I understand that kind of love of one wonderful book: I read a book called “Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest,” by W.H. Hudson about the same age (10 or so) and read it again and again every summer until I was late in my teens. Wishing you many more wonderful books in the future … R.

Well, I’ve never been one to read what other girls were reading and I’m sure I still don’t. However, I’ve loved to read all my life and one of the things I have always tried to remember was told to me by a teacher in my 6th grade english class. He told me, “Angel it’s great that you love to read, but vary your material and don’t get stuck in a rut reading the same kinds of stories over and over.” To this day I still love to read Science Fiction (Anne McCaffery) and Fantasy books (Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind). Especially if they have strong women character’s in them. I also love the theatre and there are sooooo many good plays out there to read! (Stop Kiss, Angel’s in America) So, my recommendation would be vary what you read and you will be better for it.

Eat, Pray,Love is a book that could not have come soon enough. I feel if women read this at a younger age they might avoid the pitfall of letting relationships define you.

I can remember two books I had read that really left a lasting impression on me in my mid-twenties…so much so that I wish I had read them earlier. The first is Hermann Hesse’s, Siddhartha. I think this is a great book to read in a time of healing or retrospection or even trepidation…a time when you look at the things that you’ve done in your life for what they really were (good and bad) and know that there is such a thing as possibility. The second, and this may be a little strange, is Flannery O’Connor’s short story collection, A Good Man is Hard to Find. I love this book because Flannery O’Connor broke ALL the rules and managed (still does, even though she has passed away) to make my life (however damaged I think it is) look pretty fricken good.

I cannot name just one…….Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (plus The Hobbit of course), Little Women, Persuasion, Jane Eyre, Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank… there are no limits to broadening the mind and exposing oneself to literature, music and the arts.

Oh and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, and the Dragonriders of Pern…….Science Fiction rocks!

Lady Chatterley’s Lover taught me about the pain of betrayal and infidelity, The Merlin Series (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, The Wicked Day, and The Prince and the Pilgrim) by Mary Stewart gave me the opportunity to dream, and anything by Poul Anderson and Isaac Asimov allowed me a glimpse into the future.

Forget about 21 years of age…This is a book all girls should read before they reach their teens: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret By, Judy Blume I read this book when I was ten years old. Every girl can relate to the main character in the story. This is a timeless classic.

When I was a young girl I read the “Anne of Green Gables” series of books. I loved them. They taught me that I could be strong yet soft and that you can overcome the hard things in life.

My choice is Jane Austen’s - Persuasion. But, I agree that a woman should read many books before she is 21. I would hope that she would read about Martha Washington, our first president’s wife. She was the one who held land, the funds and ran the plantation while her hubby was fighting for independance. Even before we women were thought of as equals, her family provided in her marriage contract her security as the owner of property. She was a smart woman as well. imho…