If you were asked to leave behind a time capsule for your family, friends and anyone who wanted to know about you in the future, what books would you choose? One would represent your childhood, one your teen years, adulthood and then the very end of your life. They can be your favorite books from that period (though the majority of us couldn't be sure about all of them, so feel free just to go to your current time period) or ones you just feel represent you or some part of you- be it where you live, your beliefs, hobbies, love life- anything! I think it would be nice to also choose one which you just flat out love for whatever reason, and would never ever part with. If you want, also feel free to list one that you think sums about the time period you live in (be it about politics, society, religion, anything!) really well.

For my childhood I would choose The Lion, The Witch and The Wardobe. Not only did I love it, but my parents gave it to me because they loved it and it was how they wanted me to view Christianity. Whenever I think of that book I think of wonderful childhood memories and how great my parents were when I was small.

I read To Kill A Mockingbird in my young teen years, and my copy was the one we read in class. Not only do I have one characters name (though I think she's the worst- Miss Crawford! Blah.) but it's an amazing book and pretty much sums up my moral beliefs and what I love about people, infuriating as they are ;)

I'm still thinking about the others, so I'll probably come back and edit those in :) I would LOVE to hear your choices, as I just love hearing about the books others love, and I think it'd be a fun way to get to learn more about each other. Thanks for your time!

Hmmm, well, I would have a few to leave.

Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret". 

"All of A Kind Family" by Sydney Taylor

"Anne of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery

Edith Hamilton's "Mythology"

"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon

All my Harry Potters :)

These have been my favorites over the years and would best reflect my love of reading and what interested me.  They are the ones that I think would be worthy to pass on....the ones I never want to part with.

Wow, what an interesting question!

For my childhood, I'd put in at least one Little House book. Maybe The Long Winter or These Happy Golden Years. Or On the Banks of Plum Creek. Maybe Id just toss in the whole set, LOL. Those books shaped me as a child. I have always been so inspired by the way she described her family and the world she grew up in, and their bravery and love for each other. And they are so beautifully written.

For my teen years...hm. The Catcher in the Rye comes to mind. I don't think I've read it since I was a teen, so I don't know how it would strike me now, but I spent a lot of my teen years feeling just about as mentally ill and misadjusted as Holden Caulfield. I related to him really well. And The Diary of Anne Frank...I will never forget how that book broke my heart. It was sort of the first time I realized how there's evil in the world and how it can affect ordinary people who are just trying to live their lives. That book also spawned a lifelong interest in World War II.

Young adult years (college, immediately post-college): Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I bought that book in a tiny bookstore in Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, and it was a huge splurge at, what? twelve bucks? LOL. It's not just a book about writing--it's a book about how to understand your life. The author's Buddhist background really shaped the book, and it was such a new way of thinking for me.

Middle adult years (the 30s): The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris and Miriam's Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich. Norris helped me understand Christian faith in a very healing way, and Ehrlich's book about her Jewish ancestors amde me think long and hard about my own family background (Mennonite) and how it's shaped me.

I'm 36, so that's all the life I have so far. :-)

Child - So many but I'll try to put all of Gene Stratton Porter in.  Teen years, Gone With the Wind.  As a middle aged woman it would be Prodigal Summer.  I'll let you know about the old lady book when the time comes.