Ten Things Thursday: Ten Books I Love

Howdy Folks. Time for another round of Ten Things Thursday! Today I am going to give you a list of ten books that I love. I am a avid reader, and I have been since my parents taught me to read when I was three. These books have stuck with me long after I read them. Hopefully you will check them out, and if you have read any of them, feel free to share your opinions on them in the comments!

Here we go!

1. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel.

Anyone who knows me knew that this book would be the first on the list. I have read every single book in this series that follows the life of a prehistoric girl named Ayla. This, the first book in the series, follows her from the time she was orphaned by an earthquake at age 5 through being found by a group of Neanderthals and raised as one of them. She is considered an "Other" due to her difference in appearance and abilities, but she is loved by the family that took her in, and hated by other members of the Clan. This book made me run the full spectrum of emotions, from joy to heart wrenching sadness. I have read them all many times, and will read them many times again.

2. Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson

I was given this book many years ago, when I was a young teen, and I instantly fell in love with it. It is based on the true story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped in 1836 by Comanche Indians when she was a young girl. After a very rough beginning she was given to an Indian family and raised as their daughter. The story documents her life with them, from planning to escape to eventually coming to love her new family, marrying the warrior who originally kidnapped her, and having children. It is a captivating novel, full of emotions, especially the end. I had the original copy for over ten years, and I read it so much it fell apart, and I had to replace it. This is another book that has a permanent spot on my bookshelf.

3. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Although this book was written first, it is actually the last in the series penned by Marion and later, after her death, Diana L. Paxson. I had started this book a hundred times over the years, starting when I was a young teen, but never managed to finish it until a few years ago. Once I found out that there were other books, I quickly bought the rest of them, and set out to read them in chronological order. This book is about Morgaine and her life as what would be King Arthur's sister, and later a priestess of Avalon, throughout the rise and fall of Camelot. Very in depth and and enchanting, it draws you in and transports you to a different place in time.


4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

When I was in 5th grade, my teacher, Mrs. Habib brought this book in to read to the class every Thursday. I was captivated by it, and asked her to borrow it once she was done reading it to the class. I did a book report on it, and loved the book so much, she gave it to me as a gift. I unfortunately do not own the book anymore, which was first in a series of 5 books I think, but I hope to one day own them all again. The first book is about Meg Murry and her brother Charles, who are visited one dark and stormy night by a strange character, who informs them that tesseracts's are indeed real. A tesseract is a wrinkle in time. The book takes the children on a journey through another realm of time, in search of her missing scientist father, who disappeared while working on a top secret project for the government. The book was really strange, but wonderful, and it has stuck with me all these years.


5. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

This was another book that was read in my class in my 5th grade year, and much like the last book, I fell in love with it, asked to borrow it, and was later given it to me by my teacher. This is the story of an American Indian girl named Karana, a 12 year old whose family were killed by another Indian Tribe. The other survivors evacuated the island of the coast of California, but she jumped out of the boat to remain with her little brother, who had been left behind. The brother dies shortly thereafter, and the book goes on to chronicle the life of Karana who lived alone for 18 years on another small island. This is one I also no longer own, but would love to have it again, as the story has stuck with me all these years.

6. The Body Sacred by Dianne Sylvan

I was given this book by a dear friend who thought it would help me with my *at the time* crippling body image. It was the first book I have ever read by Dianne Sylvan, and now she is one of my most favorite authors. The book is about her personal story of struggling with being a larger woman, sexual abuse, and the devastating self image she has had since then. Pagan at the time she wrote it, it combines her own personal faith with her journey of self acceptance. I do not exaggerate in the least when I say this book literally changed my life. I looked at myself in a whole new light, and it helped me to shed so much self-doubt and self-abuse over my body image and the way I imagined that others perceived me. If you struggle with body image issues, no matter what your size, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

7. Wicked by Gregory Maguire 

I have no idea where I first got this book. I think I picked it up at the flea market, where there used to be an elderly couple that sold tons of books every weekend. The story is about The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, told from her, Elphaba's, point of view. It answers the questions of why was she so wicked, what her life story was, and how she came to be the Wicked Witch that terrorized Dorthy later in life. There was a sequel as well, Son of a Witch, than was equally good. It was a surprising read, and I really enjoyed it.


8. The Drought by Lily White

This is a recent read, and as far as I know it is only available in digital format. It is a long book, set in a small town in Havensburg, Kentucky, which is suffering from the worst drought in history. The town's water reserve is drying up, and there seems to be no relief in sight, as wildfires from a neighboring city approach the dry town. The story follows several of the town's citizens, including several from the local high school, as they deal with their lives which include a lot of heartache and strife. Every one is connected in sometimes very twisted ways, influencing each other, even if they are unaware how, throughout the entire story. It is a long read, 799 pages, and it was almost impossible to put down. I had to force myself to go to sleep most nights.


9. 30 Pieces of Silver by Carolyn McCray 

For some reason the link to the book ( in the title, which every book I write about here today is linked...in each title ) says that the book is available for pre-order from Amazon...but I got the book during a free period off of Amazon, as have a few others I recommended it to, so I have no clue why it says pre-order...unless they redid the book. At any rate, this was another recent find, and it was amazing. Partly set in modern times, and partly set in the time of Judas and Jesus, the story follows Judas' story, in his final days with Jesus, and in modern times it follows a woman named Rebecca Monroe, a doctor of science, who gets tangled up with a Sargent Brandt from the military, who both meet back up with Becca's former professor and mentor Dr. Lochum. It is a religious thriller, and a surprisingly excellent book. Full of twists and turns and nail biting moments, it was a very hard book to put down. Do not let the religious tone throw you off, the book is NOTHING like what it seems!


10. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Even though the book came out some time ago, as well as the movie, I just got around to reading this book last month. Another flea market find, I picked it up for 2 bucks and read it at random intervals last month. ( Mostly while we had no power...) I did not expect to like the book that much, although I have no idea why. This was one of the rare times I saw a movie before I read the book it was based on, and I really liked the movie. That means the book is usually 100 times better, but I was still leery about reading it. I should not have been. It was a very good book, easy flowing and told the story of Liz's difficult journey to find herself. Probably just about everyone has heard of this book and what it is about, so I will not go into it here, but I will say it was excellent and I am very glad I read it.


There you have it, ten books that I love! Do let me know if you have read these, and what you thought, and if you decide to read them later, come back and tell me what you thought!

Until next time!