Why post a top ten list of my favorite books? It seems so boring, so safe. But is it?

     Some people look in other people's medicine cabinets or snoop through their mail or whatever. Not me. I go right for the bookshelves. I scan titles.  Do they read broadly across many genres and subjects or do they read deeply in one area? Are the books in alphabetical order? Organized by genre or topic? What "classics" if any do they own? Do they look brand new or are they a bit beaten up from use?

     Some people are a bit more secretive about what they read. They may have stacks of books on their coffee table or end tables.  Others keep their stash in the bathroom. A place where they expect privacy and know they will be alone. Still others only keep books by their bed.

     My ice breaker to start conversations, "So what are you reading? What have you read that you've loved? Hated?" My people, fellow readers, respond enthusiastically. Others stare blankly and talk instead about television shows.

    What you read, tells me who you are. What you read tells me if you can be trusted.  I don't understand people who don't own books, and I don't trust people who don't read. So for me, sharing my top ten books gives you a look into who I am; my passions and curiosities. Sharing what we read makes us open and vulnerable to each other.

Next time: The house with no books

   

My Top Ten

1. A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeline L'Engle

2. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

3. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy

4. The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

5. Any poetry by Jane Kenyon

6. Renascence, by Edna St. Vincent Millay

7. The Journey, By Mary Oliver

8. Les Miserables, By Victor Hugo

9. Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

10. Any story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez