Fifteen Books

This is an extension of a note I posted on Facebook today. I saw that my friend Elaine had posted it in her notes and felt compelled to do a similar note.

The task: Don’t take too long to think about it. List fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes . . .
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Jane Eyre
4. The Poisonwood Bible
5. Little Women
6. Beau Geste
7. Ender's Game
8. Three Cups of Tea
9. Foundation Trilogy
10. As You Like It (started my love affair with Shakespeare)
11. A Prayer for Owen Meany
12. Rebecca
13. QBVII (and more by Leon Uris - Exodus, Mila 18)
14. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
15. Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Here I get a chance to express a little more about these choices because asking me to make a list like this is very difficult especially when I consider the thousands of books I have read and the hundreds that are favorites.

Over the next fifteen days I want to write a bit about why I selected these fifteen books.

First up, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R.Tolkien.

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love The Lord of the Rings. I have Leonard Nimoy to thank for this. When I was 11 years old and a devotee of Star Trek, my friend Celeste and I discovered an article in a teen magazine in which Leonard Nimoy expressed that a favorite book of his was The Hobbit, also by Tolkien. Nothing would do but for us to read The Hobbit as well. Once we read and enjoyed that book, we had to move on to The Lord of the Rings.

While The Hobbit seemed to be written more as a children's book, the trilogy was definitely not. Many people experience difficulty with the length of the trilogy (which is formidable) and with Tolkien's tendency to include lengthy bits of poetry. Personally, I enjoy long reads and have no problems with stylized writing. The themes of good vs. evil, nature vs. industrialization, moral strength vs. weakness, sacrifice and dedication to doing what is right, and the bonds of friendship and love paired with an epic tale of quest and adventure made this an immediate favorite of mine.

I've lost track of the number of times I've read these books. Each time I read them I fall in love with Middle Earth all over again. I worry about the hobbits as they leave the Shire behind and set forth into a strange new world. I long to wander through the wonders of Rivendell. I'm on the edge of my seat as the Fellowship enters the Mines of Moria and tear up when Gandalf falls in the battle with the Balrog. I wonder what I would see in Galadriel's mirror. I shiver as Aragorn leads the army of the dead to battle and thrill when the Riders of Rohan arrive at the Pelennor Fields to save Gondor. I cheer on Sam who so bravely does whatever he can to help Frodo carry out his mission. I am so happy when Aragorn is crowned as King Elessar and finally receives the hand of his fair lady, Arwen. Finally, I cry when Frodo leaves his friends behind and sails from the Grey Havens.

These books are timeless. They have been, and will always be, a top book pick for me.