My Addiction & Birthday Ask

My oldest memories are filled with images of my mom, dad and grandfather sitting in a chair engrossed in a book.  It was my destiny to love to read. And I do.  To my family's frustration, I can get so entrenched in a book that an earthquake could rumble, walls crash down around me and I'd remain oblivous, unmoved.

Yes, it's almost an addiction.  True confessions: I actually  mourn the completion of a book, obsessing over the story line and its characters, long after I've read the last page.  My bedside stand is always cluttered with a stack of books.   I only read one at a time, but I need to see the pile  so that I know my next hit is there, just an arm's reach away.

I love my book group, an eclectic group of crazy smart women.  Over the years we've covered assimilation in America, hunger in Haiti, class structure in India, the Plague, Napolean and Josephine, immigration nightmares, human trafficking,  the Civil War, screwed up families, loving families, tales of friendship and adventure, personal growth, romance, heartache and more.   I love sharing book ideas with fellow enthusiasts, discovering new treasures through their recommendations.  If I had all the time in the world, I'd spend many a day walking through book stores, browsing through shelves stuffed with limitless choice and possibilities.  I  take great pride in my book collection -- gems I've gathered throughout my life.  Yup, if it's book-related -- fiction, non-fiction, memoir, even children's stories -- I'm engaged. 


To commemorate my big 5-0, I'm stealing an idea from a friend, another book-lover.  I'm working to create a half century book list which I'm dubbing Cinquenta Tales and need your help pulling it together.     Please tell me about  your all-time favorite book -- a singular title that you deem as "the best" which I can add to my personal library.  For those of you who have children I know and love, please ask them to contribute a title as well -- I'm hoping to make this as comprehensive a syllabus as possible.  I promise to spend the next few years reading every book on my  Cinquenta Tales list and will cherish the recommendations for an eternity.

I can't commit to preparing detailed reviews  of every book in the collection, but I do plan to use this blog as a way of sharing insights or inspirations gleaned from the stories you have recommended.   If you would be so kind, post your recommendation here, on my facebook page or send me your picks via email. I plan to post my full Cinquenta Tales reading list in January,  after the dirty deed (turning 50) is behind me!  So, stay tuned.....


Thanks and love,
Susan