I love Bill.

Jen said...

Lilac - I want to read Christopher Moore. Haven't read him yet. I agree about Sookie - that's what the turn-off was for me. And I also love Bill. I've never quite "gotten" Neil Gaiman, much to D and C's chagrin. They don't "get" that I don't "get" him.

Susan @ SGCC said...

Great list! I have quite a few "sticky books" of my own.
Pride and Prejudice is also at the top of my list. Some of my other all time faves are:

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. (I've read this about 10 times!)

Peachtree Road by Anne Rivers Siddons (Beautifully written!)

Watermelon by Marian Keyes (I devour all of her books, but this was the first.)

Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson (This was the basis for the movie, Somewhere in Time. Magic!)

Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding (Just. Plain. Fun.)

and, of course, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. (I still read this one every couple of months to remind me about what's important.)

I also love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, The V.I. Warshawski series by Sara Paretski, and the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella.

Jen said...

Susan - I also like the Stephanie Plum series - should have mentioned that, and the Harry Potter series, too, especially the first three. Bridget Jones WAS fun, but it didn't stick with me. It's one of the few books where I liked the movie just as much. I forgot about The Shell Seekers - that's one I adore, too. Thanks for stopping by and playing!

Luisa Perkins said...

I love your list! I love being on it! And congrats to Goofball; that's perfect.

Jen said...

Oh, Luisa, you are SO on it! I was just reviewing your recipes again over lunch. I'd also love to see a similar list from you if you feel like playing at some point. ;-)

anno said...

This brought back happy memories, and I see why we get along so well despite our differences on rhubarb and eggnog: there's a lot of overlap here with whatever list I might put together. Sure love those Janes (Austen & Eyre)...

Jen said...

Anno, you're another one whose list I'd love to see, even though I know (or think) Eat, Pray, Love would be on it - another area where we diverge a bit. Vive la difference!

painted maypole said...

great list... I'm so with you, though, on the so many boooks, so little time thing. i hardly ever reread things because I want to read something NEW

did you see the lincoln center production of Cyrano on PBS with Kevin Klein (and, oddly enough, Jennifer Gardner)?

painted maypole said...

oh, yes... read Christopher Moore!! Start with his latest one, FOOL, a riff off of King Lear, but really, all of Shakespeare. get thee to your library and get it now.

Mariposa said...

Your list is familiar! ;)

Gosh, for awhile there I thought I was reading my own list. If I am assess my assets, I still think my books ranks first...my shoes only second.

And is it Friday yet?! Because I am so excited for Local Love!

Jen said...

PM - yes, I ADORED that version! I thought Kline was absolutely brilliant and that Jennifer Garner did a good job, as well. BTW... I'm going to be lucky enough to be going to Stratford next week (CN, not GB) and see Cyrano and Importance of Being Earnest back to back. Brian Bedford is playing Aunt Agatha! And yes, okay, now I have ANOTHER book on my list!

Mariposa, I'd love to see your list, too. I'm not one for shoes - always for books. Thanks so much for the kind words on local love!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

That is quite a list Jen. The books that have stayed with me are:
The Lymond Chronicles, I agree with The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden and the Poisonwood Bible to name a few.

Momisodes said...

I wish I had a longer list of books that stayed with me. I hope to grow that list very soon.

I love all of Banana Yoshimoto's books, as well as Adeline Yen Mah's story, Falling Leaves.

Congrats to Goofball!

Thistlemoon said...

I love this list! Mine is much cheesier than yours - I think I will post it on facebook at some point. Once I unpack my books it will be easier. When we moved from VT to FL I got rid of any books that were not "sticky". :)

Jen said...

Val - I don't know the Lymond Chronicles - I'll have to check them out.
Momisodes - I like Banana Yoshimoto's stories, too. I don't know "Falling Leaves" - I'll look for it.

Jen said...

I don't have many that are non-stick books, either, Jenn. I really try to use the library and keep only those that I a. just love b. know the author c. need for reference/research.

I guess we must have cross-posted!

w said...

Fabulous list. I haven't had the chance to get down with "The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith" but I can imagine it is really good...

Dingo said...

I loved Katherine Paterson's books when I was a kid. She wrote Jacob Have I Loved (a story about twin sisters, Bridge to Terabithia (Disney DESTROYED it!) and some other great stuff. I like to sit down with her books once a year and re-read them.

Jen said...

La Delirante - I think you'd really enjoy The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - there are many references to country and love of country and dissection of what it means to be part of a culture/struggling economy, etc. And all of this is beautifully, lyrically told and the primary character, Precious Ramotswe is just amazing.

Dingo, I've had many, many students who adore Katherine Paterson - she might be on my summer's reading list - she's someone I sort of forgot about. And yes, I'd heard the same thing about The Bridge to Terabithia.

Laura Canon said...

Well, honesty, and in the privacy (ha ha) of the Internet, Anne of Green Gables. Not just the first book but all of the ones in the series, and all of the other series (Emily, Marigold, Jane, etc.) I re-read them as comfort food at least 1-2 times a year. There are a lot of things about these books that I really can't defend, but I love them.

Jackie @PhamFatale.com said...

"Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - need I say more?" You said it all. That IS my favorite

Karen Olson said...

Wuthering Heights, Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, all the Anne of Green Gables books, Little Women...I could go on and on.

Thanks so much for liking my books so much,Jen! And I hope you like the new series just as much!

Jen said...

Laura - nothing wrong with that - I think they provide comfort to many.

Jackie - I couldn't agree more. ;-)

Karen, thanks for writing all your wonderful books and I'm sure I'll like the new series equally. Also, I probably should have included The Great Gatsby... I keep remembering others.

Oh said...

I am amazed you read TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA!!!! I haven't found anyone else who has...very very cool.

Jen said...

OH, it was one of my very, very favorites when I was 15/16 and I think I've read all of Brautigan.

Anonymous said...

GREAT LISTS! I've read a few of the same books of first-in-series, too - and have never gone on to the second. I did read the Stephanie Plums up thru 11, I think, and all of the Narnia, but otherwise I always try something new. Thanks for the linky love! Nice to meet you.

Goofball said...

oooooh thanks thanks thanks for choosing me!