A Few of My Favorite Things

Just in time for the long holiday weekend, there's a nice little piece in the Washington Post about one's favorite gift books. I've actually never thought about such a qualification before, so I'll need some time before I include my own favorite gift books.

One that I know will be there, however, is John Irving's The World According to Garp. If you read my other recent post about favorite books, you know that I hold that tale dear to my heart. But how I first discovered the book is a different story. I don't know if I'd seen the movie or not. But a high school friend and I exchanged items: she got my tape of Pink Floyd's Umma Gumma, and I took home Garp. I don't think it was meant to be a permanent exchange (though I eventually bought the Umma Gumma CD to replace what had been passed along), so I read the book right away despite having the usual array of high school classes.

I loved the characters, and I eventually rented the VHS (way back in the 1980s and even into the 1990s, there were things called video tapes, kids...) of the movie and fell in love with that too.

Anyway, I'll need to think about favorite gift books. But while I do, I invite you all to share your favorites. You don't need to share five; any number will do. Just say what it is and, if you'd like, why you love it. Or email it to elephantsbookshelf@gmail.com if you'd prefer to stay anonymous online.

Vote for Your Favorite Books!

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is looking for a few good readers.

Specifically, they're asking readers to vote for their favorite page-turners, in anticipation of the Decatur book festival. From what I can tell, they don't care whether you live in Atlanta or Atlantis, so if you love books and have an opinion, I think you should feel free to let them know what you think are the best.

Personally, I think they'll have a lot of readers from their local area voting too, since the AJC used to have a highly regarded literary section and the city has traditionally been among the most literate in the country. (Props to you, Atlanta! And this from a Mets fan.)

And if you'd care to share your favorites here on the Elephant's Bookshelf, I'd love to know what you're reading. You'll find mine below very soon.

[Added later in day]
Ok, here's my list of favorites, though I honestly have too many favorites to limit to just five. These are the five that come most quickly to mind.

1) The World According to Garp – John Irving
2) The Lord of the Rings trilogy – J.R.R. Tolkien
3) To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
4) The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon
5) Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury

Other books I would keep on the proverbial desert island:
Cat's Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut
A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
Franny & Zooey – J.D. Salinger
The Book of Lost Things – John Connolly
The Lust of the Eyes – Matt Sinclair
Practical Demonkeeping – Christopher Moore

{Yes, I tucked my own unpublished novel in there. Why not? It's my island!}