I was recently “tagged” by some friends to answer questions re: my experiences reading the printed word. Here are my responses:

1. One book that changed your life:
Blue Like Jazz (Don Miller)
Yes, it’s a bandwagon book by now, but Miller’s ability to put my unassembled thoughts and concerns into his own well-written words was truly a breakthrough moment for me.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
I can’t think of a single one. I can barely read a book once let alone twice due to my inability to pay attention for long. But I do want to re-read Watership Down (Richard Adams) soon. Does that count?

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
Some kind of survival guide. Seems like it would be wise and prudent to have one of these puppies in my possession if ever I was stranded.

4. One book that made you laugh:
Traveling Mercies (Anne Lamott)
Her conversion story is blunt and hilarious.

5. One book that made you cry:
Jayber Crow (Wendell Berry)
Berry’s fictional Port William, KY characters are rich with humanity. They greet me with nostalgia and longing for place. Berry’s writing is superb.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
So You Want To Be A Professional Independent Musician: Have A Seat And Some Pepto

7. One book you wish had never been written:
Left Behind (Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins)
(I will quote my friends, Gaines and Allison, since our experiences, and responses, were nearly identical except that I was out of college at the time I read this waste of paper.)
“Yes, I read it. I think I got to number 4 in the series before I wised up.”

8. One book you’re currently reading:
Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
I actually finished this book a couple of nights ago but it rocked my world so much that I had to willingly lie just so I could mention it here.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Huck Finn (Mark Twain)
I read Tom Sawyer for the first time this summer. How can I possibly call myself a red-blooded American and not have read this book before?? So enjoyable to be reminded of what it is and feels like to be a child in America….