This entry concludes Boss Week at the blog. Thanks, Boss!
I've been to some great concerts over the years, and I've been to some not-so-great ones. It's always fun to try to rank them and come up with a Top Five list, but it's a hard task. How do you compare seeing The Rolling Stones in a soccer stadium on the French Riviera to hearing Joan Jett play a little bar in Syracuse? Or seeing The Who with college friends vs. seeing Springsteen with my teenager? (BTW, seeing a concert with your teenager TOTALLY rocks!)
Different times, different places, different types of music, different frames of mind. It's like comparing Neil Diamond to Mick Jaggar. They're both good, but they're...different.
Not surprisingly, there are about a dozen concerts in my personal Top Five.
It's the same for books. I don't think I could come up with a Top Five list. My enjoyment of a book is too dependent on my mood, my stage of life, where I read it (on vacation or in the waiting room at the dentist), and a dozen other factors. Sure, I can reel off the names of a bunch of books I enjoyed immensely, but I don't think I could ever rank them.
I think I'd end up with fifty in my Top Five.
What about you? Are there certain books that you can point to and say, "Yep, that's definitely a Top Five book"? What if you limited your list to a particular genre?
Me? I'm not even sure I could do it if I limited myself to a single author.
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10 comments:
There's a comparing apples to oranges aspect to ranking, isn't there? I can't do it either. Sometimes my favorite books differ according to my mood and what I feel like rereading at the time.
Sounds like you've been to some awesome concerts!
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Ok, I might be out of comments on Springsteen and music, but I'm with Elizabeth on rankings. There is so much to be said for what I read when I read it.
Glad you're still reeling from the concert!
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
I don't think I could come up with a Top Five for books I've read. I have this discussion every year when the Oscar nominations are announced; how can you say which movie is best?
Elspeth
I can say that I could list a couple of series written by favorite authors that would fit into a Top Five category...but indivdual books, no.
I also go through different phases. At times I want paranormal or murder mysteries, other times historical romance, time travel...and lately I've tapped into YA, reading Diane's Circle of Friends books.
And then there's the wish list of books I have at Amazon of books I simply must get by authors like, oh I don't know...Alan Orloff, Elizabeth Spann Craig...just to name a couple. :)
There's no way that I could select just five (or even a lot more) books for a "top" list, even if they were from the same genre, sub-genre, etc.. The beauty of books is that there is so much variety that one never does have to get tired of them. That also means that they're all so different it's hard to compare them.
Every time I dub a book (or concert or movie or old TV show) as my favorite, someone mentions another one and I change my mind because THAT one was really my favorite.
I do think my favorite concert has to be the very first rock concert I went to. Hall and Oates when they were in their prime. We were dead center in the orchestra pit. Very cool.
Favorite books. Hmmm. Well, I’ve forgotten more favorite books than…I can remember. Huh? I rather like history books. I’ve a bunch of them, I like my Alexander Hamilton book, and My 1776 book, and about anything by Joseph Ellis, such as His Excellency, George Washington. Not sure which is my favorite, though.
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Oh, I did go to a Willie Nelson Concert in Dothan, Alabama (THE Peanut Capital of the World, by the way.) that I like quite a bit. But, I don't remember much about it...except I did like it.
Do I have to pay a comment tariff since this is the second of the day?
I know, I'll sign it, Joe Smith. No, Willie Nelson.
Best Regards, Willie.
Whiskey River take my mind....
Elizabeth - Maybe that's how you could determine your favorite books: which ones you reread the most.
Michele - What!? Tired of talking about the Boss? :)
I agree, timing is everything.
Elspeth - Hmm. I think I'd have an easier time with movies than with books. Not sure why that is.
Crystal - Yeah, series might be easier to rank. I hope you get all the books on your wish list, too :)
Margot - Kind of like when my kids walk into Baskin Robbins. So many choices!
Annette - You suffer from a common malady, the "whatever was last mentioned is best" syndrome. Join the club!
Galen - Didn't you once tell me you used to hang around with George Washington? (And I thought "His Excellency" was your nickname. I know that's what Jack calls you.)
And well he should...if he ever surfaces again. Johnny, we hardly knew ye.
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