Favorite Books

Favorite Books

Reading has always been a problem for me.  I am dyslexic. I grew up at a time when no one understood learning disabilities.  So I grew up with erratic reading skills and a thought by some that I might be "retarded".  It took me a long time to get over all of this negative evaluation of me.

I had a sense of the alphabet when I started first grade.  But reading just didn't click.  Second grade was an academic disaster.  Around third grade, I could read with very poor skills.  I was in special reading classes and I had private reading lessons with my dreadful, heartless principal.  I went to summer school every summer just for reading help.

Around 11th grade, I started reading American literature and this was the first time I was interested in anything I read.  But it wasn't until I started college that I really liked to read for pleasure.

I loved these books the most:


Raise High The Roof Beam Carpenter by JD Salinger- for fifteen years, I read this book every spring.  I wonder why I stopped reading it.  I still have my original copy I bought in 1974.

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt- I read this book in 7th grade. I had never read anything so tragic.

The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki-This was the beginning of my Japanese literature period.  I couldn't get enough of this genre.  I struggled with the names of the characters so I often had to make a name chart to keep the characters straight.

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary- I don't remember much about this books because I read them over 50 years ago.  But I remember loving the whole series.  I didn't read much as a kid but I did read these books.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan- I have read every book she has written and I love every one of them. I have watched the movies and I have listened to at least five of her books on audiobooks.  I never tire of her stories of the old China.

A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson- OMG, I love this book.  I read it once but I have listened to it as least five or six times.  It is so damn funny.

Poisonwood Bible by Margaret Atwood- This story was riveting, sad, beautiful and filled with humanity.  I was drained after I read it and I don't think I could read it again.  It took too much out of me to read it.

Cutting For Stone- Abraham Verghese- It was a huge effort to get involved with this book.  I read the first 20 pages at least 3 times and then put the book away.  I got the audiobook out of the library and tried again and still couldn't get in to it.  But I had a tree week timeline to borrow the book so I forced the issue and finally settled in to the story and then I was hooks.  Now I want to donate a piece of my liver to someone.

Blue Latitudes by Tony Horwitz-  I listened to this story and I felt as if I was right there on the boat with Captain Cook.

Baghdad Without a Map by Tony Horwitz- This book got me started on loving travel adventure books.  How can yo go to Bagdad without a map, a guide, a bulletproof vet and tons of life insurance?

Blue Highways- I love, love, love to listen to this story when I am on a long road trip.  Eventually he starts to talk about where I am driving and his story just comes alive to me.

An Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose- This young author has a ton of talent.  He told this story of living at Liberty University without bias and with a fairness that was admirable.


When I was in high school, I loved The Great Gatsby but then I read it again as an adult and it seemed so poorly written.  I mentioned this to my sister who is a high school English teacher and she replied, "are you kidding, there are so many deep meanings in this story."  I guess I am missing the meanings because I thought the book was dull.