...That's What She Said

Today's prompt is an easy one for me... who doesn't love writing about their favorite books and why?  Here are my top 5:

1. Pet Sematary by Stephen King:  I read this book in a weekend when I was 14 years old.  It was the first novel I ever finished, then immediately flipped back to the beginning and read it again... in one sitting.  Many people may think that Stephen King is over the top, hokey or weird, but I'd be willing to bet money that those people haven't read his best work, or maybe not any of it, basing these assumptions on poorly made screen adaptations.  Pet Sematary is one of his shorter novels, but it packs a punch.  The great story alone isn't why this is my favorite though. As a teenaged girl with some dark family secrets, King showed me that horror could be turned into something beautiful.  It was in the few minutes that I sat in perfect silence after my first time reading the last line that I realized that I didn't have to falsify memories and write about a happiness that could have been... instead, I could share a little darkness with the world that could spark inspiration within a reader (or at least let them know that they weren't alone).  That's pretty much been my goal ever since.

2. The Drawing of Three by Stephen King:  I literally just spent 30 minutes re-typing that title. The hardest part of this post was picking which of the books in the Dark Tower series to choose as my favorite.  Of course, I cannot choose the seventh book, as it's the only one I haven't read.  (There's a part of me that keeps telling myself that I'm just saving it for a rainy day, but in reality, I don't want the series to end.  I often wonder if there are any Harry Potter fans out there who haven't read the last book in J.K. Rowling's series for the same reason.)  I picked the second book because I think I had the most fun reading it.  The introduction of new characters was unlike anything I'd ever read before and I enjoyed every single word.

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams:  I shouldn't have to write much about this one.  It's the perfect blend of comedy and sci-fi... undoubtedly what opened the doors to many of the lighthearted sci-fi and fantasy that we love today.

4. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein:  Reading this book is a life changing event.  It will make you question the society you live in, if you aren't doing so already.  I went into a deep period of self reflection and evaluation after reading this novel for the first time and emerged a better person.  Of course, this book doesn't have all the answers... it's not a Bible or a guide to live by... it will however, force you to think about what it takes to be a human being.

5. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers:  Not everyone loves this book the way that I do, but I've got a strong sentimental attachment to it.  I read it entirely on a plane.  At one point I was in Chicago, at the exact place where a scene from the book took place.  I was moved to tears.  This self-aware, self-satisfying memoir was told in a real voice... with a stream of consciousness that reminded me of my own writing style.  This was the novel that told me that I could write a novel in my own voice... and it might speak to someone else, too.  If I ever get my own memoir published, I will have Dave Eggers to thank.