Reading Rainbow

Continuing with the non-food-post kick

Growing up in Japan, my sister and I watched very little television.  Rugrats, Eureka’s Castle, Muppet Babies: Japanese cable did not air shows such as these.  Therefore, Little Sister and I found other sources of entertainment. Lacking the distraction of a certain purple dinosaur, we became avid readers. Some favorites, over the years:

• Goodnight Moon
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Little Critter
• Ramona
• Baby-Sitters Club and Little Sister books (I read them all!)
• Goosebumps (Ditto.)
• Sally Lockhart trilogy
• Ella Enchanted

(Don’t worry, guys: my childhood wasn’t completely devoid of Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers!  We got our telvision fix during summer vacations and trips to Grandma’s.)

The topic of today’s post: Books!

(Yesterday’s Twilight post got me thinking about them.)

What are your favorite books?  Favorite authors?  Favorite childhood books?

My favorite author is Thomas Hardy.  The Mayor of Casterbridge, A Pair of Blue Eyes, Jude the Obscure: I’ve never met a Hardy book I didn’t devour.  But Thomas Hardy is not the most uplifting author (understatement!). So, when I need a fix of happily-ever-after, I turn to Jane Austen.

Other favorites:

• Les Miserables
• Shogun
• Jane Eyre
• Dr. Zhivago
• Basically anything by Austen or Hardy
• Harry Potter (thanks, Little Sister, for forcing me to read the first one)
• The Poisonwood Bible
• Gone with the Wind

(I like ridiculously-long books and books with sequels because once I get into a story and fall in love with the characters, it’s hard to say goodbye at the end!)