Thursday Thirteen #10

13 Books that I Love

1. Amy's Eyes, Richard Kennedy. This is a children's book that I read in elementary school. After reading it the first time I begged my mom to buy a copy for me, which she eventually did. And then I read it again. The story is told through the eyes of a doll, and I just found it magical. It is one of the earliest books that I really remember having a love affair with.

2. Chronicles of Narnia, Clive Staples Lewis. I still hold such a fondness for these 7 books in my heart. I loved seeing the movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and it took me right back to this story. I cannot wait to re-read these through Jake :)

3. Dune, Frank Herbert. Okay, I love the mystical and science fiction realm in books. This one was powerful -- just the totally other-worldliness of this book blew me away.

4. Shogun, James Clavell. After reading this book, I went on to read other books by James Clavell, and loved them, all, but Shogun remains my favorite.

5. Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley. So nice to read a 'historical' book about feminine power. This was one of my early introductions to the concept of goddesses and female power, which I sorely needed after a childhood immersed in patriarchal religion via church and 12 years of Catholic school (no regrets, though!).

6. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien. Just truly great writing and wonderful magical fantasy. I've read all 4 books a total of 3 times in my life so far.

7. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving. Like with Shogun, after reading this I went on to read his other books -- The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, etc. Amazing storytelling with incredibly rich characters.

8. The Power of One, Bryce Courtnenay. My introduction to the concept of racial segregation and a look into the society behind this one. A real eye-opener for me.

9. Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May Gaskin. One of the very first books I read in relation to babies and birth. Introduced the idea to me that birth is not just a physical event, but a very spiritual one as well. And well? Hospitals are not the best facilitators of the spiritual side of this amazing event. My wonderful homebirth with Jake is directly attributable to picking up and reading this book 6 years prior.

10. A Woman's Book of Life, Joan Borysenko. Another book that introduced the concept of woman's bodies and the cycles of life as being more than just objective physical events. This book ties in the emotional, mental, and spiritual issues related to all the cycles of a woman's life. Helped me to get to know myself better in a holistic sense.

11. Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins. This book is extremely well-written and just had me laughing the whole way through.

12. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson. My first poignant introduction to the concept of environmalism and the fact that humans could actually cause known and unknown damage.

13. This one is a tie between Barbara Kingsolver and Isabel Allende and their books. I love Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, Bean Trees, Small Wonders, and most recent, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. She has a wonderful style for both fiction that addresses very human issues, and more recently for environmetal issues. Allende's books, including The House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, and Portrait in Sepia are wonderful for looking at Latin American perspectives and mysticism.