The idea of stickiness -- what titles, ideas, concepts, images stick in your brain ove time -- is a fascinating one. Some bloggers (books on the brain, among them) recently asked readers to quickly list the 15 books that have stuck with them the most, over time. You're supposed to just blurt them out -- no researching. It's a great exercise for shaking up your creative brain, and could be done for songs, paintings, poems, any creative thing you love. Here was my response to Books on the Brain's challenge:
Oh I LOVE this! Am I supposed to do it here? It's so much pressure! My brain is exploding. OK. 1.) The Soloist (the novel by Mark Saltzman) 2.) The Remains of the Day 3.) The Accidental Tourist 4.) Caddie Woodlawn -- I liked it better than Little House on the Prairie when I was a girl 5.) The Wheel on the School, which I read out loud to both my kids
6.) Riders of the Pony Express 7.) Bel Canto 8.) Desert Solitaire 9.) The Things They Carried 10.) The Creative Habit 11.) Bird by Bird 12.) Olive Kitteridge 13.) um um um....A Three Dog Life 14.) Broken Vessels by Andre Dubus 15.) The Tipping Point.
Geez! Not one classic romance on my list!
3 comments:
I LOVED the Soloist (and am a bit sad that the movie that is soon out ISN'T the same book.) However, I did not like The Remains of the Day - but I can't argue it's memorableness - that's a word, isn't it?
It's a fun meme.
All the ones you mentioned. That's not cheating, is it? ...PLUS A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (especially on a night flight from NYC to LA and you're the only one awake on the plane), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, The Devil in the White City, Water for Elephants, The Bridge to Terabithia, A Symphony in the Brain, The Member of the Wedding, Silent Spring, A Single Shard . . .
Bel Canto?! I've heard the rare comment on it, but I'm wondering...make it a "must read" on my own list, do you think?
(Btw, nice to meet you - saw you on someone else's blog comments and then just HAD to see your 'books that stay' list. I have to write down ones I haven't read. The minute I walk into the library or the bookstore, I get so excited at the prospect of so many choices, I go blank on what I was after!)
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