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Welcome to October’s DDBD! If you are new to the blog, it’s a little tradition we have when each month I ask my readers a question and then randomly select a winner to receive a mystery package, i.e. Box of Delights. The only way to find out what’s in the box is to win it!
To enter, answer this question:
What is your favorite story of all time and why? (it can be a movie, a book, etc). Mine is Harry Potter, I’ve been reading it book after book all through my 20s and still think about it a lot. Even now that the series has ended, there are still so many unsolved mysteries left! Like what did Dumbeldore really see in the Mirror of Erised?
Ok, your turn! You have one week to submit your answer – please post it in comments, not by email – those won’t count! Winner will be picked at random and announced on Monday, October 19.
I love many stories, but if I had to pick my favourite, I’d go with Phantom of the Opera. It’s such a touching, extraordinary storyline – a tragedy that still manages to be witty and makes you both smile and cry at the same time. It’s gothic novel at its best, but with that timeless appeal which has kept it alive for almost a hundred years now!
I love Harry Potter as well, but most of all, the Prince’s Tale! Hmmm, I guess there’s a pattern there :)…
Ella Reply:
October 14, 2009 at 2:15 pm
My favourite book and also film of all time is Alice in Wonderland. I think it’s so magical and I love all the weird and wonderful characters. Especially when she eats the sweets which say ‘Eat me’ on them. They always look yummy!
When I was little girl I always used to wish I would fall down a rabbit hole and get whisked into a fantasy world like the one Alice ends up in.
Ella Holding UK
What I like the most is Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. It’s fantasy, but not the normal type of fantasy where you go and kill dragons and save the world and everyone is either good or bad.
The stories are funny and intelligent and critical and so different from any other fantasy books, just perfect.
But it’s so sad, that Terry Pratchett can’t write anymore soon. So no more of his great stories :(
Padmita Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 10:44 am
Oh yes, Discworld is wonderful! Love love love Terry Pratchett too ♥!!
Elrodien Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Yayyyyh for Discworld! Love it!
kagitsune Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 2:12 pm
“can’t write anymore soon”? Is he aging? ;_;
Kat Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 4:33 pm
He’s suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. At the moment however he can still write.
Dianna Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Discworld is amazing. Terry Pratchett is hilarious.
Chylde Reply:
October 16, 2009 at 1:18 am
Discworld is amazing. I have never read the books but have played the video game which is funny as hell and recently watched the movie for it. I def have to read the books now.
OH MY GOSH! This will be my favorite question of all time! It’s so hard to pick a favorite book, because I love so many! Paradise Lost! American Gods! Hamlet! Anna Karenina! Ah! Literature!
But my favorite story/book of the moment…well, for a long time has been Vladmir Nabovkov’s Lolita.
This is such an interesting book, and I love Nabovkov as a writer himself. His narrators are also our main characters telling the stories, and they aren’t always giving the readers 100% of the truth, which gives us much more to pay attention to! I also love with quips of French thrown in.. wonderful!
Lolita is such a controversial character because she’s either a victim, or the vixen! Haha, it’s interesting to hear other’s takes on her true nature.
I love the story, the descriptions and just the story in general. From the scene where one character is called, “a mediocre mermaid” to the one where Lolita is skeptical of Humbert’s true intentions but she stays anyway.
I feel it’s a very, sophisticated, lovely piece and it brings me such joy to tell others about this story! I even have some Lolita sunglasses! BIG RED HEARTS!
Ahh! Wonderful question, Doe! :))) So excited!
Lexi Reply:
October 13, 2009 at 9:20 pm
I LOVED IT, TOO! AMAZING BOOK!
*** Nabokov. Added an extra V a few times.. ahh! Slippery fingers :)
My fave story of all time is probably The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings. I love the characters and get sucked into the story. The magic and adventure is exciting. It’s also so well written and thought out, with volumes of histories that read like textbooks and even a complete written language.
The Silmarillion by Tolkien. It appeals to my love of mythopoetic literature, and it’s just an amazing compilation of the history that he had imagined in this world.
My favorite story of all time would be Emma, a manga about a servant girl in the Victorian era that fall in love with a higher class boy. It sounds like same old romantic plot line, but the way Kaoru Mori writes and draws it pulls you in and makes you wish you lived in that era.
ohh easy! Pride and Prejudice! It might be a little tacky, but maybe even anything Jane Austen! :)
I just looove how Lizzie is strong headed and how she hates Mr Darcy then realizes he the sweetest, hottest piece of man she knows ahaha ahhh Mr Darcy!!
My favourite story is the so-far unfinished books of “Abarat” by Clive Barker. He’s written two books in the series (out of five) and they’re just magical. The way he writes just make me such a part of the story, I can’t describe it. His imagination is wonderful, and it’s great to see him write something that isn’t a horror tale. The illustrated editions of the books just add an extra touch to it all. Simply wonderful…
Actually, I think I’ll be reading those books again now. Thanks for reminding me, Doe! :)
Alys Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 10:52 am
Ooh, my mother and I started this eons ago when the first book came out. It’s been so long, though (and so long since the second) that I can’t even remember many of the details. I’ll have to reread it! =)
Samantha kathleen Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 10:57 am
Abarat! Ahh! They are the best! :))) So clever!
It’s tough, but my top story would probably be Neverwhere. It’s by Neil Gaiman, one of my all-time favorite authors.
The thing I love about this story is that it shows a magical, seemingly impossible world just out of reach of reality. It is not necessarily pretty, however. The hero, Richard Mayhew, is thrown into it unwillingly and unintentionally, and must figure everything out as he goes along. The story shows a hero who, when faced with seemingly unsurpassable odds, is able to overcome them and come out the other side a stronger person.
It doesn’t hurt that the story is full of some really amazing characters, fantastic writing, and all the sorts of thought-provoking goodness you get from great fantasy.
Even if I don’t win this contest, I HIGHLY recomend that you read it, if you haven’t already. ^_^
Samantha kathleen Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 10:58 am
Neil Gaiman is my husband secretly :)))
And now I miss Door.
I’m so excited someone else reads his books!
Jenny Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:11 am
:D
Me too! I am always shocked when people haven’t heard of him, and very excited when they have. I have a pretty extensive collection of his books going (The Sandman books, the Death books, Neverwhere, Stardust, Coraline, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, and my signed copy of The Graveyard Book). I haven’t read Good Omens yet, but that’s becuse I want to read something by Terry Pratchett first. ^^
Quiara Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:15 am
Yes! Neil Gaiman is my woobie! ^_^
Jenny Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:20 am
I actually met Neil Gaiman once. It was awesome. :)
Kat Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Neil Gaiman is great! And Neverwhere was the first story I read and I just love it!
Jenny Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Awesome! Have you read any more of his books?
Kat Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Yes, of course. I read the Graveyard Book, Good Omens (great great great!!!), Stardust and American Gods and now I wanna read Coraline.
Jenny Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Ooh, you should! Coraline is great. I think it was the first of his novels that I read.
kagitsune Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Ahhh, that was my first Gaiman. I adore his work, especially Coraline (the book, in particular) and Mirror Mask (a movie he wrote). Awesome, awesome stuff. I really want to read Sandman and The Graveyard Book. :D
Jenny Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Coraline is indeed awesome, but sadly I have never seen Mirror Mask and thus cannot comment on it. But you should definately, definately read both the Sandman series and the Graveyard Book. Both are very, very epic.
I actually slightly inadvertently got my then-ten-year-old brother into the Sandman series (which is, ah, shall we say, not exactly suited for that age group). Whoops. At least he can be a huge geek with me now! :D
Bre Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Bah, I didn’t even THINK of that when I replied!
Though I prefer Sandman, I did love Neverwhere too. It’s just that Sandman resonates with me more. <3
Jenny Reply:
October 13, 2009 at 7:33 pm
^_^ I get that. Like I said, it was a tough decision, and Sandman is still pretty high up there. While my first of Neil Gaiman’s novels was Coraline, Sandman is what really got me into his stuff.
denise Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 8:23 pm
my favorite story is the one written by kurt vonnegut in “cat’s cradle”. it is humorous and bittersweet and wonderful. it is the best end of the world story i have ever read. for years i wanted so much to be part of my own duprass, and now i think i am!
I’d have to go with Tess of the d’Urbervilles. I love Victorian literature and Tess’ story is so heartbreaking. She’s the ultimate tragic heroine.
This is an odd answer coming from an atheist, but mine is Paradise Lost and the Genesis myth in general. Throughout university, it’s been an ever-present thread in all my literary studies; a running joke between my other English-major friends and I is that I can tie ANYTHING to Paradise Lost (go ahead, try me :P). It’s a multi-layered fascination for me because I don’t believe in it as truth but rather as a very effective myth, because it hits at so many essential truths of human life, which I think is myth’s #1 importance. It’s a comfort read for me too – I really need to get around to buying a smaller copy so I don’t have to lug around my several-thousand-page Milton anthology every time the mood strikes.
Samantha kathleen Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 10:59 am
YES! YES! Lucifer is seen in such a different light in Milton’s tale! ahh!
I need to stop commenting these! I’ll be here all day excited with people who read :)))
Alys Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:07 am
Not even gonna lie, when I first read PL back in high school, I had such a crush on Lucifer. :P Are you familiar with Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics? His Lucifer is VERY Miltonesque (we actually read a Lucifer storyline in my university Milton course). He also has his own comic series, just called Lucifer, written by the amazing Mike Carey. Definitely check it out!
Aaah, I am the same way. I could talk about books forever!
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings. I didn’t even have to think twice. I may love Harry Potter, and Oliver Twist is another favorite of mine, but I’ve had Tolkien drilled into my head since I was little. I was first introduced to the world when I was 3 and I had to go on a walk. I did not want to go on the walk. So my father looked at me, took me by the hand and said, “In a hole in a ground, there lived a Hobbit.” and proceeded to tell me the rest of the story. He read it to me out-loud when I reached 1st grade, and not long after I read Lord of the Rings by myself. We’ve always gone to the movies together, and know that in our epic Doctor Who vs Star Trek battle, Lord of the Rings tops all. It’s something I’ll always be able to share with my father, and let’s face it, the world would be a better place if we were all a little bit more like Samwise Gamgee.
Mar Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Oh! High five, my friend. I was raised on those books. Tolkien wrote most of my favorite poetry, and this is kind of weird, but I love Alan Lee’s pen & ink illustrations (I think that was him) for The Hobbit. If I could pick any art to hang on my walls, it would probably be those drawings.
This may sound selfish, but I have to say: my favorite story of all time is my own. Now give me a chance to explain why :D.
I have been through a lot. I have learned much. I am surrounded by the most awesome of people. I am inspired by their lives each day to live mine to the fullest. I am grateful for every second, every hour, every month, every year. My birthday is celebrated by me without apology because I have gone through one more year of this incredible life.
Its not that mine is so out of the ordinary, though there are parts that are incredible and other people would find interesting. It is that it is my life. My past is the building stones on which I set my feet forward. I am filled with possibilities for the future, flexible and fun as well as the wonders of responsibility and growing up.
And though I am not the prettiest, or the most charismatic, or the smartest, or the wisest, I am me and that is all I will ever need to be. And I hope, that everyone comes to that realization in their lives. :D
(I also hope that was a good explaination.)
Rachael Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Ha, I read this entry wondering if I wrote it in my sleep! I love all of my own stories and when pressed to answer who my favorite author is I always say I am :) No harm in loving your own stories, you need to be their biggest fan to get them out there into the world! I’ve also been through a lot (major health issues) celebrate life to its fullest, and write too. Rock on, Amber.
Mine would be the Illusionist, the movie. It was just excellent. The story was captivating and had such a twist that I didn’t expect. Also, the actual filming was spectacular, setting just the right mood.
Alys Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:08 am
It made me cry SO MUCH. In a good way.
and if I was to say a story written by someone else, I loved Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels. Complete science fiction and utterly fantastic
My favourite book has to be the original ‘Alice in Wonderland’ which is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Charles Lutwidge. Ofcourse through the Looking Glass, its sequel, comes second.
I have so many favorite books, stories and movies, that I can’t really decide.
Therefore I’ll tell you my favorite fairytale. That’s ‘The six swans’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Six_Swans), I love it ever since my mom read it to me when I was a little kid. :)
I’d have to go with “Where the Red Fern Grows” because its the first book that ever touched me. It made me cry and I don’t think another book has ever done that.
My favourite is a fairytale classic: Peter Pan! It’s the perfect story I think – Never having to grow old, debauchery with a gang of friends, being able to fly, a cute little fairy as a sidekick, and a land far away!
“Second star to the right, and straight on till morning!”
My favourite is a fairytale classic: Peter Pan! It’s the perfect story I think – Never having to grow old, debauchery with a gang of friends, MERMAIDS (!!!), being able to fly, a cute little fairy as a sidekick, and a land far away!
“Second star to the right, and straight on till morning!”
Faz Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:05 am
whoops, sorry it got posted twice – i forgot about mermaids the first time round!
My favourite story of all time also has to be the Harry Potter series.
I’ve grown up with them ever since they were released in 1997. I was only 7 and I’m now 19 and love them just as much as I did 13 years ago.
Gosh that makes me feel old, haha, I’ve been reading Harry Potter for 13 years! Although that’s just a testiment to how wonderful the world is, it can span over ages and forever bring joy.
I remember picking up the Philosopher’s Stone when I was seven, we weren’t even learning to read novels in school yet but I got through Harry within a few days, not bad for a 7 year old!
I owe my love of novels and fantasy to J.K Rowling. I cried at the end of the seventh book, not because of what happened, but because my childhood friend was finally leaving me.
I can always re-read them for the millionth time, I don’t have a pensieve, but these books sure are the closest thing I have to unlocking my childhood.
My favorite story is a film by Lars Von Trier: Europa. It starts with a hypnotic part.During the film, the narrator some times says what will happen. And at the end he also tells, that the hero will die. I’ve seen this film so many times, and I know that this is a film, but I always expect, that maybe this time it will finish differently.
(Excuse me my English, please.)
My favorite changes far too often… but as of right now it’s the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. I read it last week and could NOT put it down. It’s fairly simple but just so wonderful.
Nicole Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I loved that book too, and Poison Wood Bible. I found The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and the Red Tent by Anita Diamant… all books that make you feel like the narrator is your best friend while you’re reading.
My favorite story right now is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. He’s one of the few authors I would consider to be true story tellers. It’s a YA book, yes, but in the tradition of former YA books, wherein they are both classic and suitable for nearly all ages on some level. It’s the story of Nobody (‘Bod) Owens, an infant adopted by a graveyard. I cannot explain how much I love this little book. It’s so rich with symbolism and brings to light all the pressing issues we, adults as well as children, encounter. It raises issues of prejudice, relationships, non-traditional families, coming of age, love and fate. It’s an amazing book and well-worth reading, especially if you love books that mingle the mundane with the fantastic — much the way that the Potterverse exists alongside the Muggle world, so this graveyard holds tenant just above a very ordinary town. I love it so very much.
Jenny Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:22 am
I love that book! :D
Nei Gaiman’s characters are so awesome. <3
Padmita Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:26 am
This book is next on my reading list :)
Normally I would say my favorite story is either Little House on The Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder or Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber but these days it’s my own story. I am a fairly recently divorced single mommy with two young children and upon getting divorced didn’t think I would ever fall in love again, let alone find someone who would want me with all my “baggage”. I had the great fortune to reconnect with a boy I knew in middle school some 23 years ago. We reconnected on Facebook and are now dating with plans to get married and possibly have a baby someday. I’m so excited for us and I think we have such a great story…how could it not be my favorite? :)
The Ender’s Game series, hands down. Every time I read through the series, it seems just as full of drama and excitement as the first time.
I recommend this series to anyone who has even a remote liking of sci-fi!
The Never Ending Story is one (there are soo man good stories and Harry Potter is also on the top of my list). I wonder what’s going on in Fantasia right now… :)
Caitlin Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:46 am
I love that book! I remember when I was a little girl my dad sitting down and reading it to me. I loved the movies too (I actually own the first 2 on dvd >< haha)
I honestly can’t pick just one.
I love reading; mythology, non-fiction occult works, herbalism books, cookbooks, vampire stories, personal struggles (especially depression, eating disorders, and overcoming great odds), epic adventures, stories about love and tragedies.
I’m really empathetic, and can really identify with stories, fact or fiction. I prefer sad, depressing books actually, anything that makes me feel.
Like I said, it’s really hard for me to pick just one, and even in having to choose I feel as I have done a great injustice to not chose another, though I’d have to say that my favorite story is my own. I’ve kept journals on and off for years now. Going back and reading them make me realize that my life isn’t as dull and boring as I think it is, and also allows me to see myself from an outside perspective, something I have a really hard time doing. I hate saying this because it makes me feel really egotistical and conceited, but I feel that I am a really deep, complex and interesting person (something I have a really hard time seeing outside of reading my journals).
If that doesn’t count, however, one of my favorite stories is that of Leilah Wendell and her supposed relationship with Azrael, the angel of death. It’s supposed to be real, and while I can’t personally say that it is, her story is very tragic and romantic in all the best ways. To see and experience a love so deep and encompassing as to transcend this world and another, life and death, the everlasting twilight…
Megan J. Reply:
October 18, 2009 at 1:36 pm
You sound very interesting and we have some interests in common, it seems.:)
Do you have a blog or online journal?
I love to read, so there are a ton of books that I really like, but I would have to say my all time favourite is Jane Eyre. I am a hopeless romantic so I love everything about that story.
I cannot choose just one, there are so many of them!
One would be a Croatian folk tale called “Rainbow” about a girl who wanted to become a boy because she thought her parents would love her better if she were male and believed she could do it if she ran under a rainbow. it all ends tragically:(
Then there is “Great Expectation”, I love Pip, Joe (dear naive, kind Joe), Estella and Miss Havisham with her crazy wedding dress and rotten wedding cake! Dickens writes it all so brilliantly, with so much wit and sarcasm!
And let’s say my number 3 is Oscar Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Grey, one of my all time favourite books:)
Oooh, I’d have to say the my favourite story would have to be the Saga of Darren Shan.
It’s a children’s series, actually, about a boy who goes to see a freak show and ends up obsessed with a spider that is in the show. He steals it, and accidentally has the spider inject his best friend with its venom.
And the only one with a cure? A 200 year old vampire from the freak show. And he doesn’t give bargains.
Regardless of it being a children’s series, this is one of the best stories I have ever read, even comparing to J.K. Rowling and Anne Rice. The plot is so unpredictable and the characters are so real…I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
It is a vampire series, and I mean REAL vampires, not like the tweeny romance-y vampires who sparkle and disgrace the whole vampire name (that’s YOU, Twilight).
Go read the Saga of Darren Shan. Right now. 8D
Becca Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I KNOW, why people choose Twilight over Darren Shan I’ll never know! Fantastic books.
Sadly the film doesn’t look like it’ll do the books justice at all though, especially as they cast John C Reilly as Crepsley *headdesk* :/
Cait Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Another real good vampire novel is ‘Let the right on in’. It is not a sugary story and deals with heavy issues; but the underlying story is a sweet love story between the two main characters. The movie is also fantastic, someone posted the entire thing on youtube.
Julia L Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I ‘love Let the right one in’, but when I read it I was really surprised. I didn’t know it had such adult themes in it, and I’m a bit disappointed that they cut that out from the film (thinking mostly about the Håkan-litte kids thing). But it probably was for the best anyways, I think that the movie would’ve been unfairly judged if it kept everything after the book.
Jessie Reply:
October 13, 2009 at 2:32 am
I agree with you about Twilight, I wish she had done SOME reasearch about vampire and maybe it would have been more realistic and less ‘omg let’s write a love story,omg i wrote edward as a stalker, but it’s okay if we make hima vampire!” it’s like she thought making him a vampire would rectify all the crazy things he does.
Mine is The Secret Garden.
To me, it has always been a story of transformation. Mary transforms along with the garden. She goes from dour and selfish to warm and friendly, as the garden goes from dead and derelict to full of life.
The same transformation exists for the minor characters as well.
Mary’s sick cousin Colin realizes there’s a whole world outside his window yet unexplored, and his father, nearly a hermit over the death of his wife, realizes that life does go on after death.
It truly is a beautiful story, simply written, but the message of transformation speaks volumes.
Besides, who wouldn’t want a garden retreat of their own?
I would have to say my favorite story is The Notebook. I know it isn’t some fantastic piece of literature that will survive the ages, but I really loved it. It may also be the time in my life when I was reading it has an influence as well. It was one of the first books I read during my post-college backpacking trip through Europe. I remember crying at the end and these Spanish guys were asking me why, and I just couldn’t begin to explain it. It makes me smile to think about that time in my life, so it makes me smile to think about reading the book. :)
Harry Potter. I saw the first film when it came out, and was mesmerized! Since then, I have read the books over and over again!
(Dumbledore saw his family in the Mirror of Erised, like Harry.)
This is such a hard question! I am going to have to go with anything by Tamora Pierce that takes place in her Tortall universe. I love all of her books, but the world and story she has created in Tortall is absolutely breathtaking. It is captivating. I have read these books so many times that I have worn the spines out on my second set.
Mar Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I picked the Song of the Lioness Quartet for my favorite story. Let’s be friends.
PS wow you’re on your second set? I haven’t destroyed my first set yet, although I have lost a couple. I need to buy Alanna: The First Adventure so badly!!
Danika Reply:
October 13, 2009 at 11:28 am
Spot on, Kate!!! I actually considered signing up to be a lady knight at an all female (not-quite-so-local) knight academy after reading my first Pierce book! Alanna is my hero….and if you haven’t read any of the other books yet you MUST.
“Terrier” is also a great read – it goes to tell the story before (I think, if memory serves me right?) Alanna comes on to the scene.
Ultimate girl power books!
Definitely Alice in Wonderland! Though i much perfer Lewis Caroll’s original story, and the original drawings. <3
I love Alice in wonderland!!! I love the book, the Disney cartoon and I cant wait to see Tim Burton’s flick.I loved it when I were a kid and I’m loving it as an adult. The story is so magical and uncomplicated its just perfect!!!
I have many favorites, but one of them is Cinderella. Ever since I was a kid, it was my favorite Disney movie/story. Something about it has made it stick with me all these years. A couple years ago when I went to prom, people told me I looked like Cinderella, which felt amazing. I felt honored. :P
Definitely Lord of the rings. I read nearly all the books from Tolkien and felt like this world with all it’s peoples and landscapes must be real somehow. Tolkien writes this story in a way that makes you not clearly see but definitely expect a much larger world and history behind the actual story than you can see at first sight. All the languages he uses, all the details, the background stories, the hints he gives about certain figures of his story, makes me feel like he’s really been to that world and knows much more about it than he tells the reader.
Agnes Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:46 am
oh, and if i had a second joice: The picture of Dorian Gray, best ever classic!
My favourite sroty of all time has to be Louis de Bernieres’ South American trilogy (The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts, Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman’.
It’s such a phenomenal series – it truly captures the essence of South American life; the fact that the lifestyle is altogether so much more laid back and less serious, but also the darker side (government corruption and the devastation the coca wars wreak not only on anyone unfortunate enough to become wrapped up in them but also on innocent bystanders).
It was these books that first inspired me to travel to South America – a trip that changed me forever and helped me find a purpose in life: to obtain my PhD in animal behaviour and spend my life studying and protecting the wildlife of the Amazon.
oh gosh this is hard! hmm… I would have to say Mulan. I know it seems silly, but I really admire her. She’s the only Disney princess out there who doesn’t need a prince charming to save her; she can save herself, and all of China while she’s at it! GIRL POWER!
Oh this is SO TOUGH!
I’ll go with most re-reads and say The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I like that it transports me to New Orleans in the 19th century and I get so into every time. I love that Edna fights against what she expected to do as a society woman because it doesn’t feel right. I get choked up at the end every time i read it even though I know it so well by now.
Gemma Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Ohmigoodness I LOVE The Awakening by Kate Chopin! Sadly, I have never come across anyone else who has read it in my circle of friends. I read it in tandem with Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours and drawing parallels between the stories was an amazing, intoxicating experience!
Howls Moving Castle!
I am in my mid 20′s, so I cannot really tell you why its my favorite. Best idea I have is that it is such a quiet, peaceful, colorful, passionate little story.
Arika Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Yes I was hoping someone who mention Diane Wynn Jones. It seemed almost depressing that one of her novels not be on here.
Mar Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Word up. Diana Wynne Jones comes in a close second to my pick for favorite story. I think my favorite one of hers is either Deep Secret or Archer’s Goon, but I don’t know which! Augh! Now this is going to bother me.
Mar Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:40 pm
High five!
I love Peter Pan! I think that none of us really wants to grow up, and when we do, there is still a part of us that are children! And Tinkerbell. I love Tinkerbell!
Probably my favorite of all time is Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth is strong and independent, two characteristics that I find are my personal weaknesses. Her story never gets old for me.
I love that, in general, you can relate a lot of the themes to things that happen even today. The characters morality, the social standing and wealth – all things that people we still take into consideration today.
It is definitely a timeless story.
My favourite story book growing up was The Paperbag Princess by by Robert Munsch and it’s still one of my favourite books to this day. I love the fact that it is a reverse on the typical prince saves the princess from a dragon story and that the strong brave character is the girl.
Mar Reply:
October 12, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Wow! I had completely forgotten about that story. I loved it too! I really want to reread it now. Thank you for reminding me of old favorites :D
I really like the Chronicles of Narnia. When I was growing up my parents would fight a lot and reading them now still takes me back to curling up in my bed and escaping everything around me.
My favorite story is “Wuthering Heights”. I’ve read that book many times, and I never like to reread books. There’s just something so touching and passionate about Kathy and Heathcliff’s story. I like to imagine what they could have shared if Kathy had been a stronger person.
oh my goodness. this is a fantastic question. being an english major it’s kind of difficult to pick one story in particular, but i would have to definitely go with harry potter. not just one book in particular, but rather the whole series.
i remember back in 4th grade being out shopping with my mom when i saw a copy of harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone. i had my mom buy it and immediately started reading it on the car ride home. from page one, i was hooked, immersing myself in that world of magic and fantasy, sometimes wishing that i was in that world instead of this one (secretly hoping for my letter from hogwarts). when i brought it to school, i remember the other kids in my class telling me that it was stupid and made fun of me, until 5th grade when my favorite teacher handed out copies of sorcerer’s stone. a few kids ended up liking it and i just smiled. looking back, i now think that “for once, i was cool before it became cool” and that made me feel kind of awesome.
from then on, i would anticipate the release of the next book
the books have always gotten me through anything that was going wrong in my life. family problems, relationship problems, issues at school, i would always turn to the story of the boy wizard and get lost again in the magical world.
there’s nothing better than these books either. its just such a gratifying story to read because no matter what happens, in the end, it always ends up alright. for me, it’s a story of hope, with mystery, love and adventure thrown in to help me get through whatever’s going wrong in my life. i’ll just pick up a copy of one of the books and let go of everything around me and just pretend i’m there in that magical world.
i’m still waiting for my acceptance letter to hogwarts.
–mooj
princess of the elves