I have borrowed this idea
from Rosemary at Reading and Writing. Rosemary received a blog award and
instead of doing ‘interesting things about myself’, Rosemary decided to list seven
of her most memorable reads which I thought was a great idea. You can read Rosemary's choices here.
It is more difficult than it might appear to choose just seven books,
because once you start to think, more come to you and I’m sure as soon as I
post this I’ll think of more. I’ve already deleted some and added different
ones. There are just so many!
I saw this book on the second hand shelf
outside our local bookshop. It was 50 pence and didn't look as if it had ever
been opened. It was the best 50 pence I ever spent and now I have bought the
book to read again (only £1.99 on Kindle at the moment and it is a
very big book). It tells the story of three generations of women in China. Will
Self said the book made him feel like a 5 year old and that is exactly how it
made me feel.
My son bought this book for
me for my birthday a few years ago after I read Ricky Tomlinson’s autobiography
in which he said that reading The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists changed his
life. My interest was piqued. I won’t say it changed my life, but it certainly
widened my knowledge and is a very enlightening read. It gives a vivid account
of life in the early 1900s. It’s another book I wanted to read again and
although I’d kept the paperback, I found it on Kindle – free! Even the
paperback version is now only £1.99
Several years ago my friend
told me I should read this book. I wasn't interested in reading about explorers
or ice, but she had never failed me in a book recommendation, so I bought it. I
have since read it three times and will again. It is so well written although
some parts are very hard to read (dogs, cat) – you will know what I mean if you have read it. Reading this book started a fascination with polar exploration
that has had me reading countless books about it.
I read this at school and my
goodness it came as a shock after I’d been reading books like, What Katy Did,
Little Women, Dr Dolittle and such. It is so long since I read it, I would like
to read it again, but I do remember it very well. I also remember my little socks
being shocked right off the ends of my feet!
As a child I loved reading
books about animals and how I cried when I read Black Beauty. It is free on Kindle
and I am going to read it again. I’ll just have to make sure I have plenty of
tissues on hand for the tears I know will come.
I fell into this book from
the first line and loved the way it was written, spoken by Dolores as she
recounts her story to the police when they question her about the death of her
long term employer, Vera Donovan. And there are no chapters. I don’t think I’d
ever read a book without chapters before. I’ve read just about everything
Stephen King has written and a great deal of it is memorable, but for the
purpose of this post I wanted to choose just one and Dolores won. Not a horror
novel, but a powerful story with two strong, memorable women, Dolores and Vera
at its heart.
This is the story of a couple
who stay on in India after 1947. Moving and funny, another one I really must
read again. And it reminds me that I also want to read the Raj Quartet.
Would anyone else like to
follow Rosemary’s lead and tell us seven memorable books?
Will you look at that? I
might have known he’d worm his way in somewhere. He loved having his two far
away little people here to stay and there were so many tears when they had to
say goodbye.
Sorry about the muddly fonts! Not quite sure how it happened, but I can't change it! Sigh. Never mind.
Oh, Black Beauty! Dated now, sadly, but I must have read,it scores of times,mand wept over "poor Ginger". Interesting choices, Teresa.
ReplyDeleteI well up even now thinking about Poor Ginger x
DeleteOh Black Beauty. How I cried! Fabulous choice of books, Teresa. It's always so good to have a book recommended. I've SO many on Kindle and shelves of 'proper' books - which I still love - to read so I don't think I'll be reading them yet but good to know your recommendations are there :-) xx
ReplyDeleteI've thought of so many more, Sue. That's the wonderful thing about books isn't it - so many are memorable :-) x
DeleteWhenever I see these lists it reminds me how many good books there are which I haven't read yet.
ReplyDeleteI like Stephen Kings writing but I don't like horror. I'll give Dolores a go.
I think you'll enjoy it, Patsy :-) x
DeleteSo pleased you did your own list, Teresa - and you should have taken the blog award too! Love your choices - have only read Black Beauty and Lord of the Flies from your list. I enjoy seeing what other people read and find memorable!
ReplyDeleteI have thought of more since, Rosemary. I become so torn between reading these again and reading something new, but I think how lucky we are that there are so many books for us to choose from :-) x
DeleteHi Teresa, lovely pictures, and I hate goodbyes... One of my favourite books is Wind in the Willows, and Alice in Wonderland. I love all P.G. Wodehouse books, and now I like anything by M.C. Beaton. I must say that Teresa Ashby writes a good story as well:)))
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan :-) I'm going to read your new Redington serial at the weekend, looking forward to that :-) x
DeleteYou have some good reading there Teresa
ReplyDeleteI do, Colette :-)
DeleteSome great choices there, Teresa!
ReplyDeleteMine would have to include: The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, Girl with Green Eyes by Edna O' Brien, The World is full of Married Men by Jackie Collins, Six Bad Boys by Enid Blyton, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and 4.50 from Paddington Agatha Christie. x
Ah Heidi! Your choices are interesting, Lynette. I don't think I'd heard of Six Bad Boys. It's funny but originally I had an Enid Blyton book on my list - and Charles Dickens, If I hadn't posted these books, I'd still be chopping and changing :-) x
DeleteLovely choices, Teresa. I'm very keen to read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists and have intended to do so for ages, so this has prompted me. My husband will be very interested in the Stephen King, as he loves the non-horror ones and I don't think he has read Dolores Claiborne yet. xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you will enjoy it, Joanna. It is one of those once read never forgotten kind of books :-) x
DeleteI picked a selection of books I have enjoyed from the shelves, but there are many more; A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini; The Help, Kathryn Stockett; Me Before You, Jojo Moyes; The Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger; Before I go to Sleep, S J Watson; The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough; The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey; anything by Jodi Picoult, Sarah Waters and Kate Atkinson. A book that stays with me is The Book Thief. So many books, so little time!
ReplyDeleteOh The Help Maggie! How could I forget that. It should have been on my list! I've always wanted to read The Thorn Birds too. I wish I could speed read :-) x
DeleteWe did Lord of the Flies for O Level. I've never read it again since then, but it's always stayed with me.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to mention To Kill a Mockingbird - and gosh, so many others! I regret not keeping a list of all the books I've read over the years - I think you might have said you kept one yourself? But I guess the really great books stick in your mind, and the ones you forget are just... forgettable.
Happy reading. x
I think we need a longer list, Joanne! To Kill a Mockingbird - I didn't read that until my daughter did it at school and told me I must read it too and she was right. It should have been on my list!
DeleteYes, I write down in a notebook which books I read and I mark them out of 10 but I've only been doing it for a few years. I wished I'd started it when I was a teenager. It serves as a reminder of which authors I like and which to avoid x