From JJ

This isn't necessarily about teaching but it IS about books- therefore I deem it appropriate for this blog (plus, I'm the author- I get to choose to put whatever I want in here....) So here goes.

1) One book that changed your life.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I loved it as a story when I was little and then when I grew up, I felt a strong connection to the symbolic ties- Aslan sacrificing himself, Edmund's temptation of Turkish Delight and being a prince, the power of family and friendship. Plus, things just get better as you read on and continue to see symbols in the other six Chronicles of Narnia.

2) One book that you have read more than once.

The Outsiders. It's short but so incredibly powerful that as soon as I get to the end, I just want to go back to the beginning and read it all over again. (It's also possible that I want to do so because the last lines and first lines are the same....)

3) One book you would want on a desert island.
Honestly, probably The Idiot's Guide to Survival. Seriously, I highly doubt my abilities to keep myself alive on a desert island. Now, if I was just chilling on a desert island for a long time by myself, I'd probably want London by Edward Rutherfurd because it's loooooonnng and keeps me captivated.

4) Two books that made you laugh.
Anything by Bill Bryson but especially Notes from a Small Island. Parts like "My neighbor is a darkie", "Colins Crapspanties", "Don't call me bub....", pretty much made me snort with laughter the entire time.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. So bizarre (no wonder, coming from the likes of Douglas Adams) but also so hilarious. It teachings you how to fly, reminds you of the dangers of tax evasion (being dead for a year), the answer to the Big Question of Life, the Universe and Everything (42) and features at one point of a cello player. Plus, how can you not laugh at an alien who spends his entire life going around and insulting every single person in the entire universe?

5) One book that made you cry.
Only Revolutions by Mark Danielewski. By the time I got to the end, I was so entranced by the love Sam and Hailey had for each other than by the time the book concluded and it wasn't the happy ending I was expecting, I had tears running down my cheeks.

6) One book you wish you’d written.
The Little House on the Prairie books. First of all, I grew up wanting to be Laura Ingalls Wilder. Secondly, because she wrote it, she obviously experienced so much history- living in Indian Territory and being removed by the US Army; living in the Dakotas before they were states; experiencing the locust plagues that often happened in the midwest. She lived such a life, seeing all these things! I'm jealous!

7) One book you wish had never been written.

Honestly, I can't think of one right now (at least something significant- I kind of don't like all those self-help books, which I never read, but I guess they're useful to someone...) but when I was in eleventh grade, I HATED reading Tess of the d'Urbervilles and honestly wished that Thomas Hardy had spent his life doing something else. Maybe he would have been a good blacksmith?

8)Two books you are currently reading.

Before. I just stared it so there's not too much to say although I have been enjoying the first few chapters. Also, technically it's not reading but it is a book so I say it counts. I'm listening to The Da Vinci Code on CD when I fall asleep and it's been interesting. As a basis for Christian belief, it's crap, as a story, it's decently captivating. But as a written piece of work, honestly, it's also kind of crap. Dan Brown is not the world's best author... not even close. But at least he can hold an audience.

9) One book you’ve been meaning to read.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Colin's told me for teh last four months to read it. I've given it a start but didn't have a chance to finish so I'm got to go back and give in another try this summer, possibly when I go to England since I'll have lots of time on my hands.