BBAW: An Introduction in 5 Books

Day 1: Introduce yourself by telling us about five books that represent you as a person or your interests/lifestyle. 

Hurrah, Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) is back again! Thanks to Estella Society for reviving this wonderful week.

Day One's challenge is to introduce ourselves in five books. I pondered this one, as there are many ways it could have gone, but here are the five I ended up choosing.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I had to choose this Canadian classic, as it shaped my reading habits from a young age. Thanks to Anne, I was introduced to so many classics and the idea of being well-read and using big words :) I've read all of Montgomery's work, and this is still one of my favourite comfort reads. This particular cover was my own edition when I was given the full set by my aunts when I was a pre-teen.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Another book about a young woman with an artistic family, this one introduced me to the concepts of keeping a journal and writing a book as if it were a journal itself. I loved the main character, Cassandra Mortmain, and the way that both Britishness and modernist art and culture infused her narrative even when it was about love and growing up. Also I adored the inconclusive ending; it was so bittersweet when I first discovered that a happy ending isn't always needed to make a great book.

Walking a Literary Labyrinth by Nancy Malone

This is a study of reading and spirituality written by a nun who uses the labyrinth as a metaphor for life. It hits all my points of interest, as I first said in my 2012 review. It's a book that I have used as a way of understanding the power of reading as a means of personal growth & the expansion of a fellow-feeling for others in our world. It's beautiful, thoughtful, and really shares my focus on both reading and labyrinths as a personal spiritual practice.

The Novel Cure by Ella Berthould & Susan Elderkin

While I find much of the tone of this book too flippant & tongue-in-cheek for my tastes, I still find it an important book. It highlights the idea of bibliotherapy for the general reader, who may not have known about it previously. The concept of novels being a way to self-medicate for common, everyday angst is one I am fully behind. I have always believed in the consolations of literature, and by talking about this concept loudly, practically, and yes, a bit cheekily, this book moves this idea forward a little bit more.

The Subversive Stitch by Roszika Parker

This classic in the women's history/textile/embroidery field has been a big inspiration to me this year. I've recently started sewing again, and reading this book got me back into embroidery as well. I love her approach to textiles as women's history, and how she points out that embroidery has been both stifling and subversive in the past. This also got me more interested in craftivism this year, all of which has been influencing my own craft practice.


So there you have it: 5 books that say a little something about me. I'll be visiting other 5 book lists to get a better sense of some of my fellow bloggers this week, too! Thanks, BBAW.