Book Meme

I've been tagged by the charming Emah S to do the Book Meme, so here it goes...

1. Name one book that changed your life:
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. It spurs me to try to follow my dreams. Actually, all of his books (I’ve read and own most of them) force me to think about things differently, more spiritually, I suppose. They offer me a semblance of inner peace that I don’t usually have.

2. One book you've read more than once:
Hmmm… There are so many! Let’s be a bit more high-brow, and go with Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel (though not in the original Spanish…).

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
Any of Bill Bryson’s travel books would be excellent, thanks.

4. One book that made you laugh:
As with number 3, I’d have to go with any of Bill Bryson’s books. Don’t read them in public if you don’t want people to look at you strangely as you burst out in hysterical laughter (and I speak from experience, here).

5. One book that made you cry:
Marley and Me, by John Grogan. I absolutely bawled my way through the last few chapters.

6. One book you wish you'd written:
It would be incredibly cathartic to write a book about the long painful journey of having our son (and I think about writing it a lot), but I don’t have the strength to deal with those individuals and groups who will disagree with some of the very personal, painful decisions we had to make.

7. One book you wish had never been written:
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Need I say more?

8. One book you're currently reading:
I’m sort of in between books as I keep going through the Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam. I don’t want to start a new book so close to my trip, as I don’t want to find myself in a situation where I’ll be so close to the end when I leave that I’ll have to take two books to get me through. I’ve got two new books waiting on the shelf (She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb, and A Tale of Two Sisters, by Anna Maxted) and will have to decide pretty soon which one to take with me (any suggestions?).

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Bill Bryson’s African Diary (I'm a big Bryson fan, in case you hadn't picked up on that - BTW, each link to Bill Bryson will take you to a different site).

10. Tag five people:
Ok. I’m going to do this a bit differently. I’m going to tag some of my regular commenters, who may not necessarily have blogs. If you don’t have a blog, write your meme in the comments section for this entry. Here we go! I’m tagging: NRG (of course!), Lisoosh, Anglosaxy (ok, technically not a regular commenter, but he is my former blogging partner, so… let’s hear what you have to say, m’dear!), Rami (because you totally intrigue me, and I always enjoy learning more about you!), and… I can’t think of a fifth person (because you’ve all done it already!). Anyone who wants to step up, feel free to do this meme in the comments section or on your own blog.