A Section of my Collection

[create_destiny]

The top section is the American author section.

The bottom section consists entirely of books that have been named "top ten favorite books" by my bibliophile friends and family.


A few years ago I decided to ask my parents and some other book-loving friends what their top ten favorite books are, or more specifically, what books have greatly impacted the ways they "think, believe and behave." My parents are big-time readers and when they depart from this planet I want to be able to stand in front of a section of my book shelf and think, "Yep, there's my dad right there, in ten books," or "Yep, there's my mom," or "Yep, there's my most excellent friend Beth," you get the idea...I have a long way to go before I complete this section. Allow me to post a few of these lists, with an asterisk next to the titles that are pictured here on this shelf:

My Dad's List:
1. The Jungle* - Upton Sinclair
2. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
3. This is It - Allen Watts
4. The Night They Burned the Mountain - Tom Dooley
5. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
6. The Chosen* - Chaim Potok
7. The Immense Journey - Loren Eiseley
8. Tao Te Ching* - Lao-tzu
9. Steppenwolf* - Herman Hesse
10. The Snow Leopard* - Peter Matthessen

My Mom's List:
1. The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
2. Cry, the Beloved Country - Alan Paton [on another shelf]
3. Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee - Dee Alexander Brown [on another shelf]
4. The Red Pony* - John Steinbeck
5. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek* - Annie Dillard
6. Small is Beautiful - EF Schumacher
7. Prodigal Summer* - Barbara Kingsolver
8. The Doll Maker - ?
9. The Jungle* - Upton Sinclair
10. The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran

Comments

[ignorantleafy.livejournal.com]

Oooh, wouldja just look at all them classy titles... Gosh, I haven't read most of those.

I've got that same copy of An American Childhood on my shelves too! Have you read it yet? Any good?

[createdestiny.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't read it yet. Just got it like a week ago at the library book sale. I lurve Annie Dillard though. I googled her last week and found some really interesting interviews with her online.

[ignorantleafy.livejournal.com]

I love library book sales. *sigh* Dunno about Annie Dillard yet.

[themurcurytree.livejournal.com]

Hi, I commented on this over at the book worm club, but I came over here as well and saw you were from Chico. I'm from Auburn (about an hour from Sacramento), and have been to Chico many times. Mind if I add you as a friend?

[createdestiny.livejournal.com]

Please do. I'll add you as well.

[punkers23.livejournal.com]

One of the books I was forced to read through my academic life/prison was To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved that book. The movie was nice as well. One of my favorite parts was when their school puts on this Consumer Day-like play and I don't want to ruin it for you so you'll have to read it to see what Scout goes as.

[createdestiny.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I loved To Kill a Mockingbird

[createdestiny.livejournal.com]

BTW, have you ever read The Chosen by Chaim Potok. It's a wonderful book, an experience like I've never had before. It was as if the uncreated energy of God was washing into my soul with every page and cleansing me.

[punkers23.livejournal.com]

I've not read The Chosen. Since your brillaint mind recommends it, I will check it out. And since you've read To Kill a Mockingbird, I can expose the hilarity in Scout's dressing up as a ham...and her running home frantically in costume!

[wingsonwind.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing these lists and the pics... It's always cool (for me, anyway) to see what people keep on their shelves. :)

[posteverything.livejournal.com]

You realize how fortunate you are, right? My Dad's favorite books were Chilton Auto manuals, and my Mom's are all Harlequins or Harlequinesque.

[createdestiny.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm pretty fortunate that way.

[nameleswanderer.livejournal.com]

Where did you get those great used sci-fi books? Uh...never mind.

[lcurtis.livejournal.com]

I lied about the books: It's really books like: "Carter On Mars" and all the Zane Gray westerns, sorry I've lied to you all these years.
Dad

[ygolonac.livejournal.com]

Heck ya!

ERB's Mars book are great. I was more of a Louis Lamour guy for westerns though. My dad had tons of those laying around the house.

[san-simeon-girl.livejournal.com]

Wow, very cool post.

I love just looking at books.

Some of your faves look well-worn/loved :)