Top Ten Books That Impacted My Friend's Lives That I Have Not Read

Nothing like a Top Ten Tuesday to remind you that you don't read enough obscure or underrated authors or books.  That's right folks, I only read the popular stuff (although I thought I was cool and ahead of the curve before trying to come up with a list). It's time for me to branch out more guys!  So I made a different list.  

Have any of you see the game going around Facebook?  You list the top ten books that made an impact on your life and then tag friends to do the same. These aren't your "books I'd want on a dessert island" list, but books that stuck with you over time, no matter the reason. I was tagged, played the game, and tagged others.  I was amazed at what my friends listed. I had not heard of many of these books and instantly started filling up my to-be-read list.

So, my top ten list today is: Top Ten Books That Impacted My Friend's Lives That I Have Not Read

1. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza

2. Life is So Good by George Dawson

3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

4. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

 

5. Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

6. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

7. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

8. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

9. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

10. Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy

And, if anyone was interested, here's my list: 

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
3. Silver Linings Playbooks by Matthew Quick
4. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
5. John Adams by David McCullough
6. The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
7. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
8. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
9. Animal Farm by George Orwell
10. The Innocent Man by John Grisham

 

Making Up For Monday: Quotable Quotes

It's time for Making Up For Monday!

This week's question: What is your favorite book quote or author quote? 

I love it when an author masters the English language so well that one or two lines stick with me long term. I have quite a few quotes from authors and books that I adore, but I will try to limit my selections. 

#1: "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'."

-  To Kill A Mockingbird

If you want me to be honest, I could probably list about 20 lines from this book and feel like I had satisfied the requirements of the question. I love this book and felt like she hit the nail on the head with so many lines.  But, instead, I chose my favorite, which is this line said to Scout after the guilty verdict was returned. It sums up exactly how people felt about Atticus without explaining it. Brilliant, moving, and perfect.

#2: Then he pushed Miss Havisham in her chair before him, 

with one of his large hands, and put the other in his trousers-

pocket as if the pocket were full of secrets.

- Great Expectations

Charles Dickens is another who I could probably quote all day long. In this particular quote, Pip is talking about Mr. Jaggers. You are always just a bit cautious of trusting Jaggers, and this quote states that but in a far more elegant way with wonderful imagery.

#3: “That’s always seemed so ridiculous to me, 

that people want to be around someone because they’re pretty.

 It’s like picking your breakfast cereals 

based on color instead of taste.” 

- Paper Towns

John Green has a way with words that I love because he takes topics that are common knowledge, but in a way that makes you wonder why you never thought about it that way.  Considering that this book is targeted towards teenagers, I am glad he made such an important statement in such a memorable way. Its a lesson every teenager has to learn eventually, and probably quite a few adults.

#4: Hardships often prepare ordinary people 

for extraordinary destinies. 

- CS Lewis

I wish I could have CS Lewis as my personal motivational coach. He had such a profound outlook on life. He is one of the most quotable authors I can think of off the top of my head. 

#5: It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid 

than open it and remove all doubt. 

-Mark Twain

I adore Mark Twain more than most authors. Although I don't agree with everything he believed, I have deep respect for him and the way he lived his life. He was who he was and did not bend to the world's view of who he should be.  Plus, he was hilarious.  What more could a girl ask for? 

Okay, your turn!  

H.P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural: Classic Tales of the Macabre: 2 Stars

H.P. Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural edited by Stephen Jones

H.P. Lovecraft, often considered the king of horror, put together a bunch of his favorite supernatural tales that eventually ended up in a book. These stories ranged for the scary to the bizarre. Some of the tales were well known wives' tales and others were scarce stories. I am not sure how he found all of these tales, but they were all very different and unique. 

Considering the one who chose the stories, I was rather disappointed. They were, for lack of a better word, boring. I found very few of them even mildly intriguing. Perhaps these tales were better in a different time, but I was not impressed.

One interesting thing about this book is that the audiobook had several different readers.  One of the readers was Bronson Pinchot.  He did an excellent job of reading, although I was somewhat disappointed he didn't use the voice of Balki from Perfect Strangers.   

Rating: PG

Recommended for those who enjoy: mildly scary, short stories, and thrillers.