Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Top Ten Books

Life seems to be getting in the way of me putting this information in proper order but I will start and put it in final order later this week! For now, here are my choices and reasons for #2, 3, 4,and #5 on my list!

#2 The World According to Garp - the first book where I realized it was the entire arc of a person’s life. Born into circumstances that both enriched his life and haunted him, the theme of the book for me was obsession. He is obsessive about wrestling, those he loves, writing and of course his children. Strangely enough he doesn’t understand the obsessions of others and at the point where he meets the woman who is his mother’s ‘follower’, he cannot grasp her fanaticism. I was enthralled from beginning to end, and that book reminds me of a time (university) where the world was opening up to me and knowledge was flying at me furiously.  Okay, I will mention the movie.  Robin Williams was a near perfect Garp but the movie was not a good adaptation of the book; however, there is one scene that has stayed with me and rings truer and truer with each passing year.  It's the scene where Garp's mother (played by Glenn Close) is at the big house on the shore with her grandson.  He asks her what it's like to be old and she responds:  "Well, if you're very lucky, you'll have lots of memories and when you are old, you can sit and think of them." 

#3 Little Women – the first ‘real’ book I read – I remember the apartment we were living in so I was eight years old. Especially at that age, I felt completely connected to the world of an all women household and the character of Jo (imagine that) whose heart wanted more than her current circumstance was providing. She loved her family desperately but she longed to be out in the world. Even at eight, that was exactly how I felt – and in my heart I wondered if perhaps Louisa May Alcott named the character after me. I’ll mention all of the movies of this book to say that none of them were MY version of the book (!) although I did like, as a movie, the June Allyson/Margaret O’Brien, Elizabeth Taylor version. Be warned, when the Grandfather next door gifts the piano to Beth, I cry so much I'm almost inconsolable - believe me, you will too!

#4 Trinity by Leon Uris   This book, though not always easy to read (in terms of structure and, sorry, writing style) did what I think Uris wanted it to do: it gave me a genuine perspective of the political scene in Northern Ireland which, up to that point, I hadn’t a clue about.  I also feel it gave me an understanding that I didn’t have to agree with a cause even if I might understand and sympathize with how and why it happened.

I read it initially (I’ll admit now 30 years later) because it was the favourite book of a Sociology professor that I adored.  I wanted to know and understand everything about him – the professor, not Leon Uris – as you do when you’re twenty one years old, you’re lusting and you’re in love with a soulful intellectual type.  He was a great guy, witty, handsome in a geeky unhandsome way, he wore clogs and brown cords and listened to cool music.  He was thoughtful (as in full of thought) and when he spoke at meetings, everybody nodded as if to say “yes, well, NOW it makes sense”.

Sorry, I digressed. I was talking about books, wasn’t I?


#5 The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
  this is the only book on my list that I didn’t read all the way through to the end.  But, I didn’t have to.  The grief process is different for everyone but there is a particular kind of grief connected to the sudden death of someone who is your everyday.  My ‘everyday’, the person I loved with all my heart, died very suddenly in 2008.  That’s all I can really say here other than this book means a lot to me.

Rest of list to follow shortly!

10 comments:

  1. Hey! I love seeing your favorites. I read Garp for the first time just a few years ago -at the time I didn't feel like I was loving it, yet it's really stuck in the my head over time.
    I do have a question for you: Do you reread often? I was thinking about my own top 10 and I felt like they should be books I've read a few times, but there are only select few like that. Fewer than ten then I can think of There are just so many books out there, I hardly ever reread. How about you? You can tweet me back if you like. :-D
    Enjoying the list!

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    1. Hi Erin, hope you got my reply on the Twitter. Don't worry about the re-read factor, pick your 10 favourites that you wouldn't want to have done without. I'm so pleased you'll participate...in fact, I'm going to challenge you to do it!

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  2. Well... this has to be on my "to read" list now! Btw I am usually disappointed by films of books I've read, so that now I try and see a film and then read the book later - when possible. Looking forward to the #1 entry ;-)

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  3. Your #2 and #3 books I have not read (imagine that). Though I do remember seeing Robin Williams and at least part of the movie version of '..Garp', but then I agree, movies are rarely up to the challenge of the book. Both of these are now added to my must read list for next year.

    I just thought about it, but if more and more people keep listing their #TopTenBooks, then I may fill my reading list for the decade! ;-)

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    1. Hello Honoré and KD ! There is one gigantic exception to the rule that movies rarely live up to the challenge of the book. That exception will be revealed in my #1 choice. :))

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    2. You know that I'm looking forward to that. However, did I mention that the song of the week addition you have on the site is awesome? ;-) It's like a treat that you weren't expecting.

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    3. thanks KD (hug), ever since we did the top 100 songs...I've been playing the back catalogue (lol) and realizing that I should listen to music more often.

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  4. What a great well thought out list. Trinity sounds really interesting, I'll have to check it out.
    Magical Thinking was great. I read it after my mom passed and many times just went, "Yup. That's what it is."

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  5. Great list! As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm challenging myself to read at least one book from the list of each challenge participant. Here I'm thinking Didion (I enjoyed the White Album), Steinbeck, and Howatch.

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    1. You won't be disappointed in any of those choices Marny, though I think you would really enjoy the Susan Howatch Starbridge series. Really well written! Thanks again for stopping by and commenting. Always appreciated.

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