A Few of My Favorite Things

After reading Chris' responses to this meme over at Book-A-Rama I finally made enough time to respond to this interesting meme. I also have a feeling this will be a high post day, making up for my lack of posts so far in May. :)

A book that made you cry: Night, by Elie Wiesel had me in tears on numerous occasions. Oh, and always Bridge to Terabithia.

A book that scared you: I have never, ever been able to read medical horror books. Anything about rampant, deadly viruses scares the crap out of me. The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston, was a book I was never able to finish. Can't watch any movies like that, either.

A book that made you laugh: Both of the Bridget Jones' Diary books. They are definitely LOL funny.

A book that disgusted you: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Definitely not one of my favorite things, and I never could finish the book. Ayn Rand needs to be better known for her philosophy (which I completely disagree with, but respect), not her writing skills.

A book you loved in elementary school: One of my first chapter books was the Ramona Quimby series. I loved, loved, loved Ramona Quimby.

A book you loved in middle school: I discovered Stephen King in 7th Grade. I would scare myself silly, loving every minute of it. My favorite at that time was It.

A book you loved in high school: I remember going through a Danielle Steel phase one summer. I don't want to count that. :) In 10th grade, I spent a year reading John Steinbeck books (one each quarter). My favorite was East of Eden, which I plan on re-reading again in June. Let's see if I still love it.

A book you hated in high school: Hands down, the Red Badge of Courage. I had to read it for a history class, and hated every page of it. I never liked war books.

A book you loved in college: The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. One of my all-time absolute favorite books. I read it for a Women's Lit class; that was one of the best semesters of reading I had in college.

A book that challenged your identity: Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin. It was the very first book that got me to start thinking about striving to live in a more natural and simple way.

A series that you love: As a child, it was The Babysitter's Club. As an adult, although technically not a series, it would be Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books. And Harry Potter. Yeah, it was hard to name just one.

Your favorite horror book: I don't read horror that often. But I love The Stand by Stephen King. And, It still sends shivers down myspine.

Your favorite science fiction book: My hubby is the science fiction fanatic. I would count dystopian novels in this genre, in which my favorite is The Handmaid's Tale.

Your favorite fantasy: That's a toss-up between Harry Potter and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I love both in very different ways.

Your favorite mystery: Pretty much anything by Agatha Christie, especially as mentioned above, Miss Marple books.

Your favorite biography: I only read biographies occasionally, but the one that remains with me the most is about one of my favorite artists: Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, by Hayden Herrera.

Your favorite "coming of age" book: I know I've read a bunch, but I can't think of very many. The first that comes to mind is She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb.

Your favorite classic: I have to pick just one? I can't! But, if I have to, I think it would be Jane Eyre. Emma is a very close second.

Your favorite romance book: Pride and Prejudice. Especially since it's accompanied by such a lovely BBC mini-series. With Colin Firth as such a lovely Mr. Darcy. :) My favorite romance that doesn't end so well is Romeo and Juliet.

Your favorite book not on this list: A book that was just recently added to my favorites list is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.