Books and a Girl who Loves Them

I'm responding to a tag from the ever-succulent and wild woman, Divajood, about books, one of my favorite things in the world. I could write a book about books I've loved, but will try to confine it to a few for this meme.

1: One book that changed your life: I’d have to say Middlemarch (George Eliot). I read it in college, when my life felt as if it was in a real mess, and something about the clear starchiness of the moral and ethical choices in the story, and the way they were described, helped me get through a hard time.

2: One book you have read more than once: Many of the poetry books by Mary Oliver. They never fail to give me joy.

3: One book you would want on a desert island: A big sketch book and lots of art supplies so that I could entertain myself, journal, draw, etc.

4: One book that made you laugh: Oh, so many have done this! One old favorite is Here At The New Yorker, a story/anthology of the early days of the New Yorker magazine. Hilarious! Another favorite was A Winter’s Tale by Mark Helpern. I remember reading it and laughing until tears were running down my face.

5: One book you wish had been written: More true stories by women throughout history, about their lives and the times they lived in. We get so much of our history through the male perspective, wars, conquests, etc.

6: One book you wish had never had been written: I’ll have to agree with another blogger I noticed who suggested “The Bible”. Add to that the Quran and any other “holy book” that religious extremists interpret literally and use to bludgeon others with their beliefs. I think these books have caused more misery than value.

7: One book that made you cry: Again, so many do! I think perhaps I’ll mention Atonement, by Ian McEwan. It is a masterpiece, it made me sob, it touches the human condition on so many levels.

8: One book you are currently reading: Just finished Two Lives by Vikram Seth, a double biography of his aunt and uncle set in the time of the second world war. And I’m always reading The New Yorker, every week!

9: One book you have been meaning to read: I have a big long list. My Kind of Place: Travels from a Woman Who’s Been Everywhere, by Susan Orlean is nearing the top of my list!

10: Now tag five people: Oops, I can't! I read very few blogs, and am shy about pushing my agenda onto anybody. But if you, dear reader, feel inclined to make a book blog, or write a list in the comments below, or simply to go to your favorite wicker lawn chair and read, please feel free!

Okay. Tag. You're all it.