So many books...

It appears that I've been tagged with one of the TOUGHEST challenges ever. (Nice work, Mr. Myles.)

So, dear readers, here is my noble attempt to narrow down a lifetime worth of reading.

Thank God I have a horrible long-term memory.

One book…

that changed my life: Banana Rose by Natalie Goldberg. It's this magical story of a couple living off the land in New Mexico. I fell in love with the Southwest as I read it (I think I've always secretly wanted to be an organic farmer living in Albuquerque). But more than just beautiful prose, this book reminded me that passion can exist in a long-term relationship. When I realized that two people (even messed up fictional ones) could be so in love, it highlighted the glaring lack of it in the relationship I was currently in. The book and its timing were perfect.

that you’ve read more than once: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I LOVELOVELOVE this book, along with everything else he's written (About a Boy, A Long Way Down, etc). Usually it's tough for me to identify with a male protagonist, but this writer's wit, sarcasm, and human touch make you root for the slightly awkward (and slightly a-hole) main character. Walk, don't run to buy it now - especially if you love music.

that you’d want on a desert island: Definitely the bible and a journal, but in the interest of something different, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda.

This collection of poems is the modern day Song of Solomon. I found this book in a gift shop on St. John when I was 16. At the time, I knew nothing of love but I could certainly understand heartache. Neruda showed me what it looked like with a little bit of wisdom attached -

"Tonight I can write the saddest lines. To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her. To hear the immense night, still more immense without her. And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture."

that made you laugh: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. Another book that I've read over and over again, I can only read this when I'm alone because it makes me snort and laugh so hard that I've literally cried. I've often wondered how much of this is fiction, because life just can't be that hilarious. (The chapters on his drug use are particularly genius.)

I think he's one of the best comedic writers I've ever read (Naked is also brilliant) and the way he dances back and forth between life's tragic and sweet moments is effortless.

that made you cry: The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. This book is in my Top 5 - easily. It has the weirdest premise - it's the story of a couple's developing relationship disrupted by the fact that the husband time travels. It's messed up, beautiful and tender. Trust me, just read it.

that you wish had been written: Hills like White Elephants - Ernest Hemingway. I remember reading this story in high school. I dissected it later with a teacher who explained that this mysterious little dialogue was really a discussion between a couple about her burgeoning pregnancy and his desire for "it to be taken care of."

It's always sort of haunted me that I didn't know the beginnings of their relationship, or what became of it afterwards. I think it's a horrible crime when a short story isn't given the affection it deserves...thus becoming a novel.

that you’d wish was never written: Beowulf. If this work had never been written, my life might have taken a completely different trajectory. When I read this (or attempted to) I was an English major, hoping to work my way towards a doctorate so I could teach somewhere.

As fate would have it, I took Early English Literature during my junior year, almost threw up when I saw the syllabus, and promptly moved my communications minor to my major. The rest is history.

It's amazing to me that people actually like this poem.

that I wish I’d written: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. If you've been reading my blog long enough, I'm sure I've mentioned him no fewer than 10 times. Gibran mastered the art of mystical poetry and over the course of my life, these poems about the dichotomies of life have helped me to see that life is neither black or white, but an equal balance of both.

that you are currently reading: As usual, I've got about 3 going - STILL reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (one of these years, I'll finally finish it), re-reading Me Talk Pretty One Day and studying my way through The Challenge of Jesus by NT Wright. I'm really loving this book, but I'm going through a fiction phase right now and theology isn't particularly conducive. It's going to take a concerted effort to get it read quickly...maybe over Labor Day weekend.

that you want to read: I just finished Fidelity by Wendell Berry and I must get my hands on every other piece of work he has composed. His character development gets more and more beautiful with each short story. He gently caresses each story, slowly bringing it to conclusion, all while you pine to be inside his quiet, sweet little farm world.

Also, Out of Africa. I've been waiting to pick this up until I'd returned from Kenya, and I think it'll make it to the top of my list in the next month or so.

Ok, if anyone will indulge me, please feel free to post your favorites in the comments section.

I'm far too lazy to tag at the end of a weekend...