Which book?

Although I am a big reader, that only tells half the story. I am, more properly, a big re-reader. I love to read books multiple times over the years. This perplexes some, who don't understand the pleasure of reading a familiar book. There are so many new books in the world, they say, why waste your time on something you've already read?

Which is sort of like asking why you'd have the same meal more than once. Because you liked it! Or because it's hard to find another meal that satisfied you quite the same way. Or because, the first time you ate it, you didn't get a chance to savor it because it was so yummy you wanted to bolt it down. Or (this analogy is breaking down rapidly) you don't remember everything from the meal the first time you ate it. (Okay, that didn't make any sense. Oh, well.)

So, anyway, another question that is hard to answer is commonly asked: What is your favorite book? This question rates up there with queries about your favorite movie, or food, or song. How in the world does someone answer that question?

Having said all that, however, now I'm going to ask a (related) question: What would be your choice of a book to carry around with you?

Let me explain. I have a beautiful iPod Touch (as we've already discussed). Kindle, Amazon's digital reader, has an application that can be used on the iPod Touch. I've tried it, and it's actually quite nice. I carry my iPod with me everywhere, and it is heavenly to go to the park, the drive-thru pharmacy, or a meeting, and be able to have a book right at my fingertips, without any forethought on my part. (Forethought being my not-so-strong-suit.)

Most Kindle books are not free, although many of the classics are free. Which is why I have Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin already on there. My problem is, once I've started reading a book, I usually want to finish it. In the case of P&P, I started reading it on my iPod, then moved right along to my paper copy once I got sufficiently engrossed. This is fine, except now I am done reading P&P again. Good thing I still have Little Women and Ben Franklin.

I'd love to put a few more books on my iPod, so that if I'm not in the mood for history or Alcott, I can still have something to read. Without worrying about cost or availability of a Kindle version, what book would you put on your iPod?

(Scriptures don't count. I already have the complete standard works on my iPod.)

I'm leaning toward the Lord of the Rings series. What about you?

(P.S. Tonight is the roadshow. I'm totally bummed because: a) I'm sick as a dog, and therefore won't be able to enjoy myself, what with the hand sanitizer and handkerchief and being Typhoid Mary and all; and b) my three youngest are still sick enough to not be out in public yet. So Bradley doesn't get to come see the show. Not fair.)