50 Book Challenge :: Do You Dare?

[Keylaleigh]

What book have you read changed your outlook on life?

When I was a child, I read The Phantom Tollbooth, the tale of a boy who was constantly bored with his surroundings, seeing life as being very dull. On his birthday, a single present is in his room- a cardboard tollbooth, a toy car, and two coins. Curious, he reads the directions and then takes the car through the booth, ending up in another world the moment he drives past it. In this new world, he meets strange characters like his friend Tock, The Watchdog, who is literally a dog with a watch in his body, and enemies like the Terrible Trivium. To summarise the book in two or three words, it would be called a "Logical Fantasy". They make a very fantastic and whimsical world out of the most simple of thoughts and wordplays.

Now how did this book change my life, you ask? It made me think harder. It made me see the fun where there may not be any fun. It made me think about the phrases I use every day in a literal sense (the concept of "killing time" is rather brutal, don't you think?). The most important thing it taught me, though, was to not look at my feet while I was walking. There's a whole big, beautiful world to look at, and if you spnd all of your time focusing on the smaller things, like just making it home, you miss out on everything.

Wow... that was a little lengthy. It's just that I love that book.

[_AnaTolia_]

@Chere :: I never really cared about Arthurian legends until I read this book...

@Keylaleigh :: I have read that book! Our class had to do a play on it back in 6th grade.

[Keylaleigh]

A play, really? We acted scenes from the book, and I was the Wheather Man. Who were you?

[_AnaTolia_]

Well, our class did both acts....
I just can't seem to remember; I think I was the Spelling Bee and the Senses Taker

[Chere and Rose]

chere- I used to go to the library and get a stack of children's fantasy books with Arthurian legends and stories in them to read.

[_AnaTolia_]

:: Book Update ::

Just read :: Shadowmaker Joan Lowery Nixon
Now Reading :: I am Mordred Nancy Springer
Going to Read Next :: ???

[Maeve]

[Chere and Rose]

Ana- Mordred....that name's familiar for some reason...

[Maeve]

It was Arthur's son, or something like that. So if you've already read some of the Arthurian legends, you probably heard the name.
That and it's been used after that as a generic fantasy name.

[Chere and Rose]

Ohhh yeah. Makes sense now haha.
Sounds very magical and sorcerer-like type name.

[Padfeets]

Wow, I'm sorry guys, I forgot to tell you that I was going to be away for a week.

I LOVE the Vampire Chronicles.

[Maeve]

No problem XP

Yeah, I love it too.
I read it as a teenager (14 or so), and I had been thinking about reading it again soon. Then, the other day at the library, I couldn't find anything interesting to pick, and randomly arrived in front of the Anne Rice section. Most of the books were there, so I grabbed the first four (well, first four after Interview, which wasn't there, but meh, next time maybe).

[mdom]

I don't think I'll make to 50 this year.
But I read some BIG books, does it count? xD

[Chere and Rose]

mdom- I hope it counts. how big were the books?

[mdom]

Two had 900 pages and... three had 500.