Hello, folks. It’s Table Topic Tuesday time. And this week’s question is:
My answer depends on how I feel and who’s asking. My first favorite book go-to is Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. I’ve loved it since the first time I opened it–from the first sentence. There’s the humor, the romance, the letters. And even though we’re far removed from that social structure, the characters are still so beautifully ambivalent, full and real.
The language in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God woke me up. I read most of that book sitting on my feet, ready to pounce, because I could not keep still. Toni Morrison’s Sula jostled me in the same way.
And I love re-reading C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia to the boys. Peeling through each page and layer kindles more meaning than it ever did before.
Nonfiction? I’ve worn the pages thin in Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. Recently, I’ve read, re-read, read once more A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. If God has a bat phone, Tozer’s prayers will get you straight through.
I really haven’t met many books that I didn’t like. Movies, too. I will always watch the latest Pride & Prejudice when it’s on. For a light & fun mood–and who’s ever not up for that?–I love Almost Famous. And Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind deserves a mention, too.
For Christmas? It’s a Wonderful Life. For family lines? The Princess Bride. For nostalgia? The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady.
We could be here a while. I can’t let you go without talking about my favorite Disney feature. There are so many magical options. But I have to choose the bookworm. The girl who’s “nothing like the rest of us.”
My friends weighed in, too.
Lindsay says:
Ok. First of all, we all know that this question does not have an answer. It has “hmmms” and “haws” and pause-for-thoughts and moments of silence. But no simple, definitive answer. It gets asked on bad first dates. It’s the icebreaker on the first day of school during “get to know your classmates” when teachers have nothing else planned other than to review the syllabus. It’s the question that stumps any and every parent who think they know their kids inside and out. It’s the most mysteriously simple question with an infinite amount of answers. Any time I get asked this, I reply with probably the most annoying answer on the planet: “That’s a good one…I don’t know.” And it’s true. I don’t think I have one favorite book or just one favorite movie. But I have favorite genres. If we’re talking books {and I’ll always talk books}, I love biographies, autobiographies and sports the most. I just finished reading a book written by one of my all-time favorite tennis players, Johnny Mac. His story was pretty incredible, and it was awesome to learn about what was going on in his life behind the scenes. Movies? I love action. But not gory, gruesome action. I like movies that make you think: Italian Job, all the Bourne movies, Ocean’s Eleven. See? The answer is never easy — or short.
Lynda says:
I feel I must complain to the “Table Topic” gods on this question. Because it’s two questions in one. And I’m not a fan. What do these two questions mean when put together? Are they even related? Is it just asking me separately what is my favorite book and what is my favorite movie? Or are they asking what’s my favorite book made into one of my favorite movies? The possibilities are endless. If I’m allowed to have input, I prefer a little more directness and clarity in my table topics. But alas, no one asked me.
So I choose to answer this question as “what’s my favorite book made into my favorite movie?” It’s a little easier to narrow down the options. So without further ado, I must say that Pride & Prejudice ranks pretty darn high on my list. I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, and I could read her books over and over and over. The funny thing is, I had never read Pride & Prejudice before seeing the movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen. It’s one of those things I hate to admit, because I’m such a book nerd and would so much rather get swept away with the words and characters I create in my mind. But in this instance, I love them both. The movie touched me, and to this day I can watch it whenever it’s on and recite most of it word for word. It was also the impetus that started me snatching up all of Jane Austen’s books and devouring them one by one. So for that, I’m forever grateful.
So why did I love the movie so much? This is the scene that did it for me. Mr. Darcy comes striding across a field on a crisp, cold, early morning as Elizabeth Bennett watches him. They come together and profess their love for each other, and it’s magical.
If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on. – Mr. Darcy
Does this happen in real life? The single gal in me can only hope. (swoon)
It’s your turn, friends. What’s your favorite book? Movie? Book-turned-movie?
my ft.notes 
You have SUCH different reading tastes than me, but I really loved reading this. It gave me a different perspectives on books that I don’t really like. So, thank you.
Thanks for reading, Cassie. There has to be a book out there that we both love. 🙂
There must be. I will keep reading your blog and find one. : )