Very Selective Book Meme

Talmida (Lesser Weevils) tagged me for one very selective book meme:

1. One book that changed your life:

That's easy. The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. It's the story of Tom Brown's childhood in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey where he was taught how to survive and thrive in nature by his best friend's grandfather, an Apache scout named Stalking Wolf. He learned the skills to live comfortably in any environment without harming it, and became an expert in nature observation, especially tracking. I read the book at the age of 12, while on a trip to Yellowstone, and it blew my mind. I was already a concerned environmentalist at the time and troubled by the notion that humans can't seem to live without destroying the life around them. This book showed me that it is possible to live in harmony with nature, and that far from being a life of deprivation it is a life of great joy stemming from a deep, moment by moment connection with the wonders of nature and its Creator. Indeed, it is our modern lives that are deprived in comparison. Alas, I have not experienced that life, but just knowing that it's possible sustains me in my life's quest to help the planet.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:

A book I never tire of re-reading is E.M. Forster's Maurice. I identify somewhat with the half-asleep Maurice and I'm a sucker for a happy ending, especially in a case of "forbidden" love. It's my #1 comfort book (and comfort movie).

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:

Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival (A girl has to be practical!)

4. One book that made you laugh:

Lately, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, especially the love letter.

5. One book that made you cry:

Adam Bede brought a tear or two to my eye, but I can't remember why.

6. One book that you wish had been written:

What Sylvia Forester is Supposed to Do with Her Life, Specifically, by God. ;)

7. One book that you wish had never been written:

I haven't read any of it but I figure we could do very well without anything by the Marquis de Sade.

8. One book you’re currently reading:

The Norton Book of Classical Literature. Just the introduction is fascinating. It's a gorgeous, big, cloth-bound book, an incredible bargain at $12. Get one.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:

One? How about one hundred? Well, I suppose if I was given 6 weeks to live I would want to read the Bible, cover to cover.

10. Now tag five people:

Stefanie, Danielle, Sandra, Susan, and Kate, you're it!

Comments

[A]

I want a personal version of #6. I wonder if God wrote one....

[Sylvia]

If God did it would probably be one of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books!

[Stefanie]

Ohh, nice answers Sylvia. I will have to think of some good ones of my own!

[Susan]

I did it! I did it! Without agonizing over my answers, too!

[Andrew]

I love these types of discussions. Are we allowed to post full answers to all questions here?
If not, here's [b]a[/b] book that changed my life (they all change me to some extent): Consolations of Philosophy by Boethius

[Ella]

#7 had me nodding along in agreement. I read a short piece by de Sade sometime in college, and when it was done I wanted to brush, floss and sterilize my brain. Once read, never totally forgotten.

I too read "The Tracker" at an impressionable age. I wish I could remember more of it.