Racking My Brain

Artwork by Marion Fayolle

I wish I had begun this blog (or even just a reading journal) twenty years ago. Who knows how many books I've read and forgotten since high school? Sigh.

Here are some that I can remember (not in order) and a short blurb on what I can remember of them.

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis --- The best fantasy books around. Loved them.
2. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King --- Okay. I still don't understand the apostrophe in the title.
3. I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb --- Extremely well written, but graphic. 
4. Timeline by Michael Crichton --- Made me believe I understood quantum physics.
5. Cell by Stephen King --- Long, seemed to go nowhere.
6. Congo by Michael Crichton --- I'll never look at gorillas the same way again. 
7. Cujo by Stephen King --- Utterly terrifying and the reason I always have food and water in my car. (Ten times scarier when you're a parent.)
8. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb --- Fantastic book.
9. Gerald's Game by Stephen King --- No bondage for me in the wilderness for me, thanks.
10. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore --- Funny. I want to read it again.
11. The Green Mile by Stephen King --- Fantastic. I've read it a few times.
12. Rose Madder by Stephen King --- Memorable because it was disturbing.
13. The Shining by Stephen King --- So much better than the movie.
14. Stranger than Fiction: True Stories by Chuck Palahniuk --- Got a weak stomach? Skip this.
15. Christine by Stephen King --- Meh.
16. Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King --- Loved it, but don't remember the plot.
17. Pet Sematary by Stephen King --- Good and scary. And gross. So gross.
18. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris --- Grisly but fun.
19. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton --- Pretty much what you expect, with more gore.
20. The Lost World by Michael Crichton --- Not memorable.
21. Private Parts by Howard Stern --- I love you, Howard, but you should have worked with a better editor.
22. Harry Potter (All books) by J.K. Rowling --- I loved each and every one. 
23. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore --- Hilarious and completely inappropriate for my mother. 
24. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens --- Not bad for required reading.
25. The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens --- It made me sad. 
26. Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain --- Surprising. Naughty.
27. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown --- Fun, but completely screwed up my perception of history.
28. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King --- The movie was better than the book. 
29. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck --- It broke my heart.
30. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne --- Odd, but held my attention.
31. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden --- Very good. 
32. Wicked by Gregory Maguire --- Waste of time.
33. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey --- Disturbing on so many levels. 
34. The Shack by William P. Young --- Just bad. Really bad.
35. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides --- Amazing, intimate book. Helped me better understand LGBTQ issues.
36. The Stand by Stephen King --- Couldn't finish it. Too complex. Hallucinogens and/or cocaine may be required for full absorption... I'll never know. 
37. Needful Things by Stephen King --- Fun, crazy.
38. Bag of Bones by Stephen King --- Couldn't tell you what it was about, but I remember liking it. 
39. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King --- Endearing. 
40. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie --- What language was this translated from? Martian? I couldn't get through it.
41. Star Trek Memories by William Shatner --- As a Trekkie, I found this hilarious. (Some of it was discredited by Star Trek cast members including my beloved George Takei.)
42. Shannara Series by Terry Brooks --- I read the whole series in high school. The demon Reaper from The Elfstones of Shannara still turns up in my nightmares.
43. Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe by George Elliot --- Required reading. Pure torture.
44. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis --- Letters written to and fro do not a novel make. I don't care what you say, Aneesh Khushman.
45. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand --- Overrated garbage.
46. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck --- It wrecked me. I loved it. I'd read it again in a heartbeat.

I'm sure there are more that I'm missing, and they'll come to me in time, or they won't. So it goes. 

Kids, listen to your parents and make notes about the books you read. Start now.