Holly's Page

This can be a quick one. Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1. Harriet the Spy, Fitzhugh. This is the first book I thought of because I remember reading it as a 5th grader and loving the fact that Harriet had such a strong sense of self.

2. The Phantom Tollbooth, Feiffer. I tell my students that this is my favorite book. The truth is that I still feel a little like Milo. I would do so much better in life if I didn't get caught in the doldrums. Also..this was my first discovery learning new vocabulary words. I still remember one character being the Awful Din. I must have used that word a thousand times, much to the annoyance of my friends.

3. Seven Day Magic, Eager. It was hard to pick just one Edward Eager book. I loved them all and read them over and over again. I like this one because one of the characters writes poetry and starts a poem, "Alas for human dignity" It just sounded so deep to me as a child, I have never forgotten it.

4. Little Women, Alcott. It will come as no surprise to you that I wanted to be just like Jo.

5. Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare. I know this is a play, but it is meaningful to me because it was the first Shakespeare play I read and could understand. Also, I was in Junior High and able to form arguments about the ending with other people because I was so frustrated that Kate becomes such a loser in the end.

6. Saint Maybe, Tyler. Again, it was hard to pick just one Anne Tyler book. I like this one the best because it is about how people can change over time. I couldn't leave it off the list because it was the inspiration for Daphne's name.

7. Catcher in the Rye, Salinger. You have to read this before you turn 18. Otherwise, you will think Holden is just a whiny bitch. Thankfully, I read it when I was 16 and was totally enamored with one Mr. Caulfield.

8. Naked Lunch, Burroughs. How could he treat his body like that and live for so long? This book is beautiful at time and one of the grossest things I have read at other times. Whether you like it or not, it is a book that will stay with you.

9. And Then There Were None, Cristie. The only book assigned to me in high school that I enjoyed reading.

10. Secret Garden, Burnett. Everything English is wonderful to a girl growing up in Utah.

11. Illusions, Bach. The perfect antidote to growing up in an oppresive culture.

12. Forest People, Turnbull. The perfect antidote for growing up in an ethnocentric culture.

13. The Book of Learning and Forgetting, Smith. Frank Smith changed the way I teach. This book not only made me a better educatior, but a better advocate for children.

14. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Albee. I know this is a play, but I was a theatre major in college. Jack and I are the masters of the game "Get the Guest".

15. The Graveyard Book, Gaiman. I know this is a new book, but it is one that will stick with me. Gaiman creates such wonderful characters and settings.

Thanks to http://www.aprille.org