An altogether unremarkable day in the best of possible ways. Jen was out for a school thingy, so the girls and I had some dinner and played until we could play no more. Good times all around.
I got one of those requests recently on Facebook, the kind I normally ignore, not because I don't want to participate, but just because it doesn't fit into my timetable philosophy. This one, from Amanda Hoff, was a simple "list 15 favorite books that have stuck with you" sort of affair. It was on the cusp of being deleted from my mind, when I realized that this is exactly the type of thing I should be chronicling here. How great my shame might be when, many moons from now, the girls ask me, "Daddy, what great books should I read?" and I won't be able to come up with any decent answers on the spot, as I'll be sleeping on the kitchen table, half-drunk gin and tonic melting in my hand.
Who doesn't like lists? If Facebook is any telling list-barometer: nobody. This will be nice. And it can begin a series...I can do top 15 movies. Top 15 albums that should be listened to in their entirety. Top 15 Two and a Half Men episodes. Top 15 sources of irony. You get the gist.
I am quite convinced that revealing this particular list will reveal my uncouthness with trendy and interesting literature. In other words: predictable. Bah. I likes what I likes.
15 books that I liked a lot and stuff, so my kids should read them too:
- The Little Prince; Antoinne de Saint-Exupery
- Skinny Legs and All; Tom Robbins
- Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Douglas Adams
- Wonder Boys; Michael Chabon
- Catcher in the Rye; J.D.Salinger
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Ken Kesey
- Cosmicomics; Italo Calvino
- Slaughterhouse Five; Kurt Vonnegut (although I'm tempted to list "Galapagos"; I've never understood why that stands out as my favorite of his, it just is...)
- Jurrasic Park; Michael Crichton (I had to have a stupid inclusion here..it's an irresistably fun book to read.)
- A Farewell to Arms; Ernest Hemmingway (probably not his best, but remains one of my favorites)
- 1984; George Orwell
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay; Michael Chabon (couldn't decide of the two of his)
- Pride and Prejudice; Jane Austen
- Middlesex; Geoffrey Eugenides
- James and the Giant Peach; Roald Dahl
It's a strange list, I admit. I can't explain it...just the first 15 I thought of, really. Hmm.. I may have to edit this with some afterthought.
Day one hundred and sixty fife (yes, still the phonetic alphabet. Just wait til I get to niner)
My only objection to your list is "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay." I found it tedious, but then again, I am not Chabon's target audience. Instead of being productive today, I am going to figure out what would be on my top 15 list. It will take me that long.
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