15 Sept 2010

SHELF OF AWESOME.

 "The Shelf of Awesome is a shelf of books that, in brief, inspire me. No, you won’t find any “inspirational” books on The Shelf of Awesome. By inspire I mean these books are the ones that always inspire me to write, to read, to imagine, to love, to smile, and to find happiness."

First seen over at BRANDILEIGH'S SITE (Click HERE to view her Shelf Of Awesome) I was inspired to join in the fun by posting about my own Shelf Of Awesome.

* The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams - All about becoming 'real'/ finding yourself.
 * Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - Oh to sail away if only for a day. To release your wild side, to let your inhibitions go.
* Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift - Imagine the amazing postcards you'd be able to send from all those different lands.
* The Enchanted Wood/The Folks Of The Faraway Tree by Enyd Blyton - Once again, to have all those magical lands at the top of your 'tree'. And with the Saucepan Man around you need never go looking for a pan again.
* The Matthew Shardlake series of books by CJ Sansom - Brings history to life.
* The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Unusual, one of the best books I've read for a long while.
* I Am What I Am/Anything Goes by John Barrowman - John Barrowman? Phwoar. Need I say anything more.
* The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - OK, so it probably isn't the best book in the world but anything that causes such controversy has to be worth a look.
* The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom - Truly inspirational and thought provoking.
* My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell - Probably the only animal stories that I can read without reaching for the tissues.

So-- If you had to chose 5-10 for your shelf of awesome-- what would you chose?

Feel free to leave your comments on Pen and Paper OR, better still,  make your own post and use Mr. Linky on Brandileigh's site by clicking on the above link.

24 comments:

serendipity_viv said...

Ah the Faraway Tree - how I loved those stories growing up. Definitely my favourite books by Enid Blyton.

The Da Vinci Code is a very influential book. I would definitely say it changed my views on religion. Barbara Erskine's book Time's Legacy has had a similar effect and I am now aware of information about Jesus that I never knew before.

I have the Gerald Durrell book, I must read it soon.

Mary (Bookfan) said...

The Velveteen Rabbit never failed to leave me in tears when reading it to my children.

R. Ramesh said...

thanks ya:)

susan s. said...

I love Gerald Durell's book. I saw the BBC production before I read the book and was inspired to read it. I am glad to see several books on your shelf that I have been exposed to over the years.

Unknown said...

I would choose:

* Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
* The Enchanted Wood/The Folks Of The Faraway Tree by Enyd Blyton

Great list.

CD

Arti said...

Of the books you mentioned, I have only read da vinci code... It is definitely one of my favorite books and I am a genuine fan of Dan Brown...
One book which would definitely be on my shelf is not a penny more not a penny less by Jeffrey Archer...
A wonderful read indeed!!

Gina said...

Lovely post....and your choices, well, I haven't read them all but I do KNOW of them all, so that's a start, right? As for my own shelf of SHELF OF AWESOME....that would take a while to decide upon, although one series I would put on there is THE FORBIDDEN GAME by L J SMITH. IT's just a YA series I read back in high school that stuck with me. Lots of fun, good pacing, perhaps not an award winner or anything, but then again not every book has to be one in order to be enjoyed. Thanks for sharing...and happy reading!

Pam said...

Among children's books, I have to say I love Shel silverstein. They actually make you think.

BURIED IN BOOKS said...

Petty-

I loved the Velveteen Rabbit. Something similar is The Adventures of Edward Tulane by Cate DiCamillo only the rabbit is selfish and learns the lesson about love.

I also loved her book The Magician's Elephant.

The Da Vinci Code was great! A good read, but also so controversial I love it when it get everyone's knickers in a wad! Again it's FICTION! At least that's where I found it in the bookstore, not under religion.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

And the series of Pendergast mysteries by Preston Lincoln and Lee Childs (I think that's the way their names go.)

Heather
Buried in Books

Teresa (Read All Over Reviews) said...

Where The Wild Things Are! Gosh, I love that book. Great shelf, and dare I say, very awesome ;)

Suko said...

I'd probably put several of your picks on my shelf, such as Where the Wild Things Are, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Book Thief, and The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

brandileigh2003 said...

Great list- thank you so much for participating!

SG said...

Great list. I would choose: The Shotgun Rule. Another one: Change of Heart.

Kelly said...

What a fun post!! I enjoyed reading your choices along with those of your commenters.

Hmmm...I guess I'd have to go with some of the choices I had in my "Favorite Five" book posts.

Heather said...

i would definitely have my Goode's World Atlas.

Martha@A Sense of Humor is Essential said...

I would have to have my dear Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy, anything by Ray Bradbury, some Sherlock Holmes, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and a Harry Bosch mystery, that should do it for a little while.
I just finished "Johannes Cabral the Necromancer" and loved it!
Thank you, Petty Wit!

Oddyoddyo13 said...

Hmmm....

Harry Potter series (I'm rereading these for about the third time...they NEVER get old.)

Vampire Academy series (Yes, I fell into the cliche loving-vampires stuff, but the main character is my all time favorite character...ever.)

Thirteen Reasons Why (VERY sad, and the main character isn't highlighted too much, but its one of those not-perfect-but-you-love-it-anyway types of books.)

And that's all I got. :)

Alison Can Read said...

Velveteen Rabbit was one of my favs as a kid. And the Book Thief is so wonderful.
Alison Can Read

BookQuoter said...

Hi Petty,
Just an FYI that I posted about scratching my traveling project. Thanks for placing that little ad for me, but I only had 2 takers:(

Anyways, moving on, I have only read Velveteen Rabbit and the Book Thief, although I have heard of most of them on your list.

Jennifer McLean said...

what a great idea, a shelf of awesome. I'll have to give that some thought.

I'm in a game of internet tag, so... you're "it" now. :o)
Just go to my post here
http://www.justaddwatersilly.com/2010/09/game-play.html
to see the structure of questions to participate. Kind of a fun post. Talk to you soon tracy.
Hugs,
Jenn

chitra said...

PW,
Da Vinci Code is already in our collection, I am yet to read. I would also like to read the 'Five people you meet in heaven' and 'My family and other animals'.

Bad Alice said...

Oddy - Oh yes, The Vampire Academy. That series is full of awesome. I would include Harry Potter and the Southern Vampire series with Sookie. And then Brideshead Revisited and the Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.

Jenners said...

Oh ... I love the idea behind this!!!! You have some wonderful choices on there!!! I'll have to think of my own Shelf of Awesome ... though The Book Thief would definitely be on there too!

Broche Fabian said...

Hello! Visiting via the Hop and I love this post. My own Shelf of Awesome would include Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley, Three Fates by Nora Roberts, Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott, Her Father's Daughter and A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter, and Clearing Away Clouds by Stephen M. Fabian. Thanks for this great idea and for creating a wonderful blog.