1. ONE BOOK THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It started me into the Narnia series and then on to Lewis' other works, all of which greatly impacted my values and belief system.
2. ONE BOOK YOU HAVE READ MORE THAN ONCE?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
3. ONE BOOK YOU WOULD WANT ON A DESERT ISLAND?
If I were marooned, How to Escape from a Desert Island.
If I were there willingly, any version of the Bible.
4. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH?
Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father by Chris Elliott with rebuttals by Bob Elliott. It's an amazingly stupid and wonderful parody of Hollywood offspring exposes, with some pure nonsense thrown in.
5. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr. This is the fictionalized account of the author's childhood. Her Jewish family escapes from Nazi Germany, going first to Switzerland, then to France and finally to England. There are two parts that make me cry. The first is when the family learns that Uncle Julian, an old friend, has committed suicide. The family had begged him to leave with them, but he saw no need. He had had a Jewish grandmother and was sure no one would bother about that tenuous connection. Slowly, every one of Julian's rights are stripped away. Bit by bit, he loses everything. But Julian tries to remain in good spirits. He spends his days at the zoo watching the animals. Finally, Julian's zoo privileges are taken away and that's the point where he breaks.
But this is not a depressing book overall. Judith/Anna sees things through the eyes of an innocent nine-year-old and it's right at the end of the book that I cry the second time.
'...Cousin Otto said in concerned voice, "It must be quite difficult to spend one's childhood moving from country to country".
At the words something cleared in Anna's mind.
"Difficult childhood...", she thought. The past and the present slid apart. She remembered the long, weary journey from Berlin with Mama, how it had rained, and how she had read Gunther's book and wished for a difficult childhood so that she might one day become famous. Had her wish then come true. Could her life since she had left Germany really be described as a difficult childhood?
She thought of the flat in Paris and the Gasthof Zwirn. No, it was absurd. Some things had been difficult, but it had always been interesting and often funny -- and she and Max and Mama and Papa had nearly always been together. As long as they were together she could never have a difficult childhood. She sighed a little as she abandoned her hopes.
"What a pity", she thought. "I'll never be famous at this rate!"
She moved closer to Papa and put her hand in his pocket for warmth.'
6. ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN?
Building a Successful Business through the Magic of Powernaps
7. ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN?
A Whale for the Killing by Farley Mowat. I wish the events that it chronicles never happened.
8. ONE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING?
Start Your Own Business by Rieva Lesonsky
9. ONE BOOK YOU HAVE BEEN MEANING TO READ?
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
10. ONE BOOK YOU'RE GLAD YOU OWN?
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
11. ONE BOOK THAT MUST BE READ ALOUD?
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon and read aloud by the Scientist.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It started me into the Narnia series and then on to Lewis' other works, all of which greatly impacted my values and belief system.
2. ONE BOOK YOU HAVE READ MORE THAN ONCE?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
3. ONE BOOK YOU WOULD WANT ON A DESERT ISLAND?
If I were marooned, How to Escape from a Desert Island.
If I were there willingly, any version of the Bible.
4. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH?
Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father by Chris Elliott with rebuttals by Bob Elliott. It's an amazingly stupid and wonderful parody of Hollywood offspring exposes, with some pure nonsense thrown in.
5. ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr. This is the fictionalized account of the author's childhood. Her Jewish family escapes from Nazi Germany, going first to Switzerland, then to France and finally to England. There are two parts that make me cry. The first is when the family learns that Uncle Julian, an old friend, has committed suicide. The family had begged him to leave with them, but he saw no need. He had had a Jewish grandmother and was sure no one would bother about that tenuous connection. Slowly, every one of Julian's rights are stripped away. Bit by bit, he loses everything. But Julian tries to remain in good spirits. He spends his days at the zoo watching the animals. Finally, Julian's zoo privileges are taken away and that's the point where he breaks.
But this is not a depressing book overall. Judith/Anna sees things through the eyes of an innocent nine-year-old and it's right at the end of the book that I cry the second time.
'...Cousin Otto said in concerned voice, "It must be quite difficult to spend one's childhood moving from country to country".
At the words something cleared in Anna's mind.
"Difficult childhood...", she thought. The past and the present slid apart. She remembered the long, weary journey from Berlin with Mama, how it had rained, and how she had read Gunther's book and wished for a difficult childhood so that she might one day become famous. Had her wish then come true. Could her life since she had left Germany really be described as a difficult childhood?
She thought of the flat in Paris and the Gasthof Zwirn. No, it was absurd. Some things had been difficult, but it had always been interesting and often funny -- and she and Max and Mama and Papa had nearly always been together. As long as they were together she could never have a difficult childhood. She sighed a little as she abandoned her hopes.
"What a pity", she thought. "I'll never be famous at this rate!"
She moved closer to Papa and put her hand in his pocket for warmth.'
6. ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN?
Building a Successful Business through the Magic of Powernaps
7. ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN?
A Whale for the Killing by Farley Mowat. I wish the events that it chronicles never happened.
8. ONE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING?
Start Your Own Business by Rieva Lesonsky
9. ONE BOOK YOU HAVE BEEN MEANING TO READ?
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
10. ONE BOOK YOU'RE GLAD YOU OWN?
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
11. ONE BOOK THAT MUST BE READ ALOUD?
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon and read aloud by the Scientist.
******
HeartinSanFrancisco, thanks for this meme! I enjoyed recalling all these books.
posted by d~ at
9:57 PM
1 Comments:
d~,
Thank you for playing!
I've never heard of Judith Kerr's book, but have read many others about the Holocaust. I'll definitely find a copy.
I also love Jane Austin (Sense & Sensibility is my favorite) and anything by C.S. Lewis.
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