"One Book that Rules them All" Meme

H/T: Kevin for this Book Meme, tho I'm starting to see it pop up in other blogs too:

One Book:

1. One book that changed my life: Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. That first chapter [about the victim mindset, sphere of concern vs sphere of influence, active vs passive language] gave me my most profound "a-ha" moment ever, had me actively taking responsibility for my thoughts and actions, and put me on the path towards self-awareness [or personal mastery, or whatever you wanna call it].
   
   
2. One book that I have read more than once: Oh so many!! But to limit myself to a standalone book rather than a series, let me put forth Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. I've read it at least 3x now, and each time I still feel like an ignoramus, and yet I am also intrigued by the whole Rosicrucians / Knights Templar / etc etc world he paints so eccentrically! The Da Vinci Code is nothing compared to this tale!
   
   
3. One book I would want on a deserted island: Heh. Perhaps a survival handbook? Not that I've read it, but I suppose something like this one: SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea by John 'Lofty' Wiseman.
   
   
4. One book that made me laugh: Heh. There have certainly been a few, but all i can think of right now is Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden Book #7: Dead Beat. When you have a wizard, his half-brother who happens to be an emotion-vampire, a sex-obsessed spirit-helper, a pack of werewolves, a Faerie Queen godmother, and oh so much more, the opportunities for humor are abundant, and well played out.
   
   
5. One book that made me cry: Not many can make that claim to fame. The most recent one would be The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Well, made my eyes prickle, at least. Having as the narrator a young girl who was murdered and is now in heaven, but she struggles to accept her death and still clings to the lost world of the living, observing her murderer and her family over the years... a very different tale, well told.
   
   
6. One book I wish I'd written: Heh. How 'bout "Neither Here Nor There: Tales of a Half-Breed in a Supposedly Multicultural- and Multiracial-ly Tolerant Country"? Oh wait, I have the time, I *may* get around to writing that, eh? LOL. If you don't want a cop-out answer, well, I suppose I'd say Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, just because if I'd written Book 1, then I'd have gone on and written all those other too, eh? It's not so much the $$ [tho that would be niiiiiiice], it's more knowing that I'd created characters that so resonate with oh so many people of all ages!
   
   
7. One book I wish had never been written: Wow. I know there are some gawdawful books out there... but to wish one had never been written? Kinda harsh. But here's a candidate or five: Robert Jordan's not-advancing-the-plot-but-making-the-author-rich-by-milking-the-fans Wheel of Time books #6 - #10.
   
   
8. One book I am currently reading: Well, I'm kinda flipping thru it rather than reading-reading it: The Book of Divination by Ann Fiery. Can't sink my teeth into it. Oh well.
   
   
9. One book I have been meaning to read: Heh. Oh so many! I have over 50 books in my "to read" list. But of all of them, I suppose the one "burning" to be read would be: Wicked by Jerry Maguire. [A close second = The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green - Joshua Braff]
   
   
10. One book I think everyone should read: Heh. Again, something that actually really got to me/impressed me? Right now what springs to mind is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. A fantastic retelling of the Arthurian legend, perhaps it's the feamle perspective that has me hooked? It's certainly worth a read, methinks!

Would love to hear your comments on my choices... but more importantly, I would really really like to know what you yourself would choose.. after all I'm always on the lookout for new/diferent books to read, and thanx to this meme, I've already got a few more books to add to my "to read" list, and it would be great if you can help add to it :-) So please, tag yourself, k?

btw; now = 215pm. We should be on the road heading for Kosh's sis & the nephews' b-day pahtay. Guess who's still at work. :-( Poor thang.

UPDATE#1: decided to list the blog posts participating in this meme that I've discovered so far... this'll be a reference for me when I get around to *properly* compiling my "to read" list!

• Kevin
  
• Karl
  
• Dawn

[plus Chanakin in the comments]

UPDATE#2: found someone who'd compiled the results of about 275 participating bloggers! And here's the originator of this excellent meme.