Many of you have been tagged in the Facebook 10 Book Cover Challenge. You know the one. You are nominated by a friend, and you post the cover of a book once a day for 10 days, with no explanation of why you picked the book.

I was nominated by my friend Laura, and was nominated in a truly spectacular way. She posted the cover of my first novel published as her 10th book, and then nominated me. How cool!

So I started my ten days, and while I followed the rules on FB, here I want to explain why I picked the books I did.

Tacky is a family favorite. Every new baby who comes into the world in our extended circle of family and friends gets a copy. Why? Because Tacky doesn’t limit himself to the societal expectations of others. He is his own penguin, and that is truly a wonderful thing!

This book is used constantly in our house. It has basic information, like how to bake bread or stack your firewood so that air flows through and dries the wood. It has simple explanations, great photos and drawings, and makes it clear that anyone can strive for a more self-sufficient life style.

Ah, Ferdinand! I was probably in my 30s before I realized this is truly an anti-war book. Instead, I saw it as a beautiful story about how one bull refused to give in and become violent, no matter how he was pushed. The idea of him sitting under a tree sniffing the flowers makes me smile. Shouldn’t we all take more time to do that?

When I lived in Spain in college, there was only one English language bookstore near my apartment. Considering that I had moved there planning to be there for a year, and only was able to take two suitcases with me, books didn’t make the cut. When I got to Madrid, I went and bought this novel, frankly, because it was on sale. It is a great story, made me willing to try beets (other than pickled ones), and I read it over and over and over as I couldn’t afford to buy more novels. I still pick it up at least once a year, because it makes me smile.

I started reading Janet Evanovich’s series with Stephanie Plum back decades ago, with a good friend and her mother. Great stories, laugh out loud funny, and now, each November they are my treat over the Thanksgiving weekend.

What a great book! An amazing heroine, high school students who followed the trail to find her again, a true story of how amazing humans can be to each other. I also picked this book because it was written by a local writer, who helped me see that it is possible for someone from Addison County, Vermont to get published.

This book made me both marvel at the strength of the human spirit, and grieve for the evil humans cause.

I bought a copy of this book when I was in grade school, from a book order form. I read it, and loved every page. The story of a couple who takes the children who are unwanted by the rest of society made such an impact on me. I still read it at least once a year!

This one? This is because it was my first novel to be contracted to be published. It was the first complete novel I wrote. I’m not sure it is my best novel, but it was my first. The joy and excitement of getting that contract still resonates even now. It also was the book that I wrote (most of it) when Sam was a baby and wouldn’t take a nap — it will always be connected to him.

And finally, this book. Yes, I know, it is another book that I wrote. But being honest, it has had the most impact on my life of any book. It ripped me apart to write it, and has helped rebuild my hope and strength as it has gone out into the world.

What are your top 10 books?