My Ideal Bookshelf

I just read a blurb about a new book called My Ideal Bookshelf.  It includes lists of famous people's favorite books with hand-made illustrations of what their bookshelves would look like.  So, naturally, I decided to try to list my favorite books.

I decided to include books that really affected me, along with books that inspired me to drive further down a road than I would have otherwise.  I tried not to pick books in order to impress anyone or with any other agenda.  Also, I can't draw, so there is no illustration.  I considered including a photograph of the books lined up on a bookshelf, but I discovered that I don't currently have a couple of them.  I guess I've moved too many times.  Anyway, here is my briefly annotated list:

1. The Catcher In The Rye:  A cliché, perhaps, but it had a great impact on me when I was 13.  The thoughts in Holden's head weren't that different from my own and I couldn't help but admire his commitment to his ideals, even as he went over the cliff. It also made me expect more from books than I had expected before.  
2. After You'd Gone:  Maggie O'Farrell's depiction of the love story and the grief of her protagonist is so real and so intense that I started to feel as if I had lost my fiancé.  
3. The Looming Tower:  Anyone who doesn't find this book as compelling as a bestselling thriller isn't alive.  This book made me want to learn more about the Middle East and led me to read more history of that part of the world.
4. The Last Mughal:  I was never really interested in India before I read this book.  I picked it up because I find details (human stories, political intrigues, economic impacts, etc.) of cultural collisions fascinating.  This history of the last days of the last Mughal in India made me want to pursue it further.  It led me to read more about India and to read more by the author, William Dalrymple.  (see #5)
5. White Mughals:  This is one of the most moving pieces of history I have ever read.  At its heart, it is a love story; but it is also the history of the actions and consequences of the East India Company.  Chronologically, the events detailed in this book took place before the events in The Last Mughal.  However, I listed them in the order in which I read them, because after I finished The Last Mughal I wanted more.
6. When Will There Be Good News?:  Kate Atkinson can write so well, it's breathtaking.  I think I've read all of her novels, and I've loved them all.  But, if I have to pick one, this one stands out for me.  
7. Savage Inequalities:  Public schools are my life.  So, it's not surprising that I have read a lot of books about them.  I can always count on Jonathan Kozol's books to remind me why I care so much about public education.
8. Amerika:  I discovered Kafka my freshman year of college, not because of any classes I was taking, but because I liked the cover of The Trial.  After I finished reading it, it stayed with me for days.  So, I went to the bookstore and bought The Castle and Amerika.  I finished Amerika in one day, on a Sunday that I spent in my room.  It actually made me laugh out loud at one point, which you might not expect from Kafka.  I loved it so much that I called my boyfriend to read parts of it to him.  Because he found it as funny as I did, I made him my husband.
9. Claudia:  I recognize that this is a children's book, but it's one of those books that I still re-read.  I love how independent Claudia is and how loyal she and Duffy are to each other.  I love that she has a secret diner that she visits once a week, and that she has a box that she locks her treasures in.  But what I love most about it is her relationship with her older brother.  I never had a brother, but Claudia's relationship with her brother always struck me as wonderful.
10. Young Men & Fire:  This is the horrific true story of the Mann Gulch fire of 1949 and the deaths of 13 Smokejumpers.  It's told with real feeling and loving dedication to details and truth.
11. The House of Mirth:  My husband recommended this book to me, and I was grateful that he did, even though it was the first time I ever cried while reading a book.  This was particularly embarrassing, because I finished it while on a flight from San Antonio to Chicago.  When I reached the description of Lily's death, I couldn't stop the tears.  You know how your throat hurts when you try really hard not to cry?  My throat hurt that way, and I still got the pages wet.
12. A Case of Curiosities:  My sister gave me this book.  She has given me several books that I have enjoyed, but this is the one she gave me that I enjoyed the most.  It reminds me of my mother's memory box, which her sister gave to her.  I also love this book because it is, in the end, a mystery.