If you were a fan of The Lovely Bones

Several months ago, I went to a book event held by Hachette Book Group. It was a fantastic compilation of several of its authors speaking on panels about their particular genres and books. This is where I was introduced to Megan Abbott, author of The End of Everything and her new book, Dare Me. 

And what better way to leave an event like this than with a bag full of complimentary books. A true delight for a book lover. 

So after several days of deciding which book to pick up first, I chose The End of Everything. Why not start of with a mystery... 

The dynamics of this book do somewhat resemble my favorite book, The Lovely Bones. That whole aspect of -- you really don't know what goes on behind closed doors of your neighbors, friends or other family member's homes. Everybody has their secrets, and that is what intrigues us, especially as readers. Abbott does a great job of this. What really happened to Lizzie's best friend? Did she runaway, go willingly. The story will continue to surprise you just as you think you've figured it out. 

6 non-fiction book recommends

This past year, I was on a non-fiction book addiction. I couldn't get enough of real stories about real people and experiences. Now I'm in a rut and am having to go back to my first love, dystopian fiction, to change it up a bit. But here are six non-fiction books that I read in the last year that I loved very much. Three of them especially were very eye opening. So in no particular order, here they are (all available in paperback):



I've always been interested in reading one of Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris' books, as they are a favorite of one of my best friends. I happened to come across Running with Scissors in the used books section of a bookstore and thought now was the time. This book is basically Augusten's recollection of his life growing up with an unstable mother and subsequently living with a family of strangers who become his new family for some time. You can't believe the stories in this book actually happened to someone, but they did. It was awkward, entertaining, insane and fun.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was moved to my "favorite" books on my book shelf after reading. What an engrossing read! I had so much to talk about at my first book club meeting. I probably talked too much. These are the types of real stories where you can't believe the story hasn't been told already because it's that important. Henrietta Lacks was a poor, black woman whose cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951. Those cells (HeLa) became one of the most important tools for modern day medicine. Still today! Don't let the science part of the book scare you in to not reading it. The author does a great job dumbing it down for us non-scientist folk.

Ashley Judd is one of my favorite actors, and her book did not disappoint. All That Is Bitter & Sweet is one of those memoirs where you actually have to pause mid page to reflect on what you just read. Ashley's own personal story growing up amidst the life of her famous mother and sister interweaves with her own personal journey overseas for human rights work. It's quite hard to read a lot of what she saw during her time talking to real human trafficking victims, and like her, you just wished she could save them all from their hell. I appreciated Ashley's openness about her own personal growth as a human being and woman. This book taught me a lot and has also made my "favorite" book shelf.

I've never laughed out loud from reading a book as much as I did reading Tina Fey's Bossypants. Hilarious! But you have to appreciate her kind of random, off-the-cuff humor. Not many people, as I've found out when recommending this book, actually get it. But I get it, and I love it. She's had awkward times as a kid just like most of us, and she's brave enough to talk about them. She says it like it is a lot. Basically, I can't wait to read it again.

A couple historic events interest me the most. Besides the events of the '60s, it's the Holocaust. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of my most favorite books. And here with Elie Wiesel's Night, readers can get another real-life story of what it was like during that time — this perspective from an actual concentration camp. It's so chilling to read these stories and take those moments to reflect that this event happened and how many people were affected. It's a small book that packs a lot of heartache, inspiration and reflection.

I bought Without Reservations about three years ago when I was dead set on traveling the world and writing about it, and I wanted to read some travel essays. It was a book that I started, but couldn't quite get into at the time. Three years later, I picked it up and finally got engrossed in Alice Steinbach's story. Funny how that happens sometimes with books. Now I want to meet her, talk to her and ask her lots of questions. So if you really want to travel and can't right now, this book is a good start to get you thinking about what you could see in the near future.



What are some non-fiction books you'd recommend?

2011 was definitely a book discovery

Where I once was stuck in a genre for a while...(romantic fiction if you must know), last year was spent discovering new genres and authors. And though I've spent the last three months stuck in the science fiction/fantasy/adventure genre, my 2011 booklist says otherwise. From George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones to the unknown memoir of The Autobiography of an Execution by David. R. Row... to name a few. What did you read last year?

Some of mine:
The Shack by William P. Young
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Autobiography of an Execution by David R. Row
The Nora Roberts Bride Quartet series
Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The Ugly Series by Scott Westerfeld
The Giver by Lois Lowry

What is dystopian fiction?

There are many various definitions of dystopian fiction, but in my search, I found the explanation by writer Meagan Spooner to be the best, clear explanation:


"A dystopian society is usually a futuristic one, in which the laws and morals that govern the people within it have regressed to the point of repression or loss of human rights, designed by the author to highlight and explore the flaws in his current society. ... The best dystopian fiction today continues this practice of highlighting the flaws in our society and extrapolating them into the future, imagining what our world could become if we don't repair the cracks now while we still can. ... Science fiction is all about the "what if." What if the qualities that define our society today are the very cause of our downfall tomorrow?..." — Meagan Spooner

Three great YA dystopian novels I read last fall

With renewed interest, I'm conquering the genre of dystopian fiction. Actually, I'm addicted. As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn't even realize that dystopian fiction piqued my interest so long ago with 1984 by George Orwell. Thanks to my graduate course in children's book publishing, I now have endless resources to find and evaluate this popular genre — especially with young adults.

Forgive me for a first couple more of my entries to this blog may be about a dystopian fiction novel. I currently have a reading list of 10 books, but may have to switch genre's here or there to keep the reading fresh.

So this past fall, I embarked on a dystopian journey. And I came upon...

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. My dystopian journey started with this first book in the series. And I've been lost in the dystopian world ever since. I read all three books in the trilogy in seven days — I kid you not. Got behind on some school work actually because of it. Who hasn't heard about this series by now...

In the nation of Panem, the capital is surrounded by 12 districts, and each year the capital sends a boy and a girl from each district to fight in the annual Hunger Games. A fight to the death on TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen takes her younger sisters place in the games ... and the journey begins. 

This book is definitely a page turner!
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2. The Giver by Lois Lowry. It's a pretty small book compared to others published of the same genre. I read it in two days. It's definitely very thought provoking, and left you rethinking things in the end to exactly "what just happened?"

Eleven-year-old Jonas lives in a perfect world where there is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices because every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns twelve he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. This person hold the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. There is no turning back...

Though the author hasn't stated, I believe there are a lot of religious undertones to this novel, especially in the end.
                                   __________________________

3. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. The first book in a series about teens who get surgery to make them "pretty" when they turn sixteen. But the main character soon finds out that they may not only change your looks, but the way you think.

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and in just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty. Her only job then will be to have fun. But when her friend runs away, Tally learns a whole new side of the pretty world — which isn't very pretty. 

I think this book offers great discussion about society's role in image and self-awareness. What is ugly and pretty? Why does it matter to us?

My love for dystopian fiction and its renewed popularity

1984 by George Orwell was the first dystopian fantasy book I read — though I didn’t know it at the time. I was in high school. And I didn’t read another until the Hunger Games trilogy, which I recently finished. I loved them.

Laura Miller’s analysis of the likeness between this genre and what young adults are going through makes sense. But I don’t think teens realize it at the time. It’s interesting and popular because it’s different. It’s edgy. The suspense of everything and the wonder of a world being the way the story portrays is what nabs readers — young and old.

The thing that fascinates me about this genre is how much conversation could be had while reading and after, about what the story really means. I know I wouldn’t have taken away all that I did reading Hunger Games today versus when I was a teen. British academic Kay Sambell says the typical arc of the dystopian narrative mirrors the course of adolescent disaffection. The Uglies series is a perfect example, which is on my list to read.

For myself I look at the two books I read at two different times in my life — 1984 in high school, and Hunger Games today — and wonder what future dystopian novels will be like. Like Miller says, they’ll likely still include “the part about the world being broken or intolerable, about the need to sweep away the past to make room for the new” no matter what new technology and social trends there will be.

Nonfiction book analysis: “Martin Luther King, Jr”

In a visually appealing biography, Martin Luther King, Jr.: A photographic story of a life, tells the story of MLK’s days as a boy from “Dixie” to finding faith, a dream, a crusade, his untimely death, and his impact on a nation. Published by DK Publishing, Inc., the 2004 non-fiction book is one of the first of thirty-seven in the DK Biography series for readers ranging from ages eight to seventeen years old.

The author, Amy Pastan, is a writer and editor of illustrated books for children and young adults. She wrote two other DK Biography’s — Gandhi and First Ladies. She’s also a former acquisitions editor for art and humanities at the Smithsonian Institution Press.

The Bibliography and Works Cited sections of the book show an exhaustive use of published materials by previous authors and books, including Coretta Scott King’s My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr., published in 1969, and The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. An Index, Picture Credits, an Author’s Note, and a For Further Study section is also included.

In chronological order, the author takes the reader from the birth and death of MLK and events in between. This makes the story easy to follow for a young reader. Each chapter, as listed in the Table of Contents, is designated as one of the major events in MLK’s life, such as “Battling in Birmingham” and “Marching in Selma.”

The 14-point typeface and leading make the text easier to read and follow along for a young reader. The writing is clear and informative of what particular events were like, such as being present during the march in Selma as troopers “released tear gas into the crowd, which sent the marchers staggering, choking, and gagging for air.” The book also briefly covers the controversy surrounding MLK’s death, but then jumps to the next chapter on how MLK has been remembered and honored since his death.

The design of the biography includes a balance of text and photography. Each spread includes one or two photographs, extending to the text by providing information that the text does not specifically identify. Many of the photographs also support the text in enhancing what information is included on the page. Examples include a photograph and caption of the Freedom Riders in Chapter Five’s “Fighting Back” and the photograph that was taken from the balcony in Memphis shortly before MLK was shot in Chapter Ten’s “Striking in Memphis.”

Other interesting elements include definition boxes and sidebars throughout the chapters, and a timeline of events right before the Bibliography.