ABDUCTED BY BOOKS

I've never been one to read books or watch movies over and over again.  There were just too many out there waiting for my attention, and new ones coming out every single day, to waste time rehashing the old stuff, right?  I'm beginning to rethink that stance, however.  It seems that, in order to find one great book these days -- one that grabs me and just won't let go -- I must first struggle through forty or fifty where I have to force myself to keep going to the end.

If only every book could latch onto me, and make me feel the way I did as a wee little girl discovering the worlds of Heidi and The Little Princess -- that feeling of being totally lost in another place and time.  I remember my mother having to drag me, literally, away from Heidi one evening, after having called me to dinner several times with no success.  As she hauled me to the table, I told her "Fine!  But I only want a piece of bread and a chunk of cheese, like Heidi!"

The same thing happened to Teen-Me when I discovered Jane Eyre, Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, The Moon-Spinners, by Mary Stewart, and a book called Marnie, by Winston Graham.  As an adult I have been grabbed and transported (abducted?) many, many times, but a few that come to mind are: the trips I took when reading James Michner's books Hawaii and The Source; the first couple of books in Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series; the first few in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series; my stays in Tuscany with Frances Mayes and in Provence with Peter Mayle; and of course, my amazing trip through the magical world of young Harry Potter.

Anyhoo, when I was telling you about Greece and The Moon-Spinners not long ago, it suddenly occurred to me that it had been so very long since I read that book, I could hardly remember anything at all about the plot.  All I could remember was the way it made me feel, and, perhaps, if I were to go back and read some of these abductors again, after such a long time, I just might be able to re-experience some of that magic.  Of course, I will never give up my search for new books of the same caliber.  I just wish I didn't have to wade through so many dogs in order to find them!

So, tell me.  Please!  What are some of the most mesmerizing books you have ever read?  The ones that grabbed you so hard, you risked smuggling them into the classroom, and propped them up behind the textbook you were supposed to be reading.  Or the ones you couldn't resist taking to work with you, just to read a bit on your lunch break, then got so immersed you forgot to eat at all!