Stories that stick with you

As an avid reader, there are a few stories that I adore and, more often than not, most I just enjoy. It is rare that I really dislike any book. I can find something redeeming in almost all. The hazard of reading so much is that even though I keep a list, I don't remember what a lot of them were about. Thinking of all the books I've read has made me a little nostalgic. These are the stories that stick with you.

As a young child, I loved being read to. My parents subscribed to the Disney books. I remember getting 2-3 each month. They are still in my parents' basement and my kids have enjoyed them, too. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion has also been a long time favorite. My mom had it in her classroom and then I read it. I even took it to college and used it as my final in a sign language class and signed it to the whole class. A couple of years ago, Betty White read it aloud on Storytime Online.

In elementary school, I would try to finish my schoolwork as quickly as possible so I could visit the classroom library and pick out a new adventure. I spent a lot of time on my bed reading all of the Trixie Belden mysteries by Julie Campbell and Sweet Valley Twins by Francine Pascal. These sets I read for a long time. I'd spend time in one grandparent's hayloft reading and in the other one's basement or back bedroom reading. One elementary book I loved and have reread as an adult is The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton. I was fascinated by the home and the people in the story.

In high school and college, my reading slowed down because of mandatory reading for classes. I did love Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and learned a lot from And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts about politics and the AIDS epidemic.

As an adult, my reading has increased as my kids have gotten older. I have a goal of reading 100 books in 2024. My favorites lately have been The Day the World Came to Town 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede about planes being grounded at their small town airport and how the community came together. A second one is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. It makes you think about life when you have one where nobody you meet will remember you tomorrow. A third is a children's book called Where Happiness Lives by Barry Timms. A great reminder of appreciating your own home and what you make of it.

All of these books are part of me and each brings a smile to my face for what they've taught me or made me feel. If you are a book lover, have you read any of these? Do you have stories that have stuck with you?