Now and Then: Favorite Books
Our friend and reader Levi submitted a question to Lady Bits asking about our favorite books as adolescents. We love the question (and the man -- check out his wonderful podcast) so much that we decided to do him one better. Read on to find out about our favorite books, then AND now.
(If you would like to submit a question to the Ladies, you can do so over on the right side of this page. We'll never publish your name without your permission.)
Steph, Then: I was always the kid with her nose in a book and my library habit was epic; no wonder I grew up to be a speed reader/English major. If I had to pick an actual favorite, it was probably Catherine, Called Birdy, a feminist-y diary set in the 1200s England. You followed a 14 year old girl as she avoided the goons her father tried to marry her off to, and her (gag) journey into womanhood along the way -- I had a hard copy and I checked the book-on-tape out from the library multiple times. I was also really into books about truly terrible things, like serial killers, teens getting terminal illness (*cough* Lurlene McDaniel *cough*), and all the bad scenarios Caroline B. Cooney ever dreamed up.
Steph, Now: I am moving across the country in two months and will be majorly downsizing the pile of material objects I call my own, so this question hits close to home -- I am already dreading trying to decide which books will make the cut! I get hooked on authors more than I do actual titles, so my shelves are filled with Jean Thompson, Bill Bryson, Mary Roach, Chuck Klosterman, John Irving, Amy Tan, Tim O’Brien, Studs Terkel, and Stephen King. The last good book I read was King’s 11/22/63, a novel about a man traveling back in time to prevent JFK’s assassination. It was a great blend of history (and In Cold Blood-esque “imagined history”), sci-fi, and that feeling you get when you finish a book and immediately miss the people and places you have become so attached to.
Rachael, Then: I suppose I was closer to 11 or 12 when I read Where the Red Fern Grows but that book stayed with me for a long time. I think it buried itself into my heart and tore at it in a way no book had done before. When I was a true adolescent (13-18), I was enamored with Mark Twain and John Steinbeck. Grapes of Wrath engulfed me and I read everything else Steinbeck wrote after being assigned that book. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn also holds a special place in my heart because it is the first book I remember laughing out loud to. And of course, all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie books. My mom, sister, and I would cuddle up and read those together before bed when I was really young and that is a memory I will always cherish.
Rachael, Now: This is a much harder question for me to answer. I still love to read and am always reading something. When I traveled for a month through Central America with my sister I read 12 books! I love hostel's take one leave one book policy. Some that pop to mind are The American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld; lovely, smart, and loosely based off of Laura Bush who, if she's anything like the character based off her, struggled to balance publicly showing support while internally taking issue with some of her husband's policies. Also, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergese; an incredible look at all the various types of love. Love of self, love of craft (in this case medicine), familial love, romantic love, love of country, obligatory love. Also if you want to be completely swallowed by a book, read The Hunger Games, I know it's trendy but that's one of the few books where even when I wasn't reading it I could not stop thinking about it.
Anna Wegg, Then: The first book I ever loved was The Giver. I so clearly remember finishing the book and feeling sad, hopeful, exhilarated, and enriched. To this day it's still one of my favorites. Another book that I remember loving as much as The Giver around that age is Ender's Game. It has all of the dreamy, inventive, heartfelt aspects of The Giver, but with added suspense and excitement. I can't believe all these years later a movie is finally being made of Ender's Game. I hope it meets my expectations, which are tippy top high.
Anna Wegg, Now: Since I work for a publisher now I hardly have time to read books that aren't our own. But my very favorite books to read that I will pre-order and wait and wait for them to come are books of essays by funny women that I love. Bossypants, Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me, A Girl Walks Into a Bar, and Happy Accidents are four of my most recent favorites. But I don't want to hate on the men. Michael Ian Black's You're Not Doing it Right was excellent and so heartwarming and honest. I'm ready to read it again soon.
Anna P, Then: One of the first books that I remember loving was Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. I also loved Philip Pullman's Northern Lights trilogy. The books are addictive with the perfect mix of science fantasy, complex plots and high paced adventure. And of course there was Harry Potter. My obsession with the series began the summer my grandmother read the first book aloud to my cousins and me. From then on I was always at the bookstore the first day the new book was released, and I've reread all of the books many many times.
Anna P, Now: The last book I read that I really loved was Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It is so beautifully written and thoughtful, that I was genuinely sad when I finished it. Another favorite is the book that first got me obsessed with birth: Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent. When my best friend gave it to me, I had no idea how much it would change my perception and passion for birth and pregnancy. Like Anna Wegg, I also love books by my favorite funny ladies, and the romantic sap in me adores The Time Travelers Wife and One Day, even though they are the only two books that have made me cry.
Steph, Then: I was always the kid with her nose in a book and my library habit was epic; no wonder I grew up to be a speed reader/English major. If I had to pick an actual favorite, it was probably Catherine, Called Birdy, a feminist-y diary set in the 1200s England. You followed a 14 year old girl as she avoided the goons her father tried to marry her off to, and her (gag) journey into womanhood along the way -- I had a hard copy and I checked the book-on-tape out from the library multiple times. I was also really into books about truly terrible things, like serial killers, teens getting terminal illness (*cough* Lurlene McDaniel *cough*), and all the bad scenarios Caroline B. Cooney ever dreamed up.
Rachael, Then: I suppose I was closer to 11 or 12 when I read Where the Red Fern Grows but that book stayed with me for a long time. I think it buried itself into my heart and tore at it in a way no book had done before. When I was a true adolescent (13-18), I was enamored with Mark Twain and John Steinbeck. Grapes of Wrath engulfed me and I read everything else Steinbeck wrote after being assigned that book. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn also holds a special place in my heart because it is the first book I remember laughing out loud to. And of course, all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie books. My mom, sister, and I would cuddle up and read those together before bed when I was really young and that is a memory I will always cherish. 
Anna Wegg, Then: The first book I ever loved was The Giver. I so clearly remember finishing the book and feeling sad, hopeful, exhilarated, and enriched. To this day it's still one of my favorites. Another book that I remember loving as much as The Giver around that age is Ender's Game. It has all of the dreamy, inventive, heartfelt aspects of The Giver, but with added suspense and excitement. I can't believe all these years later a movie is finally being made of Ender's Game. I hope it meets my expectations, which are tippy top high.
Anna P, Then: One of the first books that I remember loving was Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. I also loved Philip Pullman's Northern Lights trilogy. The books are addictive with the perfect mix of science fantasy, complex plots and high paced adventure. And of course there was Harry Potter. My obsession with the series began the summer my grandmother read the first book aloud to my cousins and me. From then on I was always at the bookstore the first day the new book was released, and I've reread all of the books many many times. 
What a trip down memory lane! Anna P, I have very clear memories of reading Walk Two Moons. That book broke my heart clear in two. Speaking of moons, did you ever read Moon Over Crete? That was another moon fave-o. I think my favorite childhood book was The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery. Next time I go home I'm going find all these gems and read them right up.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Moon Over Crete! I will look it up. They recently turned Walk Two Moons into a play, which I would have loved to have seen. Such an amazing but heart wrenching story!
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