Adventures in..

Books have always been an important part of my life. My mom, the first grade teacher, would sit in a c-shaped old fashioned reading group table during her pregnancy and teaching phonics. She also keeps my first books and first little outfits wrapped up together in yellowing tissue paper. Now, I've noticed that a lot of my reader friends talk about teaching themselves to read at 2 or 3. I didn't. I remember sort of reading some little sight words with my mom in kindergarden (I remember the word "see" in particular) but not really catching on the reading thing until the end of first grade, begining of second. Once I caught on I couldn't stop. I was the kid who hung out in the library instead of going out to recess. I read through the children's sections of any library that I came into contact with. I also became a book snob- I loved the Babysitter's Club books (very big circa 1989) but would ONLY read the extrabig ones (were they called the Secret Specials or am I making that up?). I also went through a Little House on the Prarie obsession (as did N. we also both dressed up as Laura for Halloween numerous times. Once she thought it was such a cool original costume and wore it to a costume party. She was welcomed by 9 other Lauras and a Smurf. I love that story). I've been reading some memes on other blogs- you're supposed to highlight from a list of books (it looks like it could maybe be the 100 best sellers of all times). Let's make it more fun. Here are my top 25 (fiction, grown up books) that I can think of right now. I'll do installments of my favorite kids books, non-fiction books, etc later on.

Enjoy (ps I just wrote this list and already remembered one to add, oh well)

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
2. I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb
3. Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe by Fanny Flagg
4. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
5. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
6. Child of a Rainless Year by Jane Lindskold
7. The All-True Adventures of Liddie Newton by Jane Smiley
8. & 9. The Kid and The Commitment by Dan Savage
10. Donorboy by Brendan Halpin
11. The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
12. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alverez
13. The Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood
14. Carmello by Sandra Cisneros
15. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
16. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy
17. Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear by Leslea Newman
18. The Human Comedy by William Saroyan
19. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
20. Bingo by Rita Mae Brown
21. Mila 18 by Leon Uris
22. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
23. & 24. Yo! and How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alverez
25. The Girls by Lori Lansens