Day 13- My 5 Favorite Books and Why.

Um....okay, so I really don't know what has happened to me. When I was younger I used to love reading. I use to read all the time, whenever and wherever I could. I hate to admit this....but even sometimes in church. Anyway, that being said this post is going to be really difficult. I feel that I have read a substantial amount of books and there are even more on my list that I want to read. But, we'll see how this goes.
First of all I would like to say that...

 

The Scriptures

I know that this picture is of The Book of Mormon but The Bible is included in that as well. The scriptures are my rock. Those and prayer are the things that I turn to when I need to get through a hard time. There are so many insights into my life that I gain from the scriptures. They make me want to improve and bet a better person, the kind of person I know that Christ and Heavenly Father want me to be.

However, I have a feeling that this post is meant to be about more secular books so here it goes....

1.

 

 Pride and Prejudice

The first time I read Pride and Prejudice I was 16 and from then on it has definitely been my fav! As cliche as it sounds I think a large part of it stems from the fact that I can identify with the character of Elizabeth Bennett. Not necessarily on the whole getting married thing but just on how she interacts with people. I mean you see right off from the beginning she judges Mr. Darcy and he does the same to her. But then after they get to know each other they realize that the other isn't as bad as they initially thought. That has definitely been my experience in life. I am very quick to make snap judgments about people sometimes but then after I get to know someone my opinions change and I realize that the person isn't as bad as I thought and that it can develop into a relationship that is extremely enjoyable.

2.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic book and one that I enjoyed immensely. I think part of it is because of the character of Atticus Finch. I love that in this book he defends the case of the poor black family against the hillbilly white family...which at the time that the book was set would have been totally unacceptable. I love that he's a character with character, that is willing to stand up for what is right and serve someone and help those that really need it. I know I'm going to get a lot of flak for sounding like some "bleeding heart liberal" but in my opinion it is up to each and every one of us to help those that we can when we can...no matter what. We need to help each other out for the betterment of society. Harper Lee put that message into this book and it's messages like that that have led me to want to become a  Social Worker.

3.

The Work and the Glory

Okay, So I know that this isn't exactly one book....more like nine. But I think I can get away with it. I bucked reading these books a lot when I was younger, probably because Mom tried to force feed them to us when I was like six or seven, but I gave them a shot when I was 14 or 15 and was presently surprised by what I found. I loved these books and all that it taught me about the early days of the church. From it I get a greater sense of what those early saints went through for their faith and a greater appreciation that they did so that I can have the gospel in my life today. And the fact that it was written in terms of a fictional family that you grow to know and love as you read the books doesn't hurt either. : )

4.

Harry Potter

Ok, really, I ask you, what kind of twenty-something would I be if I didn't list Harry Potter as one of my favorite books. I read The Sorcerer's Stone when I was 11 and ever since I read that first installment I have greatly enjoyed the series. At 11 there was something cool and fun and lighthearted about believing that maybe there was another world out there where magic actually existed. I knew it really didn't but Harry Potter helped me to use my imagination to it's full extent, it allowed me to dream. And it did and will for many people. Harry Potter is something that changed children's literature. It has become iconic...especially for my generation because we were that age group that Rowling was writing for. Just Sunday I was sitting in Sunday School and we were talking about Jews vs. Samaritans and what the difference was and some kid pipes up and says "To the Jews the Samaritans were like...mudbloods." and everyone started to laugh at the reference and we all immediately knew what he was talking about. Or today I was sunbathing with Lacey and the wind kept kicking up and we decided that we needed a deluminator...except for wind. Or amongst my group of friends we'll sometimes starts "duels" using spells from the books. Or last year when Ariel and Lacey were feeling too lazy to get something for themselves they would say "Accio (fill in the blank)" and the other would get up and get it for them and when Jenny tried to do it and no one got anything for her we teased her about being a "squib" and she would get so angry. And it will endure for generations to come. Years from now when my children read those books I will be able to look at them and say "I remember when those books came out. I remember waiting for the next installment, the midnight parties for the books and premieres for the movies... I remember that." And...that was a rant. haha

5.

Jesus the Christ

I read this book about a year ago. And it is so good! I loved getting to read about the life of the Savior! It was so enlightening to get a bit of historical background on what was going on at the time of Christ's birth, ministry, and crucifixion! It helped me to gain a greater appreciation for our Savior and what he went through to perform the atonement in our behalf.