One of the latest rounds of "tag" that has been going around the social networking sites asks friends to name 15 books they've read that will always stick with them. I generally avoid these games like the plague, but I readily admit that I have enjoyed perusing others' lists–I'm always looking for something new to read and it's fun to see how many of my friends' favorites that I've already finished. So let's play a condensed version. Below I've named three books that have had an impact on my life–two are classics, one relatively new. I'd love to know one, two, or three of yours!
When my sisters and I were young, my father would read The Happy Prince to us during the holidays. Oscar Wilde's tale of the ultimate gift of love and sacrifice was a meaningful story for the season, and inevitably Dad would be choking back tears by the time he got to the last page. The book left me with two important messages that remain with me to this day: the importance of giving to others in need and that real men do cry.
I think I've mentioned before that I have read Pride and Prejudice almost every year since I was 13. I love it that much. I adore Jane Austen's use of language, so descriptive and full of wit. And I sometimes find myself, much to the chagrin of friends, wanting to talk like a woman right out of the Regency era for days afterward. I have cherished all of Austen's novels (well, OK, Northanger Abbey the least), but this one is at the top of the list. And yes, the movies and endless adaptations of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet's story are swell (Bridget Jones's Diary being a particular favorite), but nothing beats the original. It forever sealed my fate to love all things British.
Full disclosure: The author, Kim Sunee, is a friend and former colleague. Her memoir, Trail of Crumbs, follows her abandonment by her birth mother in a South Korean market to her adoption by a New Orleans family to a jet-setting life in Europe with a well-known Frenchman. Throughout, her writing is often lyrical, always revealing, and centered around her passion for food and cooking. Her personal story couldn't be more worlds away from mine (how could anyone I know have lead such an incredibly interesting life and yet be so close to my own age?), but I think everyone can identify with the hunger to find love and the place where we truly feel at home. Powerful stuff.
photo by Nina Leen; courtesy of Life.com.
I'll always be grateful that my Dad instilled in me a deep love for reading. I'm fortunate to be able to spend the day with him tomorrow. I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day too!
