No, that’s not a book title. There’s a book meme going around, and Russell got it so he tagged me. I guess that’s what comes of being married…

The question is: What fiction did you read as a teen/young adult that you have re-read as an adult (or would like to)?

My problems: I have a crappy memory (hence the blog), so I’ve had to think long and hard about this one. I’ve come to realize that I read a lot of crap when I was younger. Tons of romance novels (many with the names of states and exclamation points– UTAH!, TEXAS! — on them. Don’t remember a bit of what they were about. I also wish, like one of the commenters on the Crooked Timber thread, I wish I could get back the time I spent on Piers Anthony.

I read every single Nancy Drew (even all the bad ones) that I could get my hands on, but I’m not sure I’d give those the time of day now. Though I would probably encourage my daughters to read them (in fact, since my mother-in-law has them all, I might just do that when we’re visiting over the next two weeks).

So, what would I re-read? In no particular order:

1) Ray Bradbury’s short stories. I discovered him in 7th grade, reading a work about life on Venus that haunted me (anyone know the title?). Over the next few years, I read everything I could find. Granted, I didn’t like it all, but some were quite engaging. I loved The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451. I haven’t re-read the former, but still love the latter.

2) Edgar Allen Poe. Everything. When my kids get a bit older, I want to read them “The Tell-tale Heart” on Halloween. And other times, too. I had “Annabel Lee” memorized at one point. I think the “Cask of Amontillado” was my absolute favorite.

3) Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, all by Mark Twain. I read the first two when I was 11, after we visited Hannibal as a family. I was assigned the last one in 7th grade (I must have had a really good 7th grade English teacher), and loved every minute of it. Perhaps that’s where my love of King Arthur started?? Which reminds me, why don’t we have a copy of The Connecticut Yankee here at home?

4) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Alexander Brown. Not fiction, I know. But very powerful in a 16-year-old’s mind. I loved that I got to visit the Badlands in South Dakota soon afterward, too. I’ve often thought that I should re-read that one.

5) The Secret Garden and The Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Still love these, and I’m glad my girls do, too.

Okay, I guess I didn’t read just crap. I hereby tag Julie at Bookworm and Julie at BestBooks and Amira when she gets back in town. And if Heather or The Wiz at Mormon Mommy Wars or anyone over at Conversation want to take on this one, they can consider themselves tagged, too.