The ladies of Whiskey, Wine and Moonshine have books on the brain. We may share some of our recent convos on an upcoming podcast. In the meantime, I want to know your thoughts about books. For all questions, you can choose more than one.
- Who is your favorite author?
- What’s your favorite children’s book?
- What’s your favorite book? What makes it special?
- What book did you read that you wish you’d encountered earlier in life? How did you come to read it?
- What book would you recommend to someone? What makes it worthy?
- What notable book did you try reading, but abandoned?
- What book is on your “to read” list?
- Complete the following sentence: {Insert name of book} should be required reading for {insert individual or group} because (insert reason}.
It’s probably not fair of me to ask these questions without sharing some of the answers, and I may reveal my thoughts in a future post. For now I want to hear from you! The floor is yours…
Thanks everyone, for your responses! Some goods one in the mix!
Forgive me for not having an answer to all of these questions. I will answer the ones I can though…
What’s your favorite book? What makes it special?
– I’ll say The Alchemist for this one. It’s a really great and inspirational story about going on a personal journey and seeing it all the way through. Plus, I have the audio version and it’s read by Jeremy Irons. So, it sounds cool to listen to, lol.
What book did you read that you wish you’d encountered earlier in life? How did you come to read it?
-Actually I’ll mention The Alchemist, As A Man Thinketh, and a few things from Jim Rohn and Tony Robbins for this. I ended up reading/listening to them around age 30 (I’m 34 now). At the time I was really looking to change my thinking and find some way to motivate myself. So, getting in to some of this material really helped me realize that the things a person thinks and focuses on are what they will create. So, if you want to build something special you have to think it first. Then you can figure out how to achieve it. So, although it would have been great to come across this and begin the process sooner, I can’t complain too much about when it actually happened. Some might say it was late, but I think it was on time for me.
What book would you recommend to someone? What makes it worthy?
-I hate to sound like a broken record, but Alchemist again for this one. I’ll also add Black Wall Street to my answer. That book is about a successful black town that was burned down. Also, there is a speech by J. Earl Shoaff called “How to get everything you want in life” that is really awesome. Below is a link to it. It’s only 41 minutes long…
No favorite author just a list of people I don’t like. I choose based on subject matter, length, & writing style. No author has won my heart over another. I like variety.
Favorite children’s book: Hand Hand Finger Thumb. My parents read it to me when I was a toddler. I bought it for my cousins and friend’s children.
Favorite book: Rosie in the Present Tense by Louis Hawes. I lost my friends to drunk drivers when I was 9 and the years that followed I lost many more friends and family members. The book reminds me to let go, but still know my loved ones are with me.
I wish I had read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho a tad bit earlier in life. I think if I had read it in college I would’ve been more secure in the years that followed. I read it when I was about 27 and it’s helped make sense of my previous years and gives me understanding for the future.
I tried reading Wicked, but it landed in the pile with Anna Karenina. I finally stopped trying to fool myself into thinking I like big books; I don’t. Mundane details, drawn out plots, redunant thoughts/feelings of characters, losing track of characters, and pain in my ass to hold….yup that sums up how I feel about long books. Trivial, but if I can’t knock a book out within 2wks or it’s not required reading for a course, chances are I won’t read it or finish it.
Favorite Author(s): bell hooks, Zora Neale Hurston & Octavia Butler. All equal.
Favorite Children’s Book: Where the Wild Things Are. It was my first “horror” story, and my father who was away on military leave at the time, recorded himself reading it to me.
Favorite Book: My favorite book of the moment always changes, but the one constant is Wild Seed by Octavia Butler. I found myself in the main character, Anyanwu.
There aren’t really any books that I wish I’d read earlier. They’ve all seemed to appear at the perfect time in my life, right when I need them.
One of the many books I’d recommend is “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. It’s a wonderful understanding of ego, spirit, the truths of our existence.
I tried reading “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire about three years ago, and have yet to finish. I’ve always loved the Wicked Witch of the West, but it just wouldn’t hold me. I keep saying I’m going to go back to it.
So many books on my “to read” list. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okoafor and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez are the next three.
“All About Love: New Visions” and “Salvation: Black People and Love” by bell hooks should be required reading for everyone. They’re foundations for (un)learning the essence, workings and multiple layers of love.