Thursday 8 May 2014

Favourite Books (Judge me if you must)

April 8

Share your 9 favourite books of all time.

You know when somebody ask you what music you listen to, and you just KNOW that they are asking to judge you?

That's how I feel about this post. I tell you what my favourite nine books are, you can judge me.

Then again, I've also admitted this month that I play Candy Crush Here  and watch soap operas Here. I guess this post can just be room for more judgement. (haha).



Now, to choose my nine favourite books of all time. Not an easy task. Those are my books. In the boxes, and the ones I hadn't packed yet.


I have linked to my original thoughts on some of the books. As I've said before, I at one time tried to start a book blog. To put it bluntly, it was a very half-assed attempt. Some of these books are before, and some of them are just simply not on there because I forgot. I'm trying to get back to writing about books, but I am a slow reader lately.

I'm actually not good at critiquing books. I like them or I don't. Even when I don't like them, I usually force myself to finish the book.  So my descriptions of why I love books may not make sense. I just do or I don't.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch: I've read this book more than once. I love the journey she took (although sad that she was forced to take it), and I loved all the characters. I enjoyed the movie as well, but it was missing A LOT of what was in the book. That makes sense: a five hour movie would have been hard to take.
Here are some reviews on Goodreads. It's either love it or hate, I guess. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32234.White_Oleander?from_search=true

Still Alice by Lisa Genova: I honestly think that anybody who has known or dealt with Alzheimer's should read this book. It's not often you can put yourself in the situation of somebody going through that. How does it feel to slowly lose your memory? I hope I never find out. (As soon as I unpack, I'm going to find this book and read it again). It made me see my grandma's situation in a different way.
Goodread reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2153405.Still_Alice?from_search=true

Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes: This book was brilliant. I read a short story version when I was in high school, and read the novel while in Korea. It's a beautiful and sad story. It, like Still Alice, helps you to see something in the eyes of somebody else who experiences the world in a different way. I've not seen the movie.
Goodread reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18373.Flowers_for_Algernon


Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: From My Book Blog: Anne I don't think I need to explain why I love this book. I've talked about the character more than once. Here and Here. This book is for dreamers, or people who want to be dreamers. I loved the movie as well.
Goodread Reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8127.Anne_of_Green_Gables

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda: Thoughts from my Book Blog Honestly, my thoughts on the book blog almost say it all. I have read this twice, and I'm sure I'll read it many more times. I like books with different cultures than mine. I like learning new things, and learning about new ideas, and seeing things differently than I'm used to. I loved this book. I loved the story, I loved the characters (especially the Grandma), and I loved the settings.

Goodread reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6905012-secret-daughter

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers: My Book Blog Thoughts Side note, the author lives in Saskatoon. This book is written in a different way than any other I've read. It is also proof that something profound and heartbreaking can be done in few words. Something I could probably learn from.

Goodread reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256003.Life_on_the_Refrigerator_Door

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult: This was my travel book while sight seeing in Thailand and Taiwan. I shared the story with my travel partner, and when I finished the book, I cried. I was also shocked. FYI: The movie is NOT the same as the book. If you've watched the movie, do not assume you know the ending.

However, I have to admit one thing. This is the only Jodi Picoult book I've loved. I've finally given up on her. I read this book first, and tried to like all the others. I didn't. I was hoping she'd be like an author I read in high school, Lurlene McDaniel. I read those terribly sad books, and I loved them all. This didn't happen with Jodi Picoult. At least I loved this one. Not everybody did, as you can see by the reviews.

Goodread reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10917.My_Sister_s_Keeper

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan: I read this in university and I loved it. Unfortunately, I only read it once, and I can't remember anything other than the fact that I loved it. (I hated the class though). When I unpack, I'm going to search for it, and read it again. If I can't find it, I guess I'll add it to my birthday list. It was a book that allowed me to see life in North America through different eyes and a different culture.

Goodread reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7763.The_Joy_Luck_Club

The Help by Kathryn Stockett: What I said on the Book Blog It was a book that I couldn't put down, although I wasn't sure if I wanted to include it in my top nine. The fact that I couldn't decide what else to replace it with was why it won. Although as it gets farther and farther away from my first impressions, I've started to like it less.

Goodread reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4667024-the-help

Also, honourable mention goes to the book I just finished:

Dead Rock Stars by Wes Funk: I really enjoyed this book. It was his first, and I can't wait to read all the rest. I also just took a workshop from him in Saskatoon, which makes it all the more exciting that I loved this book. Thoughts from the Book Blog

Also, here is the entry about the workshop, which was great, but I wrote the post with a dark cloud over my head. It's gone now. http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/04/writing-workshop.html

I also think The Book Thief is going to be on this list, but I haven't finished it yet. Below is a picture of a quote from the book. That's about where I am. I'm adding reviews below, but I haven't read them yet. Death gives enough spoilers in the actual book.

Reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief



 
 
To remember what my favourite books are, I had to log into Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/. It's also when I realised, I'm currently reading three books. I don't know how I ever finish a book.
 
MAN, I like links.
 
Most of my ideas are coming from http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/03/march-24th-looking-forward.html It's leads to another blog where I found the ideas. My April onward details start with that post.


And as always:

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

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