I mentioned during that meme I did recently that I didn't have a single favorite in a plethora of categories...I've been thinking about it and now I'm going to slowly start to list my ten favorite in each of those categories. Starting with books.
D's Favorite Books In No Particular Order:
To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee
The Harry Potter Series-JK Rowling
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy-Douglas Adams
Alas, Babylon-Pat Frank
Nine Stories-JD Salinger
The Secret Garden-Frances Hodgson Burnett
Heidi-Johanna Spyri
She’s Come Undone-Wally Lamb
Summer Sisters-Judy Blume
Understanding Exposure-Bryan Peterson
My resolution for 2008 was to read 75 books. Well, I didn't make it. I'm reading #50 right now, but I'll have to count it for 2009 since I won't be done by tonight. So I read 49 books this year. That's not too shabby! I thought I'd talk about my top ten favorites. In no particular order.
"How To Be Lost" by Amanda Eyre Ward This is one of those books that I never wanted to end. It's about three sisters. The youngest one goes missing when she's 5 years old. The story is about how the sisters set out to find her 15 years later. Beautifully written.
"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy I had been meaning to read this book for years. I saw it at the thrift store and decided it was time. I didn't think I'd like it because I heard it was science fiction and I don't like science fiction. I loved this book, though. It's about a man and his son that survive in a wiped out America. They are walking to the coast. It's a depressing book, which, I'll be honest, is my favorite kind. A must-read.
"The Book Of Bright Ideas" by Sandra King This is such a cute book. It's about the friendship of two young girls. Heartwarming. A little depressing. And the names! The character names in this book are great...Button, Winnalee, Freeda.....and also, the author lives in the northwoods of Wisconsin...that's my hood! Those are my peeps!
"Autobiography of a Face" by Lucy Grealy this book hit me right here. (I'm pounding my chest, just imagine it.) I have wanted/dreamed about a nose job for as long as I can remember. This made me realize that it's not that bad. It's the true story of a lady who had a terminal cancer when she was young. She had a third of her jaw removed, and the story is basically about living life with a disfigured face, and all the surgeries she goes through to make it look more "normal".
"Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett OK, I REALLY didn't think I'd like this one. I don't like what I call "history books".....stories set way way way back in time. 1950 is about my limit. But I had heard such good things about it..and then my mom read it and loved it, and that clinched it. We have almost identical book tastes...the only difference I can think of is Barbara Kingsolver books...my mom loves them and I can't stand them. Other than that, though, we're like this. (now I'm crossing my fingers, imagine that too.) Anyway, this book was very well written and entertaining. It's basically about the politics of England during the 12th century, with some great battles and a love story thrown in. Very good.
"We Were The Mulvaneys" by Joyce Carol Oates Another damn Oprah's Book Club book. Anyway, I have had this book for years. Tried to read it once and for whatever reason, never made it through the first chapter. I remember thinking it was dull. Well, I decided to give it another shot, and I sure am glad that I did. Very well written..one of the "I don't want to put this down" books. It's about a family (The Mulvaneys, duh) that starts out very close and by the end, a daughter is exiled, the farm is lost, too much booze is drunk, etc. That sounds awful, but it's written in a way that makes the family very likeable. I found myself caring for all of the characters as if they were real.
"Fay" by Larry Brown this might be my ultimate favorite of the year. What a storyteller. I had never heard of this author, but I found the book at the thrift store, and the summary on the book jacket intrigued me. I guess there's a book before "Fay" called "Joe" that is about the same heroine...I've got to get my hands on it ASAP. This is kind of a coming-of-age novel. The girl runs away from her broken home and finds a man that takes her in and becomes the father she never really had. Until she falls in love with him. Then it gets weird. But good weird. I highly recommend this book.
"The Box Children" by Sharon Wyse this is told in the point of view of an 11 year old girl growing up with a weirdo mom. She lives on a farm and has imaginary friends...the ghosts of the 5 children that her mother miscarried. This book has a dark humor that I love.
"The Scent Of God" by Beryl Singleton Bissell this book is a memoir written by a woman that was a nun and then left her convent for love. (a priest!) It's fascinating to read about joining the nunnery at a young age, and about day to day life in the convent. Fascinating read.
"When Charlotte Comes Home" by Maureen Millea Smith this book is sad. It's about a family dealing with the youngest child getting sick and being in the hospital for a long period of time. Mostly about how her siblings deal with it. It's very beautifully written.
"The Myth of the Welfare Queen" by David Zucchino a non-fiction book that follows a few people that are trapped in the welfare system of Philadelphia. It really sucked me in, and it changed my whole view on welfare. So, there it is! My Top Ten of 2008. Right now I am reading "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb. Wally lamb is my All-Time Favorite Author, and I've been waiting almost 15 years for him to write another book! I'm about halfway through and so far it is EXCELLENT. I'm sure it will be in my top ten for 2009! Happy New Year, and go to the library and check these books out!