50% of why I love Groundhog Day* is because it means we are (maybe) 6 weeks away from spring. In less freakishly mild winters, hitting Groundhog Day is like hitting an oasis** in the middle of the desert of winter. The other 50% of why I love Groundhog Day is the 1993 Bill Murray instant-classic movie. Which I always try to watch on Feb. 2, because I am a dork.
One of the worst things about having to repeat a single day for eternity, in my opinion, is having to repeat the same reading choices. Considering all the books in the world, most of which I want to read, being stuck with one would be horrible. As horrible as eating the same meals, wearing the same clothes, hearing people trot out the same small talk . . . ugh.
Let's pretend you're stuck in a Groundhog Day scenario. Assuming you can't spend that day at a bookstore or library and you don't have an eReader, what book would you hope to have available to you on your endless day? I have actually thought about this a lot. One obvious answer is an old-school Choose Your Own Adventure book because you could at least shake up the plot on a daily basis. (Maybe a new-school choice would be a Coliloquy interactive title?) But if I had to pick 1 traditional-narrative book, I'd go with: The Westing Game (mysteries mean you can reread for subtle clues you've missed; also I love this book) or The Great Gatsby (simply because I have not gotten sick of reading it yet and I'm not sure whether I am capable of getting tired of it).
Which book(s) would you pick for a Groundhog Day?
*It's unclear whether the shadow was seen today, but Punxsutawney Phil says more winter. Related: hardest town to spell, ever.
**I guess it would have to be an oasis of hope or something, as it's usually still cold and gray.
11 comments:
LOVE that movie! Not sure which books I would pick...maybe a series, like the Babysitters Club. It's basically like one giant book and there's something comforting about them (since they remind me of being a kid) so maybe I wouldn't be as stressed over living the same day.
I would honestly be shocked if this is all the winter we are supposed to get, so I side with the groundhog today. I want snow, dammit!
As for the book--is it cheating to say that I would choose the enormous Barnes & Noble anthology of Jane Austen's novels? I don't think it's cheating. It is one book, after all. I could read (and re-read) those novels for a very long time before I got sick of them.
Oh, good ideas.
I kind of want snow, too. I think I'll find a very snowy book to read*--maybe THE SNOW CHILD, which I think is set in 1920s Alaska?
*for now, not for my Groundhog-Day scenario.
I love the movie too.
Yay, Coliloquy...nice plug!
Your question reminds me of the books you'd choose to be stuck with on a deserted island, to which I always answer: unabridged anthologies of Shakespeare, Poe, and Austen...I think those could keep me happily busy for many many days :)
Something looooooooong, as long as I could pick up where I left off and didn't have to start from the beginning. Something I wouldn't normally have time for...maybe Infinite Jest, although that could also be pretty tortuous. But maybe I'd learn to love it? (It's Mr. S's favorite book, or among them, anyway...so I've tried. But never succeeded.) For sheer re-readability, though, Hunger Games wins hands down. (Especially if they ever publish a one-volume set of the whole series...)
I think like Jennifer above I'm tempted to say anthologies of Shakespeare or Austen stuff, but for sheer enjoyment I'd have to go with something like THE HUNGER GAMES. Tough question though :-)
I'm still feeling the love for The Handmaid's Tale, and I love the feminist themes, so that came to mind first. Plus the beautiful writing and the emphasis on paying attention to your surroundings would encourage me to find all the simple joys of the day I was reliving. Offread was practically living the same day over and over herself at the beginning.
That is a VERY tough question! I'd probably pick something like ANNA & THE FRENCH KISS because I love those kind of stories and I'd like everyday to be filled with happy romance. :)
I love that movie too.
Definitely something like Count of Monte Cristo or the Bible (because I've never been able to read either of them straight through).
Groundhog day is THE most depressing movie I've ever seen.
You were all so smart to pick long books and anthologies! I'm impressed.
Both of your choices are books I can (and have) read over and over again. Awesome picks!
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