Day 3- favorite book

Ugggh, I could not have picked a more difficult topic. I don't have only one favorite book, what was I thinking? I'll do my best by throwing out a few of my all time favorites and we'll see what happens.The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Incredible. One of the best books I have ever read. It is the story of a young german girl in a Nazi-occupied town who has everything taken from her so she begins to take back... by stealing books. The book is narrated by Death, which I think is absolutely genius. At the beginning of part five of the book, Max, a Jewish boxer in hiding, has almost a dream or hallucination of sorts in which he is in a boxing match with Hitler. I don't think I have ever read anything more powerful about the Holocaust. This is an incredible book and amazingly written. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger Mel introduced me to this book. (Bless you forever, Bean) This is the most beautifully worded book I have ever read. The detail and the imagery that tell the story are completely out of this world. The main character, an 11-year-old named Rube, is asthmatic, Minnesotan, and seems pretty unspectacular on first glance. But the way he sees the world is unique and the way he tells his family’s story is incredible. It showed me that language makes the story beautiful and that you don’t always have to write about drama or exotic places in order to tell a story. My life is about as normal as they come but it is still a life, it still matters, and stories deserve to be told. Leif Enger is a master.
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. This is one of my dad's favorites which is why I read it. This book has everything. It is historical fiction, has some great character development and great writing. It is the story of Michelangelo’s mind and follows his brilliance and insanity. It is set in Florence, where I spent a good 9 months of my mission and completely blew me away. I list it as a favorite because it resembles something that I’d love to someday to: write biographies of interesting people in a similar style.
All Seven of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
I am a shameless Harry Potter freak. These books are amazing and people who have not read them (coughMotherDearcough) need to repent immediately. There is simply too much at stake. I've read each book numerous times, even book 2 which happens to be my least favorite. Incredible story, incredible imagination, incredible incredible. I've stood in the coffee shop in Edinburgh Scotland where J.K. began scribbling the story on a napkin. The coffee shop overlooks a graveyard and it is awesome. I love that these books have completely captured the world and wish there were more writers that could do something similar. People need to read more. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
I love Dickens. I read this book in high school and it was the first time that I was able to see the layers that literature has. I felt completely engrossed in the stories, the characters, the themes and motifs, and the lessons learned from immersion in such a classic. I also fell in love with the was Dickens writes, particularly how he writes about his characters. This book made literature come alive for me. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
There was a point in my life when I read this probably close to once every month or two. It is a brilliant story and very imaginative, an easy read with some pretty good writing. It is a great pick for young adult fiction. There are few things I hate more in the world, however, than the movie version of this book. It makes me furious even just thinking about it. I saw that movie with such high hopes and left feeling like I wanted to punch the cardboard cut-out of Anne Hathaway on the way out. I haven't liked her since. Do me a favor: read the book... don't EVER watch the movie. Crossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte
Wow. Go buy this book. Today. In fact, stop reading this blog and go to Amazon right now... this post can wait but you cannot. This book is incredible. All you need to know is that it is written by this Englishman from Yorkshire who studied Marine zoology, worked on a boat like a pirate in the Galapagos Islands, he lead naturalist expeditions in the mountains of Nepal, he's well-read in classical literature, quotes Tennyson and Keats like they're all old friends, writes prose like it is poetry and poetry like it is prose, and he is now living in the Pacific Northwest. He is living my dream life, except for maybe the Marine Zoology which I have little interest in. This book has some of the most spiritually sound lessons and poignant images I have ever ever read and it is almost like scripture in the sense that every time I read parts of it, it means something different to me depending on my circumstances. It is a little bittersweet for me to recommend this book for reasons I won't go in to at present but nevertheless this is one that I couldn't give a higher recommendation to. An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
When I read this book years ago, I had an epiphany: literature can be light-hearted, hilarious, and satirical. It can be clever, ironic, and fresh. Literature doesn’t always need to focus on the deep and dark parts of life but can also enhance the enjoyment of the wonderful parts of life. Oscar Wilde has such a clever style and I’d consider one of my inspirations. I love the way he strings ideas and story lines together to create complicated and hilarious plots. He was one hilarious (albeit complete messed up) man. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
This book is a masterpiece. Hilarious, clever, original, wonderful. Willaim Goldman pretends he's abridged the much longer story written by S. Morgenstern, a terribly verbose man from Florin, a country born in Goldman's imagination. It adds such a hilarious layer to the story as Goldman praises Morgenstern but also sometimes completely makes fun of his writing. Buttercup is written as a complete idiot, which is one of my favorite parts. Although I love the movie version of this book, I have to say the book adds so much you can't ever get from a movie. I love it.

There you have it. Some of my favorites, but not even close to all of them. I really really like books.