{Nicole} My Favorite Book(s)

What are your favorite books?

Being that this is a book blog, Carrie and I thought this would be great place to start.

And you know what?

This question stumped me.

Asking about my favorite book is like asking me to pick out a favorite child. I love all the books I've read in some fashion, even if I can't get beyond page 5 (these still sit in my bookshelves; I'm terrible about giving books away actually).

So, I wanted to list some of the ones I consider a favorite and the ones that I've read twice (they may not be a "favorite" but I rarely read books twice so they get special consideration)

1) I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb 

You know those books that seem to be a defining experience for you after you read them? I would say this is one of those books for me. It's about two twin brothers, one of whom has a mental illness. It goes into depth about their childhood, their relationship and the mental illness that rages on inside of one of them. It's a heart wrenching journey to read this book and I found this book before one of my own brothers got diagnosed with a mental illness. This is one of those books that I think would make an epic film too.

2) Tell Me a Story Mama by Angela Johnson (Illustrated by David Soman)

This book takes me back. It was a book I read with my mom growing up and she would have the part of the mom and I would read the part of the little girl. It takes you back over the events of the mom's childhood and sharing the stories that the daughter may know well, but she loves hearing every time. This is one of my favorites and it brings so much wonderful nostalgia everytime I read it. 

3) And Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

He's one of my favorite new authors and this is a book I've read twice. What I love about this book is the characterization and the portrayal of an office. I think it represents the best of an office atmosphere, filled with dysfunctional people trying to make the day-to-day grind work. It isn't a "favorite" technically but I see this book as one that I probably could have written myself. 

4) Twice upon a Time edited by Denise Little

In reality, I think I've read this three or four times. I don't know why, but I love the fairy tales that are turned on their head inside of this book. It's always entertaining to me and the weathered pages of the copy I own proves it's a definite page turner and entertaining read. 

The hard thing about this post is that I could seriously go on and on. I can think of about four or five more books that have been defining experiences or have been memorable or moving or entertaining or that have had powerful word choices. So, I promise as this blog continues that there will be more of my favorites introduced (seriously, this is like a love blog to books for me). 

What are some of your favorite books?