via West of Mars, I found out about Kailana’s Ten Books you Cannot Live Without…
Now I learnt back when I used to play the Relays that I had some weird tastes in books, so I’m not expecting this to be anything different…
1. Take Me With You – Brad Newsham – I love the idea of his trip. Being able to invite someone to come back with you – return the favour of hospitality.
2. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume – One of my favourite books of all time,
3. The Bells of Nagasaki – Takashi Nagai [review here] – there’s very little more poignant than a Doctor’s account of trying to save people following the bombing of Nagasaki
4. Bury Me Standing – Isabel Fonseca [review here]
5. Japan’s Longest Day – Pacific War Research Society [review here] – history buff in me and definitely one of my longest reviews ever
6. Cold Beer and Crocodiles – Roff Smith (link is to my review) it prompted my decision to ‘see it all’ or darned close and launched my trip around Australia
7. The Roads to Sata – Alan Booth (link is to my review) - another long one and a great look at the Japan most city folk, whether Japanese or gaijin never see
8. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Judy Blume – a childhood classic that I reread at 25
9. The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom – it just touched me, it really did.
10. The Dead – Ingrid Black – it wasn’t that it was so good-I don’t even remember what it was about but I googled it to mention it to someone and that’s how I found BookCrossing. Can’t imagine life without BookCrossing.
It’s definitely an eclectic list, but like my reading habits: heavily non-fiction and a lot about travel and/or other cultures. I keep trying to get fiction recommendations because I read very little fiction.
I really yearn for time like I had in 2005 when all I did was read!
Seven Reasons to Travel with One Bag: I totally agree with this article and couldn’t have said it better myself. I just wish I could have done it. One bag, yep. One small bag, no way. There were definitely times that my backpack got a little unmanageable, but I couldn’t have done it with any less.
For me, it wasn’t the clothes or the creature comforts. It was BOOKS! Let’s not even talk about my smaller pack with the laptop, camera, external HD, iPod and other books. It was a cord-squid too with cables for the camera, iPod, laptop, cell phone, external HD…
I can pack lighter than some, but I’m jealous of minimalists…
4 responses so far ↓
1 Susan Helene Gottfri // Mar 23, 2007 at 17:06
Oh! Link love — you’re the best, woman! (btw, e-mail me; I have something to discuss with you on the QT)
I had Summer Sisters on my wish list for so long that I took it off! I know I saw it and … let my fear that it wouldn’t be good stop me from picking it up.
Sounds like I should change that!
2 Zeek // Mar 24, 2007 at 08:02
Ahhh good ol Judy Blume. If I was doing a list from back in my school days she would definately be on the list!!!
Fun list!
3 Stephanie // Mar 24, 2007 at 11:34
Great List!! Man…I totally forgot about Are you There God? It’s me Margeret! I LOVED that book!!
I need to read The Giver. It seems to showing up on lists all over the place!
4 Cari // Mar 24, 2007 at 14:58
@ Susan: You definitely should! When I first picked it up back in 99/00 or so, I did it out of loyalty to Blume but it was far better than I expected. It’s a rare book these days that I can re-read and as I told you on e-mail mine is very well read!
@Zeek and Stephanie: I think the only reason “Are you there…” landed on my list was the somewhat recent re-read. I know my list is heavily biased to recent readings because they’re the most fresh in my mind. I really need to look back through my shelves for the ‘classics’ (as in my version, not necessarily literary classics) but I think most of my physical shelves are TBR.
Off to see both of your lists.