15 Book Meme

[dark_sinestra]

I snagged this from Taricalmcacil.

The rules are simple. 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 fifteen minutes. Don't explain why you chose something unless someone asks. See how many books you have in common with your friends!

 

1.) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

2.) Dune by Frank Herbert

3.) The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

4.) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

5.) The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

6.) The Last of Danu's Children by Alison Rush

7.) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein

8.) The Gunslinger by Stephen King

9.) Hyperion by Dan Simmons

10.) The Call of the Wild by Jack London

11.) Watership Down by Richard Adams

12.) The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe

13.) Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

14.) The Ghost Girl by H. de vere Stackpoole

15.) The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Comments

[taricalmcacil.livejournal.com]

We both have Lord of the Flies...

May I ask what 'The Ghost Girl' is about? I've never heard of it.

[dark-sinestra.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "The Lord of the Flies" disturbed me so much. I had to read it for school. I hated it, but it really stuck with me.

"The Ghost Girl" is a short romance novel written in 1917 and published in 1918. It follows a girl's journey from Ireland to the US to live with relatives after the death of her family. It's set in Charleston, SC. I have a real soft spot/weakness for Stacpoole's writing because he's just so good with imagery and making you feel like you're there. The book had a lovely, dream-like quality about it, too, and painted a vivid picture of turn of the century Charleston. Having been to the city, it was fun to catch glimpses of places that still exist through his lens. The main character is surprisingly modern and approachable, particularly considering when the book was written.

To put that into a little context with what I tend to read, I normally don't read romance novels at all. Henry de vere Stacpoole and Colleen McCullough are my two exceptions to this rule, simply because I love the way they write so much. Project Gutenberg has most of his works available at their site for free download. None of his books are very long. Most took me under two hours to read. He was most prolific between 1910 and 1920, so expect the writing style to reflect the times.

[taricalmcacil.livejournal.com]

I had the exact same reaction to "The Lord of the Flies" when I read it in school. I think I offended my teacher when I told her Golding was a pessimist and I hated his book.

That does sound very good, I'll have to give it a read!