Books that changed me

The book I'm reading right now (Walking a Literary Labyrinth by Nancy M. Malone) asks the question, "Do you have a list of books that have changed your life?" Her theory is that each book we read takes us to a new place, and it changes us irretrievably. I think she's right. If I had to make a list to answer that question, it might look something like this:

The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley

The best telling of the Arthurian legend I've ever read. One of the biggest shapers of my early spirituality. It still speaks to me about divine feminine energy and the sacredness of the earth. If pressed, I'd probably still claim it as my favorite novel.

Journal of a Solitude - May Sarton

My first trip into May Sarton's world of poetry and quiet. A love song to the work of one's soul and to New England. I am not her kind of poet, precisely, but she somehow still is my kind of inspiration.

The Long Loneliness - Dorothy Day

I first "met" Dorothy Day through Liz Carr, the Catholic chaplain at Smith. She inspires me incredibly, with her honest quest for meaningful spirituality, her care for others, her writing, her integrity. And the last two pages of the book are the purest poetry I know.

Anything by Louisa May Alcott and L.M. Montgomery

I'm particularly (still) in love with Jo's Boys/Little Men and Eight Cousins/Rose in Bloom. I liked their most famous works, of course, but the slightly lesser known books were my constant companions as a child. I reread Rose in Bloom a month or so ago, and it made me realize just how much of my early sensibility was shaped by their writings. Perhaps that's why I liked Jane Austen so much when I met her (finally!) at the end of last year.

The Exiles Series - Melanie Rawn

The best fantasy books I've ever read. I've been waiting, none-too-patiently, for the final book to come out for about ten years now. And I'll wait as long as it takes. They're that good. I can reread the first two once a year, at least, and still find new and fabulous things within them.

There are a million other books I love as well, but these are the best of the lot. I imagine I read books by men, too, but just not as often. I think this year I've completed sixteen books, and only two of them are by men. They just don't tend to speak to me as well, and they don't write books about the things I need to read. At least right now. So I'll stick with these, my favorites. And keep reading. I just never know when I might find more.