T.S. Eliot quipped, “I love reading another reader’s list of favorites. Even when I find I do not share their tastes or predilections, I am provoked to compare, contrast, and contradict. It is a most healthy exercise, and one altogether fruitful.”
A most interesting discussion was begun a few months ago among friends in Tennessee. We each tried to name our top 5 favorite books other than the Bible. Well, this proved nigh impossible for everyone mainly due to the fact that no one could limit it to only five. Then, there was the difficulty of deciding whether a book was simply a "favorite" or whether is was "influential" to our way of thinking about the world. We decided that a list of books takes time; that one must mull over such things for a while. So, now here's your chance to share your list. There are no limits. Share as many titles, authors, and comments as your heart desires!
Here's my list so far:
Fiction:
Quo Vadis? by Henryk Sienkiewicz (a tale of the Christian persecution under Nero)
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss (inspires me to press on in the Faith, knowing that He who began a good work in me will be able to complete it, though I often feel that I'm making no progress)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (witty, silly, satirical, full of rich language)
The Ox Cart Man by Donald Hall (the simple life, reward for hard work and frugality)
Education:
Home Grown Kids by Raymond and Dorothy Moore
The Socialization Trap by Rick Boyer
Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn
Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
When You Rise Up by R.C. Sproul, Jr. (the best book on home education I've read)
Paradigm Shifting:
Be Fruitful and Multiply by Nancy Campbell
The Way Home by Mary Pride
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
Her Hand in Marriage by Douglas Wilson
The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace
Holy Cows and Hog Heaven by Joel Salatin
Angels in the Architecture by Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson
How Should We Then Live by Francis Schaeffer
L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer
Disconcerting:
Heiland by Franklin Sanders
Henry and the Great Society by H. L. Roush
Useful:
Pastured Poultry Profits by Joel Salatin
You Can Farm by Joel Salatin
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
College Without Compromise by Scott and Kris Wightman
The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
Fun Read-Alouds:
Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back by Shel Silverstein
Scottish Seas by Douglas Jones
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
~Trish
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