On Facebook the last couple of weeks, some of my friends have been challenged by some of their friends to list ten books that have “stayed with them in some way.” The instruction is that one should not dwell on the question but list the first books that come to mind. Not one of my friends challenged me, but if one had, my list was ready. Here it is, in no particular order:

REBECCA by Daphne DuMaurier Why: Great mystery with evil first wife. Also, the mousy heroine reminded me of me before I shed my doormat traits.
OF HUMAN BONDAGE by Somerset Maugham Why: The perils of obsessive love. It makes fools of all.
JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte Why: Feisty heroine. Good role model for women.
CARAMELO by Sandra Cisneros Why: I recognized my Mexican-American family all over this book. Made me smile.
LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott Why: Coming of age is never easy.
BURRO GENIUS by Victor Villasenor Why: How to make the most of your innate gifts.
LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkein Why: What a world!!!
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME by Richard Matheson Why: Made me think of the after life as never before
OUTLANDER: Why: Just WOW!!!
SHERLOCK HOLMES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Why: Where I first fell in love with the detective mystery genre.