My Favorite Books

This post is #8 in my September Writing Project. Details are here.

Prompt: Write about your favorite books.

I could probably spend HOURS writing about my favorite books. I’d go back through all the book reports my parents saved and let you know what stories I enjoyed from pre-school on up. My parents made sure to instill a love of reading in their kids and it worked. 

I fell out of the habit for a few years in my late 20s, but once Bean was born, I rediscovered my love of a good book. Out of a sense of parental duty, I started taking my little girl to the library about once a week. Our public library has a fantastic kids section and she’s always enjoyed spending time there. It was hard to browse books for myself when she was around so I began requesting items for the hold shelf. Before long, we’d come home Tuesday afternoons with a shopping bag of books—mostly Daniel Tiger and Disney stories, but a few items stashed in there for me too.

Somehow I’d gotten busy and forgotten how great it feels to lay on the couch and lose myself for a few hours. Who am I kidding? I usually grab 15 minutes here and there while the kids are distracted, but it adds up.

I was able to immediately list a couple of my favorites for this post, and then fell down the rabbit-hole. I googled “books students read in high school” and from there, spiraled out of control. In the last 20 minutes, I’ve requested seven new books from the library and decided to re-read one of my favorite series from my youth.

In spite of all that, I managed to divide my list into six categories with ONLY THREE BOOKS in each. This was harder than it sounds.

Favorite Non-Fiction

Brave, Not Perfect by Reshma Saujani – I covered this one here. The message sticks. A few times just this past week when making I decision, I thought “do I want to be brave or do I want to be perfect?”

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – This is my favorite book on creativity. I read this when I first starting writing again. For so long, I had thought of myself as a corporate person because I work in a corporate setting. This book reminded me that I have creativity inside of me that wants to be out in the world.

Then Again by Diane Keaton – Memoirs are perhaps my all-time favorite kind of book to read. Lest you think I am a super deep person who is reading about world leaders and historical figures, please know that the vast majority of memoirs I read are about people in Hollywood. I like what I like.

This memoir is fantastic and so moving. Diane shares all kinds of stories about her life as a child and a successful artist, but interspersed in there are excerpts from her mother’s diary. They give so much more color to the stories.

My dad gave me this book for Christmas the first year my mom was gone. I cried frequently while reading it. But it was so cleansing. It was one of those books that makes you heave a hefty sigh when you close it for the final time.

Favorite Adult Fiction

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling – Wow. I finished the series a few months ago and was stunned by how powerful it was. I regret resisting these books for so long. I know I was late to the game, but I’ll be re-reading these for the rest of my life.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – When I first read this in high school, I was fascinated by the idea that a 16-year-old could have so many experiences in such a short period of time. I think Holden Caulfield was about the most complex character I’d read at that point, and that made me want to read his story over and over again.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory – Something about this book gripped me pretty tightly, which I was surprised by because it’s not the type of book I usually gravitate toward. Historically accurate? Probably not, but that’s why it’s fiction. If you’re super into history, don’t read this because I think you’ll be irked. If you’re looking for a twisty novel of romance and betrayal, go for it.

Favorite Books for Babies and Tiny Ones

So these weren’t my favorite books as a baby because I have no clue what I actually liked. As a parent though, these stories rise to the top of the list.

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman – I love all of Nancy Tillman’s baby books. This is the first one I read and the sentiments are so sweet, beautiful and true to my experience as a mother. We also have The Wonder of You; Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You; and I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault – Who doesn’t love this story? It’s fun to read and likely one of the big reasons our kids both mostly knew the alphabet by age two.

Chysanthemum by Kevin Henkes – This is a new addition to our collection. It’s such a sweet story about acceptance and treating others well. If you read this, pay attention to the books Chrysanthemum’s father reads. Hilarious.

Favorite Books from K-4

Magic Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer – This was one of my mom’s favorites from childhood. I recall checking it out of the library over and over. When my dad gave me Then Again, he also gave me a first edition copy of this book and it’s such a treasure. Perfect for young kids who believe in magic.

Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards – Yes, Mary Poppins wrote this. This is a magical story about a little girl who creates a home for herself and finds a friend she didn’t know she had.

The American Girl Series by various authors – I loved these books growing up. My favorites were Felicity and Samantha. The American Girl brand is so much more now, but the original series has my heart.

Favorite Books from Middle School Years

A Time for Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin – Sad and sweet with some heavy themes. My best friend from elementary school was also a dancer and we read this book over and over again. Don’t waste your time on the sequel though.

The Alice Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor – Ugh, I loved the Alice McKinley books. There are more than 25 of them! I think my library only had a few so I’m starting at the beginning and reading this straight through.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg – This story about two kids who lived in MoMA captured my imagination and made me seriously consider if I could survive at Cincinnati’s Union Terminal.

Favorite Books from High School

The Awakening by Kate Chopin – To speak how the kids speak these days, this books is #FeministAF. I know I’m not cool, it’s fine. As a parent now, I have trouble wrapping my mind around some of Edna’s decisions, but it’s pretty cool that back in 1899 Kate Chopin was thinking about a woman’s agency and gender roles.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding – I had to read this three different times while in school and I enjoyed it each and every time. Didn’t everyone have to read this book at some point between the ages of 12 and 17?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Such a classic. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” Sigh.

Of note: I said above that I could spend hours writing about my favorite books. This post ended up taking more than two hours to put together.