Joan: One Book - No Way!

As you probably know by now, mine is a "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to life...you never know what might be the important piece or the thing you missed.  My reading preferences follow in the same direction (I am nothing if not compulsive, oops, I meant consistent...oh no, I can see Meb and Katie's eyes rolling already!)  When thinking about book recommendations, I found it just too difficult to select only one book.  I realized that many of the books I was focusing in on were of a particular type.  Novels mostly, books written from the perspective of someone who has lived their life and revisits their experiences in a new light  Sometimes it's telling the story to someone else.  Sometimes it's just moving back and forth between the past and the present.  Water for Elephants is an example of the latter. We enter Jacob's story from the nursing home where he lives, but he comes across larger than life in the exploits he describes from his years with the circus.  Kate Morton's books, The House at Riverton and The Forgotten Garden are examples of the former.  In Riverton the narrator speaks into a tape recorder to provide a connection for the next generation.  The characters come alive for me, perhaps because we meet them as fully formed human beings...foibles and all.  They don't take themselves too seriously as the weight of the world is no longer on their shoulders with the realization that their exit is around the corner and yet, they are wise enough to reflect on the lessons they learned from others: the power of respect, the value of kindness, the importance of love. Upon reflection, maybe I'm like that:  living my life...loving it really, and yet packaging the vignettes in my story to savor and one day pass along...I don't know how the story ends...none of us do...but the ability to celebrate the fabric of it regardless, is what these books teach me as I accompany the characters on their journey in railroad cars, across the sea or in a changed world...I'd love to know what you like to read.  Joan