Connie’s Favorite Books
The following books, read when I was in elementary school, are indelibly etched in my mind. I remember wanting to be in the world of these books and imagining that, if I just read them hard enough, I would be transported from my own mid-western suburban world to places where dragons lived on islands and ordinary children like me could take flight, solve mysteries, and fight for everything that was good.
- My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
- The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink
- The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
- The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
- Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
- Mary Poppins Opens the Door by P. L. Travers
- Twig by Elizabeth Orton Jones
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
- Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
One reading is not sufficient for some books. The three titles below I could read every year and never tire of.
- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
- Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
- My Antonia by Willa Cather
My favorite picture book of all time is Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. Many picture books are written for kids with the awareness that adults are looking on. This one is written only for kids. Adults can listen in, of course. But the gentleness, agony, and final resolution are perfectly tailored, perfectly kid-sized.
When I was young, I was almost exclusively a reader of fiction. Today, I read mostly non-fiction and biographies are often my choice. David McCullough’s John Adams was the inspiration for my own young adult biography, The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton. Surely, I thought, young readers deserve a biography in which the subject actually speaks, through letters and journals, just as John Adams did in Mr. McCullough’s capable hands.
- John Adams by David McCullough
- Ayn Rand and the World She Made by Anne C. Heller
- The Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd
I lead a book discussion group once a month and spend a lot of time choosing the titles we read. I read book reviews and consult with several reader friends whose opinions I’ve come to respect. I am not a voracious reader, I’m a picky one. When I decide to read a book, it’s a commitment and I don’t take it lightly. Below are some books I’ve read recently and enjoyed.
- Lila by Marilynne Robinson
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
- The Round House by Louise Erdrich
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
- Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
- Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
- The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal
- The Tiger by John Vaillant
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