I know everyone has a list of their favorite books or books that have had a significant impact on them. My post today is a list of my top 5 favorite books. I love to read so it is hard to narrow this list down to just five, but here goes:

1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I used to read Gone With the Wind every summer, at ~1,000 pages it kept me busy for a week or so. It’s an epic Civil War tale about struggle, hard work, and determination. The heroine, Scarlet O ‘Hara, is smart, resourceful, reviled, and wanted. The 1939 movie is also a favorite!
2. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I read Atlas Shrugged my first summer after I had started college. I got my wisdom teeth pulled and was a little bit loopy from all of the pain killers, so I sat and read this monster of a book (~1,200 pages). I loved it because it matched my political beliefs. Growing up in the conservative Midwest, where there was one (read Republican) viewpoint, it felt nice to find a political belief that matched what I thought. Hard work and pay should be it’s own reward without government interference or taxes. Look at what’s happening in this nation now. I called Obama a wolf in sheep’s clothing when he ran for office and I believe that now, more than ever (the two parties have a vested interest in limiting it to a 2 party system). The movie (part 1 of 3) isn’t bad either – while it’s not an epic tale/movie like Gone with the Wind, it is worthwhile.
3. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura Ingalls was the original “pioneer woman.” This 9-book series was always entertaining and I read it many times. It’s about a family’s survival in the mid-1800’s in Minnesota, Kansas, South Dakota and Missouri and  how they make something out of nothing. I’m reminded of our 2007 trip driving across country when my youngest turned 6. As we drove through Minnesota past Walnut Grove, where there is a Laura Ingalls Wilder museum, the boys weren’t interested in stopping to see her house, so I kept driving, something I now regret. McKinley, who can’t see over the window sill in the back seat, pipes up, “Where are all the people?” Huh?  “No really, where are all the people?” I replied, “There aren’t any honey, you have to learn to entertain yourself.” Which is why I know how to play almost every card game known to man… I think I’ll read this series out loud to the boys this summer, before it’s too late to reach them!
4. US Constitution by the Founding Fathers. OK, does this really count as a book? I love it because it defines a government by the people for the people – the first of its kind. Can this democracy work? Lincoln thought so. Roosevelt thought so. Which president will think so now? OK – I’ll put in an actual book here for #4. The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater. I read this book in high school, when I was very impressionable. I thought this book matched most closely what I thought about government. I never understood why I always felt at home when I visit Arizona – maybe this book had something to do with that? Or maybe it is  because Sandra Day O’Connor is from there – her book about ranch life, conservatism, and being a lawyer is Lazy B.
5. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I had this book as a kid for many years and never, ever read it. Now, upon reflection, I think I was put off by the pastel green, girly girl cover. It was the absolute last book in my book case to be read. I must have bugged my mom to death from boredom one saturday because for some reason, I had to (she made me?) sit down and read it. Once I did, I loved it. I loved the tale of Mary, an orphan girl of 9 sent to live in England, and Colin, an invalid boy she discovers there.  It is a story of tolerance, hope, friendship, exploration, and nature/flowers. You never know what you might find when you turn the page of a book!