Book list

I am a very shallow person. On Facebook I plunked down on the 10-Most-Meaningful-Books meme. If you haven't seen it, it says something to the effect of,

"In your status line, list 10 (or 15) books that have stayed with you in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes and don't think too hard - they don't have to be great works, just the ones that have touched you/stuck with you. Tag some friends, including me, so I'll see your list, and if you're not tagged by me, feel free to participate anyway! ...so off the top of my head and in no particular order..."

 Now, I've seen at least five of these and all of them include thoughtful, thought-provoking stories. All have implied an impact greater than any I can attribute to a book. My list consists of books that have lingered in my consciousness. Generally not for any profound reason, but because I liked the story and the characters. None of these books changed my life. Nor do I think I will ever read a book that can change my life. But all of these books had both a narrative and characters that stayed around long after the book was done.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Chocolat by Joanne Harris

I'd also add:

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton
The Great Bridge by David McCullough
Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones

Really, I could go on and on and on, but what this has turned into is a list of books I think are good. Worth reading. And while the original intent of the meme does not exclude books that are fun, it does lean toward books that are especially meaningful: ones that have "touched you." Hence my assessment that I am shallow, since apparently the only books that I can list are ones I just liked.

Plate of Shrimp

Yesterday, I had just read the news story about the asshole school administrators in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, who abruptly resigned when it was discovered that they has been texting each other offensive texts featuring the N***** word prominently. IN 2013!!! IN WRITING!!!
A friend's status update pops up with him telling of a woman referring to his rap music as "n***** music" IN 2013!!! OUT LOUD!!!
I also called up the song he was listening to (which was offensive and misogynistic and rude). It also features the N-word.
I went back to reading my book and within minutes come upon the phrase "working like n*****s" in the story. Now, in my book's defense, it was written in England in 1933, so the author's racism is slightly more understandable. (It still made me cringe.) But it was surprising, especially in light of the other cases from the day.
Bear in mind, being a middle-aged white woman in suburbia, I don't hear this word a lot, for which I am grateful. I know that four times in one day is common for some people. It's not for me, so the day felt a little off-kilter because of it. Too many threads crossing at the wrong point in the lattice of coincidence (which was part of a friend's Facebook posts on Sunday).