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When Someone Asks You to Pick a Favorite Book...

“Picking five favorite books is like picking the five body parts you'd most like not to lose.”-Niel Gaiman

I love this quote because it is true. If you are a book lover this question should cause  you to panic a little. I try to never answer it. Yet for some reason I was thinking about it one night. Maybe it was reading Fahrenheit 451 with my high school students this year. Or maybe it was reading Inside Out & Back Again with my 4th-6th grade students and the part where Ha has to choose just one thing to take with her from her home. Do you know how many books I own that I would want to take? Whatever prompted the wondering there it was: If I HAD to choose...If I was told I could only own ten books what would they be?...Which books would I be heartbroken to have to live without? Deep thoughts we have while taking showers...

 In a strange coincidence my sister emailed me the very next day and asked me this very question. She said, "I know it will be hard but I need you to pick your 10 favorite books." I don't know what she is planning on doing with this information. She is crafty. (In both senses of the word.) So I had to do it for real and while it was hard I did it. These are the books I chose (in alphabetical order):

  It turned out to be a fun exercise. Of course if I was really told I could only have 10 books one of these (probably The Perilous Gard) would be replaced with The Bible, but for the purposes of this I left that out.  

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Comments

Charlotte said…
Those are good choices! Though I would pick Busman's Honeymoon instead of Gaudy Night...
February 22, 2013 at 9:02 PM
Amy said…
I'm so glad to see "The Horse and His Boy" on this list. This year, I made the goal to finish The Chronicles of Narnia (isn't it terrible I've never read all of them?!), and "The Horse and His Boy" is up next, and for some reason I've been kind of nervous about it. But you made me think I'm in for a real treat!
February 22, 2013 at 11:18 PM
Brandy said…
Oh I do love Busman's Honeymoon too, but Gaudy Night is the one I find myself going back to the most.
February 23, 2013 at 3:58 PM
Brandy said…
I think The Horse and His Boy has the tightest plot structure of all the novels-and it is an old school hero/quest tale. On top of that it has my all time favorite Narnian heroine. I hope you enjoy it!
February 23, 2013 at 3:59 PM
Anonymous said…
It's so difficult to narrow down favorites to just 10 books! I would have picked Jellicoe Road over Saving Francesca. :) I really need to read the rest of the Peter-Harriet books, I have them here with me in Singapore.
February 24, 2013 at 10:08 AM
Brandy said…
I know I'm in the minority preferring Saving Francesca. :) AND YES! Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon are amazing.
February 24, 2013 at 12:38 PM
April said…
mwahahaha says your crafty sister. :-) I do have plans. Crafty Crafty plans...
February 28, 2013 at 1:34 PM
Brandy said…
I am intrigued...crazy girl.
February 28, 2013 at 3:36 PM
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