Monday Memories: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Monday Memories is a feature jointly hosted by The Book Bandit and Miss Print. It's a way for me to share books that are special to me, and tell you a little bit about why they've earned a place in my heart.

The Chronicles of Narnia get their own special section of my bookshelf. (They're not normally sitting in front of other books like they are in the picture above. That was just for the photo.)

Narnia is what got me into fantasy. Narnia is what (arguably) got me into writing. Narnia is what started my obsession with the Middle Ages. Narnia is what most of my daydreams and imaginations were made up of for a large portion of my childhood. Narnia has been my favorite work of literature for my entire life (with Les Miz coming in for a tie during this past year). 

I don't even know where to begin with this book.

When I was about ten-ish, I knew an abundance obscure Narnia facts, since I had read the books so many times over. I found a book at my library called So You Think You Know Narnia? with a bunch of quizzes in it - and I was able to correctly answer a rather unhealthy amount. By the time I was thirteen, I had read each of the books in the series at least seven times over. (I stopped counting at seven, because by then I had gotten the above book as a Christmas gift, and would just open it randomly and read from the middle of a story. So the amount of times I've read certain books turns out to be a fraction.) My sister and friend would find it entertaining to open up the collection above, read a sentence, and have me guess which book the sentence they read was from. Even I was surprised at how well I knew Narnia.

It's been a while since I've had a chance to revisit this book, so if you quiz me now, I'd probably not do so well. But every time I take a hiatus from Narnia, my return is all the sweeter for it. 

My one disappointment with this book? It has the stories in chronological order, not in the order Lewis wrote them in. But the beautiful art by Pauline Baynes makes up for it. :-)

When I began writing this post, I thought I would write about the movies as well. But then I realized - this post should be me glorifying the book, not nitpicking the movies. So I decided against it. (Also, that topic deserves a post of its own.)

Do you have a book that defined your childhood? 

~Sophia

Monday Memories: Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Monday Memories is a feature jointly hosted by The Book Bandit and Miss Print. It's a way for me to share books that are special to me, and tell you a little bit about why they've earned a place in my heart.

There is no better book to feature for my first Monday Memories post than The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Imagine a 3-year-old Sophia being read to by her father before bedtime.
Actually, here's a picture, so you don't have to imagine. All you have to do is pretend that magazine is Winnie-the-Pooh:

(Look! Pooh's reading with us!)

My father was tired. He had had a long day at work, and the ho-de-dum of a Pooh bedtime story was just enough to weigh down his eyelids. He misread a word or two.

"You read that wrong," I corrected him.

"Huh?" he muttered.

I explained which word he had read incorrectly, and what the correct word was.

He woke up after that. :-)

And thus began my life as a bibliophile.

I don't actually remember this happening, of course, but throughout my childhood, I've heard my parents tell various people the story of how their Sophia learned to read. And The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh has always had an honored place on our bookshelf. 

Look, it was given to my father by his sister in law on his first father's day!

...so I suppose it's technically not mine. But I don't think my father will care if I claim it. I've definitely read it more times than he has!

I believe that everyone should read Winnie-the-Pooh. EVERYONE.

It has such genius and sweetness that even adults - especially adults - will get something out of it.

There are such precious, precious quotes to use in everyday life. 

Winnie-the-Pooh is an example of a well-written children's book: which is one that can be appreciated and enjoyed by any age. A children's book is only mediocre if it only appeals to children. There should be a kind of childish wisdom in children's books that transcends age.

What is your favorite children's book? What do you remember as being your "first book"?

~Sophia