“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
I almost wish C. S. Lewis hadn’t said this, because its so true of me that I probably would have said it myself, and then everyone would be quoting me instead of him.
Well … ok, maybe not, but I do love this quote. :)
(In fact, I loved it so much, I embroidered it on this book tote I made! I call it a “quote tote” and I stitched my paper beads on it – WooT!
One of these days I should finish it so I can actually use it….)
Another book quote I love is from Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail and I think its sooo true of fiction…
“When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.”
I’ve always loved reading, and then by extension, writing. I remember when I lived in Prague as a kid I wrote all the time, coming up with overly-fantasical and highly predictable stories. You know, the kind where any time there’s a problem, suddenly someone has the perfect little magical doodad to fix that exact problem. Not “the great American novel”, but I was just nine and it was so exhilarating to create my own little worlds on the beautiful blank notebook pages. And one of the best ways to learn to write (besides reading) is to just go ahead and start doing it.
“A really bad storm came through town last night”
vs.
“This morning’s sunny sky seemed unfitting as Sarah Johnston found her missing roof scattered on the road in a tangle of branches and debris — evidence of the storm that swept over the city just the night before.”
But I know my love of writing really stems from my love of reading as a child. Recently, I was trying to come up with a top ten list of my favorite works of fiction, and I was amazed by how many of them were books I had read as a kid. So I gave up on a general top ten list, and instead, here are some of my favorite books from my childhood:
10 – Little House on the Prairie Series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
(Not exactly fiction, I suppose, but too classic to leave out!)
10.5 – The Little Britches Series, by Ralph Moody
(Weird numbering, I know, but its because its similar to the Little House books. Out west, based on a true story, but from a boy’s perspective. SUCH a touching story! My dad used to read this aloud to the family.)
9 – The Twits, by Roald Dahl
(I was pretty young when I read this, and I don’t remember a whole lot about the plot, just how much I loved reading it. Roald Dahl has such a contagiously fun style.)
8 – The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis
(The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is probably my favorite from the series.)
7 – An Old Fashioned Girl, by Louisa May Alcott
(It may seem odd, but I was never a big fan of “Little Women” – probably because I’m a lot like Jo, but I always preferred Laurie to that old professor. But “An Old Fashioned Girl” made me much happier!)
6 – The Green Door, by O Henry
(This one is just a short story, and I was a teenager when I read it, but it really resonated with me. I even memorized it and delivered it as a dramatic interp for a speech event.)
5 – Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson
(You know how when you’re a kid you find names you love in the books you read? My little daughter’s middle name is actually a version of one of the character’s names in this book.)
4 – The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
(I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want to discover a magical garden tucked away on the grounds of a mysterious mansion?!)
3 – Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
(The hilarious poems were one of my favorite things about this book. I actually ended up putting on a theatrical version of this in high school.)
2 – Lorna Doone, by R. D. Blackmore
(I remember my grandmother recommending this book to me. One of my favorites of all time. Not a light read, but SO worth it.)
1 – Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery
(Anne, with an e, is perhaps the fictional character I identify with the most.)
Does reading make you want to write?
What were some of your favorite fiction books as a kid?
Tell me in the comments!
A couple of months ago I introduced Laura Ingalls books to The Little Bug. What a fantastic experience. Every night, curled up on my bed. We've even sucked The Daddy-o in now. Last night we started On The Banks of Plum Creek. I confess I kinda wanna sneak ahead and read it quickly on my own, but I'm holding out. Reading is perhaps the greatest joy of my life. I love that I can learn anything I want through reading and hoping that is passed on to The Bug.
SO fun!! I definitely agree on passing on reading to my little one. I've been thinking of starting reading the Little House books with her too, recently. My mom bought her some Little House paper dolls, and she's loving it. :)
Btw, have you heard of the Little Britches series? My dad used to read them aloud to us as a family – its similar to Little House in that its out west and based on a true story – but this one is from a boy's point of view. They're really good too!
I loved the Secret Garden. For her baby shower, my husband's cousin asked guests to bring a book for the baby's bookshelf. While most people brought children's book, I brought a copy of the Secret Garden:) It may be on the shelf for awhile, but I know she will love it when she's able to read it:)
I'm at an age (16) where I like to pretend that I'm not in the puerile stage in which my mind is still shaped by the fiction that this world could hold if one chooses to believe in it. My entire life has been based off of some amazing fantasy, beginning with CS Lewis, continuing with Cornelia Funke and Gail Carson Levine, going on to include Kai Meyer.
Though I've had a penchant for fantasy my entire life, my favorite book still stands to be Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild.
Jessica – what a great gifting idea, I love that! :) And definitely a good choice for the book your brought. :)
Julz – You know, I've always heard of the Noel Steatfeild books, but I've never read any of them! I'll have to go check them out. :) Thanks!
April – my favorite childhood book was The Wind in the Willows. My favorite part was where the little hedgehogs were lost in the snow in the Wildwood Forrest, and they stumbled upon the Badger's house. The description of the warm, cozy, welcoming Badger home really drew me in. You could just feel the warmth of the fire & smell the food that welcomed & comforted those shivering little hedgehogs who had lost their way in the snow.
(Aunt Jeanne)
Hi Aunt Jeanne! Thanks for stopping by my blog! :D Ah, Wind in the Willows — I just love the illustrations in my copy! Yes, there's definitely something so cozy about descriptions of food in stories. The Redwall books were also very good at that – I was never really a big fan of that series, but he did share that same talent for describing food. :)
I am currently re-reading my Anne books. The books I grew to love as a kid are the ones I will still go back and read again, and still feel magically swept away in the little worlds they make for me!
Some of my other childhood favorites, just to name a few: –the Emily series by L.M. Montgomery, too; Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh (I could really relate to this kid); The Cricket in Times Square, George Selden.
I love reading!
Rebecca – Oh, I definitely agree on the re-reading! Books I read as a kid are probably the only fiction I go back to read again. :)
Some great recommendations there, I haven't read all of those, so I'll have to check them out! :) Thanks!
My mother used to read us the Little House books every night before we went to bed. We would always beg for one more page…one more chapter. To this day there is still a little part of me that feels that I too lived in those big woods and did the same things as Laura and Mary.
Feeling the urge to go milk a cow or churn some butter now…
:)
Hehe, I hear you USCountryFolk! I think there is real value, too, in kids learning and knowing that happy healthy kids used to milk cows, not play video games :)
I loved Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, and babysitters club as a kid:)
Great, now I have the theme song in my head:) Babysitter Club, say hello to the peoplllllle who care!!!
Wow, I remember Babysitters club- I had completely forgotten about them! I had one year where I read a bunch of their stuff. Oh and Boxcar Children … and Indian in the Cupboard. Ahhh, series. :) (um, how do you write the plural for series? Serieses is obviously not right, haha)
I still love the Roald Dahl books! Matilda is one of my favorites. Growing up I was a huge Nancy Drew and later Agatha Christie fan. Current favorites include anything by David Sedaris or Barbara Kingsolver – I tend to read lots of fictional bestsellers these days but still love a good mystery every once in a while!
Ohhhh, I LOVE Agatha Christie, too!!!! I've read those more since college I guess, but I'm a big fan. :D In fact, in my "I love books and tea" illustration, one of the titles is an Agatha Christie book! :)
Oh, and thanks for the other suggestions Katrina – I wasn't familiar with all those, so I'll have to look them up! :)
Book, oh how I love books.
I love your favorites, Little house and The Secret Garden are on my list too. I loved The Little Princess, and a series of books about a large Jewish family living in turn of the century NY whose name I can't remember. The Ballet Shoes, I loved that one too. I used to devour Nancy Drew books.
Oh, yes, Lulu Grey – I loved the Little Princess, too! I'm hearing good things about Ballet Shoes – I'll have to check that out! Thanks! :)
Cute quote tote! I still have most of the Babysitter Club, Sweet Valley, Fear Street, and Goosebumps series I read as a kid. But my favorite book was always James and the Giant Peach. :D
Thanks, aquariann!! :D Oh, yes, James and the Giant Peach is awesome – I struggled between whether to put it or The Twits on my list. :) Haha, and Quentin Blake's illustrations are SOOO prefect for Roald Dahl's writing. :)
I love, love, love the Anne of Green Gables books and The Secret Garden & A Little Princess were also among my favourites growing up! Another great one by Roald Dahl was the BFG! I was a big fan of all the Enid Blyton books – the Faraway Tree and the Wishing Chair were my favs – I used to dream of the Land of Birthdays!!!
Great blog, look fwd to reading more!
So many great books! Although, I must admit, I’m not familiar with Enid Blyton, I’ll have to check out those books – thanks for the recommendation! :) And I appreciate your kind words about my blog, too! :D
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reading the chronicles of narnia with my little ones now :) C.S. Lewis is an all-time favorite of mine:)
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