Skip to main content

Top Ten Books With Sensory Reading Memories

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted over at That Artsy Reader Girl!

Top Ten Books With Sensory Reading Memories

What a great idea! I hope this one comes up again!

1. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Outside, on the way to a pep rally, nose buried in the book my teacher just gave me. Don't remember a second of the pep rally, just the bleachers underneath me, the smell of grass, and my eyes on the page.

2. Matilda by Roald Dahl

Sitting at the kitchen table with my dad, going over the math problem that Matilda's dad poses to his son, and Matilda answers immediately (Spoiler alert: Matilda had the right answer).

3. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan

Purchased at Tattered Cover in downtown Denver, and dug into on the hotel bed, between explorations of the city and the mountains outside.

4. Dawn by Octavia Butler

Pulled off the shelf in my dad's office, I remember sitting in one of his office chairs, my feet up on his extra desk, staring up at the whiteboard on his wall when I wasn't reading, while he worked.

5. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Sneaking into the bathroom late at night, pulling the book out from the cabinet where my mother hid it, reading my back against the bathroom wall, knees pushed up against the cabinet, until I was too tired to keep my eyes open, when I carefully replaced it, and tiptoed out.

6. All the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling

Reading aloud, with a pillow to my back against my brother's wall, a small boy leaning against me or slightly away from me, and a dog stretched out on the floor, ears cocked toward my voice.

7. A.P. U.S. History

In a tent, late at night, early in the morning, flashlights against the darkness, leaning on our elbows,
our bodies stretched out in sleeping bags

8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Late, late at night, with the light on, frozen in my bed, hands frozen to the page, checking again and again that the madwoman isn't next to me.

9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Off my parents' shelf, the hard cover and etched lettering sophisticated feeling in my hands, leaning back in the armchair, my legs stretched out in front of me.

10. The Torah

Tiny lettering, onion skin pages, to the sounds of the service, always reading faster and further ahead in English, skipping to my favorites.


Comments

Some really great choices! Reading any sacred text is a tremendous opportunity for growth and self-discovery. The Red Tent was such an experience! To even try to imagine life in that time or place is beyond modern minds, but boy it did a great job of trying to show us what it was like, didn't it? Great work!
@Lisa The Red Tent is a truly foundational work in women's historical fiction, and a fascinating story!

Popular posts from this blog

Books with Single-Word Titles

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books with Single-Word Titles These are all my favorite books that I could think of with one-word titles. A lot of fantasy, a few nonfiction (minus subtitles) and Kindred , whether you consider it scifi or historical fiction. Also two portmanteaus using the word "bitter." I suppose it's a word that lends itself to amelioration. 1. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler 2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 3. Fire by Kristin Cashore 4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer 5. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini 6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 7. Stoned by Aja Raden (has a subtitle) 8. Educated by Tara Westover 9. Fledgling by Octavia Butler 10. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Speaking of cultures and society, I leave for Spain on January 9. Instead of continuing as a book blog with a specific goal for number of books to read in a year, Space Station Mir will become a chronicle for my adventures in Spain. Expect a post for each new place that I visit, with pictures! I also plan to continue reviewing books, however I will not make a set goal for number of books to read this year. I do pledge myself to read at least one book in Spanish that was not assigned for a class. In terms of my goals for 2009, I was not diligent enough in keeping track of them. Looking back, I've fulfilled some of them and not others. The greatest trend in my reading this year, which marks a huge deviation for me, is that I've read more non-fiction than I think I've read any other year in my life. I've finally developed the ability to sustain interest in non-fiction other than biographies. For a while, biographies were the only non-fiction I ever read, with the exception

Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish

 I feel like I've been DNFing a fair amount lately, mostly with review books. I feel obligated to read review books longer than I would if they were books I just picked up on my own. That said, I have a caveat in my Book Review Policy  that if I feel I am not the right audience for the book, I won't post a review. I try to avoid that by only picking books I genuinely think I will enjoy, but of course I can't always predict that before I read. Also, while book clubs have been a great way to get exposed to books I wouldn't normally read, tastes will differ and every once in a while, I find a book I'm just not willing to finish. I also want to say no shade to the authors or anyone who enjoyed these books--they just weren't for me. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish 1. Caribbean Competitors by Poppy Minnix--LibraryThing review--This one sounded great and has a beautiful cover, but while the island setting was compelling, I just couldn't ge