10 Books that Stuck with me

I've been "challenged" twice on facebook to list 10 books that stuck with me. I had to really think about this one, but I think I have my official list.

This list cannot be posted without me thanking my sister, and prodigious librarian, Lisa. She has opened me up to so many books - and most of the books on this list were recommended by her!

This list is in no specific order. Each book affected me in different ways or was enjoyed for different reasons....

1. Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline. Incredibly saddening book about the story of an orphan from the 1920's and a foster child in the modern world. I enjoyed this book, because half of it was set in Minnesota - which is very close to "home" for me.
2. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn. This was not a book I related to - it was just a good book and kept me so engaged the whole time. It's one of those books, where I kept saying to myself "This author has a dark mind!!". Movie is coming out this fall!
3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed. My friend Heather gave me this book right after we purchased all our backpacking gear. Although I'll never go on a 3-4 month trek, this book was good preparation for me to understand the challenges of being completely outdoors. I also loved this book, because it highlighted the honesty of people deserving second chances.
4. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein. Yes, I realize this is a children's book. Something about the rhythm of his poems calm me....                                                                “If you are a dreamer, come in
   If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
   A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
   If you're a pretender come sit by my fire
   For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
   Come in!
   Come in!”
5. Me Before You, Jojo Moyes. A story about a woman who takes a job to be a caregiver for a quadriplegic. I'm actually currently reading this, but it is one of the best books I've read. I can't give away too much - but just trust me that this book is worth the read!
6. The Glass Castle, Jeanette Wells. This is a story about a woman who grew up with parents who were nomads. They were extremely irresponsible parents, and the things the children endured was heartbreaking. But this book displays the meaning of unconditional love. I also enjoyed that a lot of this book was set in the Southwest, so it was fun because I knew of some of the places they visited.
7. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares. A fun, light read. Enjoyed this one because there were personality traits of all 4 characters I could relate to at different times.
8. Still Alice, Lisa Genova. This is a story about a woman's battle with early-onset Alzheimers Dementia. In my job, I would say about 50% of my patients battle with this heartbreaking disease. This was the 1st time I've ever cried reading a book.
9. American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld. This is a novel about the life of Laura Bush. Such an interesting historical fiction. The most intriguing part of this book was learning about how vastly opposing political views she held from her husband.
10. Succulent Wild Women, Sark. This is fun book that highlights on loving yourself, and living life to your fullest. My sister gave this to me as a gift before I left for college. Feeling comfortable in my own skin is an ongoing struggle that I face every single day. Many of the inspiring words from this book resonate with me.

“Creativity suffers under great scrutiny from ourselves or others.”

“Use lots of exclamation points. They love to be overused.”

(I tend to really follow this one. If you've ever seen a text from me, you'd understand (!!!!!!). With lots of smiley faces and emoticons.)

 

What are your favorite books?