Twitter tells me it’s World Book Day, and when Twitter tells me something, I listen!
Unless it’s something ridiculous.
Dumb ridiculous, I mean, not fun ridiculous. I like fun ridiculous.
So, on this, the World Day of Books, I’ve decided to go back and revisit a few of my favorites. Right now, I’m thinking maybe a couple of short stories from Peter S. Beagle’s Slight of Hand and Neil Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors, and maybe I’ll dip into The Secret Garden as well.
Aside from O. Henry’s “The Last Leaf.” Neil Gaiman’s “The Price” might be my favorite short story ever. It’s rich and dark, evoking hope and terror in equal measure. Of course, my being a cat person doesn’t enter into my opinion at all.
The Secret Garden and A Little Princess have been favorites of mine since I was little, holding pride of place on my bookshelf right next to the Sherlock Holmes anthologies recommended to me by my grandfather. When I was in fourth grade, I even convinced my teacher to let me turn the closet where we stored our coats and tote trays into a “secret garden” with ivy made of construction paper and roses made of tissue. I think it’s the magic that draws me back to the stories, the magic they find in everyday things that makes their lives better. And, really, when I see a sky filled with clouds painted pink and gold by the setting sun, or a butterfly sunning itself on a freshly bloomed rose, or hear a burst of laughter spring from true friendship, it’s hard not to feel a little of that magic myself.
Books open my eyes and heart to the world around me and they give me a safe space to retreat to when I need it.
What are your favorite stories, and what do they do for you?
