Q:  What are your favorite books, and what makes them special to you?

A: 1.  La Reine Margot or Marguerite De Valois by Alexandre Dumas tops this list.

When I was at the Y, I had the life-altering privilege of befriending an United States Air Force Academy cadet named Balan Ayyar.  Bala introduced me to Dumas through his favorite work, The Count of Monte Cristo.

I have since read The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask, and look forward to a quite weekend when I can continue my discovery of Dumas’s amazing talent.  Le Reine Margot is not as well known in America, it is my understanding that it was only just recently translated into English.

My initial discovery of Dumas’s compellingly dark tale of love, loyalty, courage and friendship was through the brilliant film adaptation by Patrice Chereau.  Isabelle Adjani was perfect in her role as a dangerously fragile young woman who blossoms through her conflicts.  The sets, horses, and costumes were breathtaking; the score eloquent; and the cinematography mesmerizing.  After watching this 1994 Academy-Award winning effort three times in a row I immediately purchased the novel and devoured it in two days.

2.  A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

The beach scene, where he sees a girl walking along the tide pools and describes her as a bird is one of the most beautiful moments in prose. 

3.  East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Read this American classic after spending two glorious weeks in July soaking up the ambiance of California’s Carmel Valley.  Wish that I would have found it before I went on my trip, would have been great to read in situ.

A grand historical saga, East of Eden features a complicated family struggling against nature as they struggled against themselves.  Beautiful words and imagery.  Also enjoyed Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, Travels with Charley, The Pastures of Heaven, Tortilla Flat, and The Red Pony.

4.  Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellman

By far my most favorite playwright, Oscar Wilde’s wit was flamboyant, extravagant, and outrageous.  This notorious literary character had an amazingly entertaining but tragically short life.  Ellman offers us up some gems in his biography with great photographs and side stories. 

Oliver Parker took An Ideal Husband to the next level with his smart choice of Rupert Everett as Lord Goring.  Keeper!  Parker’s The Importance of Being Earnest also fielded Everett, this time as Algernon.  Am in great hopes of Lady Windermere’s Fan also being treated by Parker. 

I recently have discovered Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and quickly devoured all of the series and movies, am looking forward to also seeing him in An Ideal Husband and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

5.  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Monte tried very hard, bless her heart, to engage me in this Pulitzer Prize winner in my Senior AP English Class at Chugiak High School.  Pop Quiz Question No. 1:  Who is Scout?  DML Answer:  The family dog. 

In my defense, I recall being engrossed with my first work as a designer: Lady Windermere’s Fan – creating the sets/costumes for a technical portfolio that took first place in the Alaska State Drama/Debate/Forensics competition. To Kill A Mockingbird was actually quite useful for me, I hit Heidi Houk in the back of the head with it and we have been the best of friends ever since.

It took a couple decades, but a tattered yellow-orange paperback fell into my hands, and after my first read I decided it would be my 10-year old daughter’s bedtime story.

I am pleased to report that Casmir’s eyes were as big as pumpkins when she followed Scout, dressed as a large ham, home in the darkness of a fatal night.  She was completely engaged.  Mockingbird was her first exposure to racism, class struggle, well-defined male-female roles – and to her credit Casmir asked great questions that led to a mature discussion of these issues.

Questions I wished I would have asked in Monteverde’s class, the answers may have well made my journey in life a bit more interesting.