However, the iron will was soon won over, and before long my father was patiently answering all my vocabulary questions, even though they came at a rate of almost two per minute. This particular edition was one where ‘country’ was still spelled ‘countree’(don’t ask me why). In a short amount of time, Black Beauty, King Arthur, Treasure Island, Heidi, Alice and Wonderland, and Arabian Nights had all emptied every ounce of their precious contents into my eager head.
The minute my little hand closed around the binding of Robin Hood, I became curious. I have never been able to shake that curiosity. Since that day, books have had a dramatic impact on my heart and mind, shattering my mental horizons and placing my inexperienced feet in shoes I never thought I could fill. Books open the windows, reveal the trapdoor, and provide the secret combination to the vault of adventure, the restless mind, and the deepest confines of the human heart. I have grown to love “words, words, words” as Hamlet would say; finding myself making connections between my own reality and the journeys of characters I have come to know, love, and sometimes despise.
Books help us to write our own story as we go….
Here are a couple I highly recommend.
-Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Not for the faint of heart but absolutely exquisite. Raw human emotion as told by none other).
-Joan D’Arc by Mark Twain (Mark Twain was an atheist. Joan was a Saint who saw angels. Yes, it is extraordinary. This book is a complete masterpiece).
-The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (A stirring and historically accurate look into the sunset of the Native American peoples. Very striking. I read this book years ago and the ending still haunts me).
-Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. (What childhood is complete without the magical genius that is only found in the wizarding world?)
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Whoa! Communism DOES NOT work. I Promise. Such a powerful book. One of the most beautifully written texts I have ever read and English was her second language).- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Timeless even though it is steeped in the culture of the roaring 20’s. This story always makes me think of the line in Kipling’s poem “If” ‘If you can dream, and not make dreams your master’. I love the character of Gatsby. I wonder if you will too..)
- Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. (It’s Russian literature. Need I say more? May ruin your day if you get lost in the pages for too long, but a necessary read. A fascinating look into the mind of a criminal. Feel the weight of guilt. Understand the agony of the hunted. Wrestle with the horror of an act that cannot be retaken even when it seemed justified….at the time).-Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. (Gripping. Addresses the animalistic or “natural” man within all of us. A civilized individual lost to the African jungle).
- The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. (A happy, little parable about finding joy in the journey. A quick read for a smile and a good think. Felt like a breath of fresh air).
Ahhh… I could go on for hours! Happy Reading
