A few more links to round out Monday:
Finally Friday! Time for the Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less.
1. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Captivating historical fiction with character struggles set against the backdrop of a real murder case.
2. The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 1 by Lee Gutkind
One of my favorite collections. Excellent essays from the people behind the journal Creative Nonfiction.
3. Let’s Go Amsterdam 3rd Edition by Let’s Go Inc.
Helped guide me through Amsterdam; lent it to another study abroader who didn’t return it.
4. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
My first Shakespeare (7th grade). Have read it a couple times since, still really fun.
5. Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
My dream as a kid. Minus the end.
6. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
Gorgeously written, like any Faulkner novel. Plus it has an exclamation point.
7. The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Eerie YA novel about a girl in Antarctica with her unhinged uncle.
8. I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
Surprisingly cute. Good as a gift for someone you like/love.
9. The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, & Issa ed. Robert Hass
Solid introduction to haiku, with good translations of major haiku poets.
10. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Victorian social hilarity and Wilde’s witty wordplay. Try not to laugh.
11. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
More a series of linked short stories. Tan handles the mothers’ voices and stories best.
12. Choosing Sides (Sweet Valley High Twins #4) by Francine Pascal
What happens when your awkward friend wants to be a cheerleader? Elizabeth finds out.
13. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Anderson deftly handles Tyler’s voice and high school social complexities. Nice depiction of desperation.
14. Wedding Etiquette Hell: The Bride’s Bible to Avoiding Everlasting Damnation by Jeanne Hamilton
Sensible advice for crazy wedding situations. Made me feel a lot more sane.
15. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Adorable story about a gentle bull. Lovely art, too.
Think about your favorite books. Now think about your favorite books from five years ago. Ten years ago. I’m sure some of these are the same, but are there any that you loved ten years ago but don’t anymore? Any that you’re embarrassed to have loved?
The Awl asks that very question of some writers/editors/book enthusiasts. Several people call out Ayn Rand (not surprising), a few mention On the Road (including John Green) and Raymond Carver, and some talk about their Stephen King phase. One of my favorite responses comes from Sadie Stein:
“Wow, that’s tricky: I tend to kind of revel in the bad stuff I read, and I never had, like, an Ayn Rand phase! But! I did go through a period where I would covertly—but slavishly—read every book I could lay my hands on on how to be sexy/chic/mysterious/alluring like a French woman. This in turn led to the purchase of several very unflattering striped shirts and one of those stove-top espresso makers.
Oh, and I once came across a “Felicity” novelization in a thrift store, and devoured it. I wish there had been a hundred: it totally went into the summer she leaves Noel for Ben after season 1! Oddly, it also contained recipes.”
Sadie, you could totally write a Friday Fifteen.
My other favorite comes from Maureen Corrigan:
“I’ve been wracking my brain, but honestly it’s hard to suggest any without feeling disloyal. In fact, at the risk of sounding sentimental—oh, what the hell, I’ll be sentimental—to dis those embarrassing young adult faves now feels like snickering at the friends I had in high school and college whom I’ve “outgrown.” I loved them and needed them at the time and, for that, I’ll always be grateful to them.”
Amen to that. Books help make you who you are. If you read nothing but Sweet Valley High as a kid or if you thought you were the first person to understand Ayn Rand, that’s okay. These books touched you and are part of your life as a reader. They helped you get to where you are now in your reading life. And that rocks.
At A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy, Liz has great look at the Cave, a boy-focused reading area of one school’s library. The topic of boys being reluctant readers isn’t new, and while I think it’s great that librarians are looking for ways to share books with boys, it’s hard to get enthusiastic about an idea that makes girl readers feel unwelcome. As Liz says:
“I just wish that it was done in a way that did not exclude girls from an opportunity for ownership and empowerment; and did not do it in a way that says, “this is a boys area but girls are welcome, also.” Because, personally, I find that not welcoming or equal. Labelling books as either “boy” or “girl” does a disservice to boys, girls, and books and limits rather than enhances reading opportunities.”
I think the Cave would be more successful if it had the same elements–books about adventure or fantasy, funny books, cool decor–but didn’t label anything as gendered. Why can’t boys and girls both get excited about Eragon or Wimpy Kid? Even if more boys end up in that part of the library, there’s no suggestion that it’s where boys should by or where girls can’t be. Shouldn’t we be moving towards a society of readers that doesn’t care if the main character or author of a book is male or female?
Between certain New York Times articles claiming adults shouldn’t read YA, this article on why kids should read Homer and not Walter Dean Myers and this Slow-Books Manifesto that pushes the classics, it seems like there are a lot of opinions out there about what is worthy of being read. I’m sure part of the intent for these articles was to be incendiary and get attention. But they do raise the question: should people be reading something in particular?
Fortunately, there are a few more rational voices around to address this issue. At Clear Eyes, Full Shelves, Sarah makes a lot of fantastic points. One part I liked in particular:
What you read does not make you smarter than everyone else.
Just as how the books you read don’t define who you are as a human, the books you choose to read likewise do not make you more or less intelligent than the next person. Little aggravates me more than the assumption that people read genre fiction or YA novels because they are not intelligent enough or educated enough to comprehend highbrow literary fiction.
Amen to that. I hate discussions about books that end up being a game of literary one-upmanship. You like reading about 18th century German philosophy or experimental fiction published by independent houses? Great. Enjoy that. But it’s ridiculous to assume that reading those books automatically makes you smarter than someone who picks up a graphic novel or middle grade fantasy book. As Sarah later points out, people read for a variety of different reasons. Not all of it has to be to ponder the depths of literature.
Similarly, Stefanie at So Many Books looks at the the slow reading article and asks why this would make someone love reading. She says:
“Just as we cannot live on only broccoli and spinach, readers cannot read only broccoli and spinach. It also doesn’t inspire those who don’t read to want to read. We do not need to read in order to live or have a good life or be a good person or make a significant contribution to our community. If we surround reading with rules and turn it into work, why would anyone, after working all day at a job, want to come home and work at reading? “
I like Stefanie’s point about having a well-rounded reading diet. Lots of classics are really wonderful and engaging and touch on the human experience in a way that we can understand across centuries. But even if I love Jane Eyre, it can’t satisfying all of my reading needs. Sometimes I want a book of humorous essays; sometimes I want historical fiction; sometimes I want a retold fairy tale or contemporary family drama. Combined, these books provided a much more complete view of the worldand can keep you happier as a reader.
Both articles touch on the joy in reading. It’s great to stretch your reading limits, but shouldn’t books also provide you with a certain level of pleasure? There’s so much fun and meaning in language. Why do we need to destroy that in order to create an unsatisfactory reading experience that limits our view of the world?
In short: Read. Have fun.
From PBS Parents, US Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis shares his thoughts on why poetry is important for young readers and how you can share the power of poetry. He says:
“The rhythm and rhymes can help children develop a love a language—and a love of reading. Once kids begin flexing their writing muscles, poetry can spark their creativity and let their imaginations soar!
You can read newspapers and magazines all you want, but nowhere else are you going to find words taken to such beautiful and sometimes absurd extremes as in poetry.”
Although I’m always a supporter of prose, I like the idea that poetry lets kids explore sounds and play with language. Because of the short form and having to take such care with each word, I think picture books are pretty close to poetry already. Expanding into poetry shouldn’t be that much of a leap for kids.
Click through to check out suggestions for reading and more PBS Parents resources related to poetry (like Martha Speaks: Martha’s Rhyme Time game).
I find two things deceptively hard to write: thank you notes and author bios. The bio should be easy, right? You know who you are and what your accomplishments are. It’s only a few sentences. But striking the right tone while still getting across the necessary information is a challenge.
Recently I stumbled across Jami Gold’s post about author bios and getting the right tone. She shares a lot of helpful/fun links on the topic, and her hilarious post makes me feel a lot less stressed about the whole process. Still, Jami has some suggestions for the basics:
If we look at author bios from a reader’s perspective, the “what to include” recipe is:
- Start with an indication of type of writer (genre, tone, etc.)
- Stir in something to sound relatable (habits, where live, pets, family, etc.)
- Sprinkle with contact information for blog, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. (this also helps with being relatable)
- Add humor and/or voice
- Prepare in a way to show we can tell a story
Additional things we can include when applicable:
- If we’re agented, mention our agent information.
- If we’re debuting, mention our book and release date.
- If we’re multi-published, mention some of our books.
My bio on this site is pretty generic, so I might use these suggestions to craft a more fun version and add that to the bio page. I also have a reading coming up in a few weeks–more on that later!–and need to come up with a version for the reading organizers to use. I’ll share my results on the blog.
Anyone else have good author bio tips or examples?
Don’t you always see those 100 Best Ever Books lists and think “But what about X? Y could never be number 1! Z should be way further up!” From now until April 15, School Library Journal is giving readers a chance to vote for their all-time favorite children’s books. Let your voice be heard!
Voting is broke up between ten favorite picture books and ten favorite middle grade novels. (Hold back, YA fans.) Fans should list their favorites in order of preference, so your #1 pick will get the most points. Make sure to click through for all the rules and forms.
I think it’s going to be hard to narrow it down to just ten all-time favorites. I’m glad there’s a little time to think about it. I might have to do a draft or two first before I’m ready to submit. Which books are on your list of favorites?
Lots of fun links for the afternoon:
National Poetry Month got me thinking about poems I read and poets whose work I enjoyed, which led me to think about Renate Wood. When I was in college I read some of her poetry in class (my professor chose awesome poems) and had the opportunity to see her read. Her work is fantastic, and she seemed like a lovely person as well. I just searched for her poems and found out that she passed away in 2007. This is very much a loss for the literary community; I’m glad I got to see her when I did.
You can check out some of her work online at VQR. I especially like The Dump, which ends:
perfectly round lips softly breathing ohhh,
the longest, most patient moan: ohhh for polio,
for summers gone, and ohhh for us and for, oh, everything.