Books

One book that changed my life This may seem like a cop-out, but I read voraciously, so I can't pick one. They have all changed my life, even the ones I didn't like, even if all they did was make me realize, "My name is Irma Floresta, and I do NOT like this book." They all teach me something.

One book I have read more than once Tough one. If a book is worth keeping in my library, I have read it at least twice. Many of the books I own have been read ten times or more, and I am not ashamed of this. I will give a sample of (some) of these books at the end of this post.

One book I would want on a deserted island The Grapes of Wrath, which I have read at least twenty times. It never gets old to me, and I find something new everytime

One book that made me laugh The Shopaholic series. I can not relate to that way of life, because I hate shopping, but she still cracks me up.

One book that made me cry Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. My God, that scene where Vivi gives her daughter the vial for her tears...stop it, you're killing me. And furthermore, I lose it everytime I reread it.

One book I wish I had written Anything. I wish I had followed my dream and written anything. God bless those who have the courage.

One book I wish I had never been written Bridges of Madison County. Don't misunderstand me, the movie directed by Clint Eastwood was flawless and among my top ten movies of all time, but the book? Spare me, and bitch-slap buddy who wrote it while you're at it. I have a pretty healthy talent for "suspension of disbelief", but don't expect me to believe that ANYONE in the history of Language, turned to their beloved and said (more or less), "Robert, I am almost afraid of your physical presence, it overwhelms the senses so. Molecules seem to fall out of their preordained place when you enter a room." Ummm....yeah....I said that to Husbandly One just the other day.

One book I'm reading now The Mapmaker's Wife by Robert Whitaker, a slightly fictionalized account of Isabel Grameson (real person), who, in 1769, crossed the Andes and travelled the Amazon River on a 3,000 mile journey to join her husband in French Guinea. I am still in the formative chapters, which explain how cartography was the hottest (and most elusive) science of the day. So no real character development yet, and I have no idea what happends to Isabel, but it's fascinating to think about a society where kingdoms were racing to figure out how to calculate longitude.

One book I have been meaning to read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

One book I recommend to others Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. Her books in this series are looooooong, and they don't fit in to a nice, neat category (well, at least not until they create a category called "Really long - historical - fantasy - romance - thriller - contemporary - mystery - social commentary - did I mention REALLY long??") But omigod, the books in the series are worth it.

Books I love (in no particular order, and not an all-inclusive list) Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. Madame Bovary by Flaubert. Most D.H. Lawrence. Gerald's Game by Stephen King. The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Fall on your Knees by Ann Marie MacDonald. The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. The Stand by Stephen King. I am ashamed to say it, but the Clan of the Cavebear series by Jean M. Auel. Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. To be a Jew by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin. The Griffin & Sabine trilogy by Nick Bantock. Every "Dummies" book I have ever bought-- computers, gardening, wine, Disney, whatever. And, of course,last but assuredly not least, the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.