By request :)

You asked for it, you got it. My favorite books of all time that you MUST sit down and read as soon as the kids will let you.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you haven't already read this, go find your high school English teachers and slap them around. Shame on them! I'm also attached to Harper because she and my grandmother were friends. I wish I could have sat around listening to the two of them talk.

2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. The book that opened my eyes to the wider world as a third grader. My favorite babysitter gave it to me and I probably stayed up all night long with a flashlight to finish it. Meggers is named for the main character, Margaret "Meg" Murray.

3. The Little House books by L.I. Wilder. I re-read these when I'm tired of heavy mental lifting and dreaming of the simple life. We just finished the first 5 with Meg and she loves them too and wants the rest of the series for Christmas. Yaay!

4. The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes. A truly brilliant novel that I stupidly lent out to an acquaintance about 15 years ago and never got back. I need to hunt this one down again. I wish all books made me think and laugh this much.

5. Everything by Sharon Kay Penman. The BEST historical fiction writer I have ever found, hands down. Incredible storytelling, unforgettable characters and rock solid history. Start with When Christ and His Saints Slept and just see if you can't resist reading the rest of her work.

6. Lord of the Rings by Tolkein. Yes, I am an uber geek. And most LOTR fans would beat me to death for saying so, but I think J.R.R. would have done well with a bit more forcible editor. However, I've read this book once a year since the movies came out and still find something new to fascinate me each time. In defense of myself, I had not read LOTR until Chris took me to see Jackson's Fellowship. Someone had recommended LOTR to me in third grade and I bought The Return of the King by accident - oops. Nothing made a lick of sense, so I quit reading and figured the friend was a nut. Wish I'd read it back when, in correct order!

7. Illusions by Richard Bach. My best friend Rita gave this to me as a gift in college, telling me to listen to what Bach was trying to say. Then she helped me fall in love with the Episcopal church. Which explains my off-kilter Christian beliefs, I think. :) Wonderful book.

8. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Incredible storytelling. After starting this one, I had to go back and read my Old Testament to put it in perspective.

9. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The book that made me a Christian. Thank you Cheri.

10. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. My educational heroine and inspiration. I have already worn out one copy and bought my second, and I've only been homeschooling for 5 years. It will either make you want to homeschool or at the very least wish you'd had an education like this.

So there you have it! Let me know how your list compares.