Influential, Memorable Book List

Loved reading Kristen and Lisa's lists. I did have this prepared for the last meeting, but printer issues prevented my bringing it along. And, goodness knows I can't remember anything unless it's written down, so here goes:

From Childhood
Blueberries for Sal - One of my mom's favorites became one of mine, too.
Make Way for Ducklings - Ditto on the above.
Where the Wild Things Are - Such a childhood classic
Where the Sidewalk Ends - "I'm being eaten by a Boa Contrictor, a boa constrictor, a boa contrictor..." My mom's Russian teacher used to sketch our favorite illustrations out of this book. The Cat in the Hat - and all the rest of the Dr. Seuss books
1st Grade-ish
Little House on the Prairie and the rest
James and the Giant Peach - my 1st grade teacher read this to us, and I was enthralled.
Some collection of Halloween stories - I have a vivid memory of listening to scary Halloween stories at the end of the day, with the classroom lights off, munching on toasted pumpkin seeds while the glowing jack-o-lantern watched us. Such a warm memory of gradeschool for me.
Encyclopedia Brown - this was the first book I read cover-to-cover, in one sitting, all by myself. And I was so proud of my pace that I didn't take the time to sound out all the words, since the context seemed to make sense without that. On the last page, I finally sounded out a long word, de-tec-tive. Boy, that made the whole mystery story about the boy dective make even more sense!
2nd Grade-ish
The Secrets of Nimh - Or was it Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh? I remember this was scary. Would love to revisit it.
Nancy Drew series - Read this whole series, several more than once.
Hardy Boys series - Once I finished the Nancy Drews, I moved on to the Boys, and a few other kids-solving-mysteries series...can't remember them...oh, Trixie Belden?
3rd Grade-ish
Samantha on Stage - This little paperback was a gift for my birthday, in 6th grade I think. A Russian girl moves to the US and outshines the American in her ballet class. There's some teenage drama and then a friendship ensues. I loved it. It became my "comfort read." Anytime things went a little south, I'd pull out this book to bring things back to midline. I think I still have it in a box somewhere.
4th Grade-ish
Old Yeller - Bawl.
Nancy Drew Case Files - I remember being a total brat teasing a friend of mine who also loved Nancy, "So, have you read all the Nancy Drews?...What about Nancy Drew Deadly Intent?"
Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, Cheerleaders - basically anything I could get my hands on
7th Grade
Where the Red Fern Grows - another one we read in class.
A Day No Pigs Would Die - the training of the puppy with the ferret in the whiskey barrel still makes my stomach drop.
Bridge to Terabithia - I vividly remember the cover of this book, the trees, though I don't remember the story from that time, except that I loved it.
Anne of Green Gables, and the rest - Anne was kind of my hero.
Johnny Tremain - I'd love to reread this one too. I had chosen it from the selection for our book fair projects, and it turned out that I liked it.
8th Grade
The Stand - I started in on Stephen King in junior high, and The Stand became "my favorite book" for a long time. I read it, then got the unabridged version and read that a couple of times too. Over 1,000 pages was a lot for a scrawny kid. I was SO disappointed when the miniseries was pretty miserable, despite having Gary Sinise cast as one of the leads.
High School
Treasure Island - I chose this as my "your choice" first book report book when I was the new kid in 9th grade. Can you say "geek?" All the other kids were reading John Grisham. Brown noser. But it turns out Treasure Island is a good story!
John Grisham - I quickly tried to get "cooler," and read through a bunch of his books. A Time to Kill was my favorite (and may have been his first book?), and most of the rest started to all sound the same.
A Tale of Two Cities - For "Reiser's" Honors English class, we read this one. I finished it in the conversion van we drove from IL to CA for Christmas in 1990. I LOVED it. Mme. Defarge knitting away her anger, the selfless love of Mr. Carton, the French Revolution...all of it so tragic and romantic and engrossing. I was again "surprised" that I'd love a classic so much.
Jane Eyre - I read the copy from my parents book-a-month club. Wish I could get my hands on those. Who knew that 20 years later, I'd be thinking back to Mr. Rochester because of a new, glittering hero partially based on him?
College
Maus - This was a text for one of my classes, then I taught it while student teaching 6th graders. It was my first experience with a graphic novel, and has a special place in my heart.
Dandelion Wine - An ex-boyfriend had loved this book. After we broke up because timing wasn't right, I read it in an act of contrition of sorts. Bradbury is typically known for his sci fi work, but this has just a taste of fantasy, and is mostly the story of a boy's summer. I reread at the end of every summer for several years because I loved how it seemed to wrap up the season perfectly.
Into Thin Air - I can't remember now if Krakauer's telling of the 1995 Everest distaster kicked off my Everest obsession, or just fed it. I love this book, and was thrilled to pick up a hard copy version at a garage sale last summer. The first time I read it was on the trip my family took to Australia. Since everything is better in Australia, I may have romanticized it a bit. But I don't think so. It's brilliant and compelling.
Angela's Ashes - Reading and doing a report on this book was an extra credit option for my Ed. Psych. class, but I was too busy drinking to read it while classes were in session. Instead I carried this hardcover across Australia too. I remember thinking that if I could ever write, I'd hope my style could be similar to McCourt's. I have 'Tis as well but haven't read it. I heard it wasn't as good. Anyone know?
Catcher in the Rye - I didn't read this 'til college. Loved it, and the hat in front / back became an inside joke between me and a friend.
Ender's Game - This was recommended to me by a friend, but I "didn't like sci fi." Eventually, in the midst of having to read and report on 40 YA books in a semester, I decided to give it a shot. Loved it. Turns out Orson Scott Card is another of Stephenie Meyer's inspirations. I'd like to read some more of Ender's stories.
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting - I read and took notes on a bunch of Milan Kundera's books. I thought I was deep.
The Giver - This was one of the required reads for the 40-YA -books semester. This was one of the few I LOVED.

Gosh, I know I've forgotten many, but I'm glad to have gotten a few down here for posterity.