Three Books and a Thumb

I had book club with The Novel Ladies and Friends last week. We discussed The Wind Blows Free by Frederick Manfred. The story is a personal memoir of a 1934 hitchhiking trip the author took from Boon, Iowa to the Western Mountains. The author travels light, of course. In his small leather suitcase, he packs three books: the Bible, Shakespeare’s Works, and Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.

At club, I boldly asked “What three books would you take with you on a hitchhiking trip?” knowing full well I didn’t have my own answer. Of course, many people’s initial response was a Kindle, but that doesn’t count for this question. On this trip there is no way of recharging batteries or replacing them. J

Many of the ladies shared books that offered fond memories of when they were younger. While I wouldn’t use any of these books as one of my three, it did get me thinking about books I read and loved as a teenager. I compiled this short list of books from my younger years that I plan to reread. I wonder if I’ll still enjoy them as much as I did back then.

·         To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

·         Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

·         Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

·         Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

·         Papa’s Daughter by Thyra Ferre Bjorn

·         Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighhead George

·         Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

·         The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

·         The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

One reason I am having such a difficult time with this question is that I always struggle with questions about favorites. What is your favorite song? What is your favorite genre of music? Favorite color? Favorite tv show? I have a hard time committing to a favorite because I have a wide variety of interests and my answers seem to depend on the mood I’m in. I would like to take the Bible. It has a little of everything, it’s full of inspiration, and it’s a book I have never read from cover to cover, but want to. I would also like to take a journal of some type to record thoughts and observations. If I was hitchhiking in the US, I would take my journal, Let’s Go See: All 50! Visiting the 50 States Journal. It’s put out by Journal’s Unlimited. I love their journals. Maybe I’d just take some blank paper and add my own Bible Verses and quotes. Then I could take three additional books. After much consideration, I have decided the three would be (at least at the time of this post):                                                                                          

 

·        Gone With the Wind  by Margaret

·        The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

·        The Lakota Way by Joseph M. Marshall III

So , what three books would you take along? Any particular reason?