"Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth"

This is a quote from Alan Watts, a philosopher, and the author of several of my must have on hand books.  Most books I read and pass along,  My favorite Alan Watts book is "The Wisdom of Insecurity", it opened being alright with not knowing..  My bookcases are filled with eclectic choices that if they are all brought together define me.  Jean M. Auel and the "Cave of the Clan Bear" series.  Her impecable research of plants and condition at that time are so inspiring.  Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged".  I won a trivia contest because I loved this book.  Anything by Alison Weir makes my imagination of the Henry VIII and Elizabeth I era bring to life these incredible people.  "Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood", Rebecca Wells, brought me to terms with my childhood insanities.  James Thurber's "My life and hard times" saved my mind as a teenager.  HH Munro "Short Stories of Saki"  kept Wren and I amused when we were roomies many years ago.  We would listen to Nina Simone and read Saki.

Richard Feynman,  along with "The Secret life of Plants" foisted on me by a mentor so I could fix my impaired logic. "Taming your mind" by Ken Keyes given to me by both my father and my mentor, many years apart.  "Only in America" by Harry Golden who wrote for the Detroit Free Press and defined the change of racisim.  "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance" by Pirsig.  I have read that countless times to clear the muddy waters.  I love re-reading "Dream of the Red Chamber", "Imperial Woman" and enjoy "Geisha"

My granddaughter just bought  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "  by Douglas Adams and "Brave New World" by Huxley.  I sent off copies of "1984" and "Victoria's Daughters" to  help complete her summer reading program.  She will want to read Robert Massie's  "Romanovs" and I just know she would love "Nicolas and Alexandra".  It was kind of fun talking to her about books and hearing what music she was downloading.  When I asked she carefully included names she knew I would recognize.  She is a born reader and it will meld her into what she will be in years to come.

My faith developed with "If You Meet The Buddha on the Road Kill Him" by Sheldon Kopp.  My sense of who I was as a woman came from Betty Friedan's "the Feminine Mystique" and  Germaine Greer''s "The Female Eunuch"    "The Prophet" given to me by a Detroit Mafia don taught me morality and how to bend with life.  Living  through the death of my son was softened by John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" So many milestones of my life were defined by what I was reading.  I joined AA shortly after reading Sylvia Plath's "A Bell Jar".   Other alkies would giggle that I got more about sobriety from that book than I ever gleaned from the "Big Book".  I found my soul mate in AA.  He also reads extensively but mostly throw away mysterys that after a while all meld together in my mind. 

We are blessed to have books.  You can hold a book, feel it's cover, run your hand over the pages and print.  Remember when  the hot chocolate stains got on the "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" that was a childhood gift from my father. I think Watts might have gotten wrong I think you can define yourself.   You are not only what you eat, you become what you read.