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I love the power of a good book. It lingers with you like a dream you cannot let go. Sometimes a passage might tinker with your mind, pushing you to reflect. Other times, you laugh hard, the same way a child releases a giggle from her belly. Books offer hearty conversations and a place to seek refuge.

I adored this book meme from blogger and writer, Jackie Cangro. I discovered her musings a few months ago and admire the rhythm of her pieces. Her writing is always insightful. She writes pieces that push you to reflect and also blends humor and wit in her posts. Jackie definitely has range in her writing. You will love her site.

Here are my answers to the same questions:

My  favorite childhood books

I loved Nancy Drew books as a kid. Carolyn Keene’s mysteries kept me locked in my room for hours. I also remember checking out a pile of Nancy Drew books from the library and trying to balance them as I reached for the car door. There is a particular kind of nostalgia when I see a Nancy Drew cover. It reminds me of my childhood home.

A book I read in secret

I read Go Ask Alice in secret – mainly because I thought reading an Anonymous author made me a rebel and also I don’t think my parents approved of this book when I read it.

The books I’ve read over and over 

These books help me gain clarity on writing, spirituality, life and loss. That is why I keep returning to these books:

The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, Walden by Thoreau, The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

A classic I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never read

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. I love Tolstoy and his short pieces, but Anna Karenina is daunting in its page count.

A book I consider to be overrated

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese. My book club read it and the majority loved it. I failed to see its appeal.

The books I wish I’d written

Awww, difficult question.  The honesty in Flannery O’Connor’s work and the universality in Raymond Carver’s prose gets me every time. Their short stories are layered with so many emotions and epiphanies that whenI read their work, I learn something new about myself.

The novels people might be surprised to learn I love

People might be surprised to learn that I read young adult novels and that I can also sink into Sophia Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. I think its because they are light and fun and I can also discuss these books with my mom.

The last book that made me laugh…and the last one that made me cry

I laughed out loud reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  by Mindy Kaling and  This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper.

I cried when reading Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.

My favorite movie versions of books

Gone Girl –  In my opinion, the screenplay kept my attention and moved with the perfect cadence. Other movie favorites, Gone With the Wind and Atonement. 

What I’m reading right now

Stacks of books greet me everywhere I turn in my house. I usually read several books at once. Currently, I am reading, All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and Untamed State by Roxane Gay.

Why I read

Reading offers comfort and a safe passage. I understand the world better, as well as myself, by reading. Perhaps Maurice Sendak says it best: “There’s so much more to a book than just the reading.”

 

Please share some of your responses to these questions. Would love to hear your answers. 

Image: “book collection” by Chronon6.97 via Flickr.