The Biblio Blogazine

Reviews, Opinions, and More

The Biblio Blogazine - Reviews, Opinions, and More

Tag Archives: Juvenile Fiction

Sunday Salon: Books I Recommend Regularly

toptentuesday.jpgI know it’s Sunday Salon time, but I figure I’d kill two birds with one post.

Over at Top Ten Tuesday this last week, we were allowed to re-visit a topic. Since I never did this one, and it’s something I do a lot of, I thought I’d make it easy on myself and pick the week when they asked us about the Top Ten Books We Recommend.

Easy? Yeah, right.

The hard part isn’t about the recommending, but keeping it to a list of ten, which I didn’t, but what else is new?

  1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    If you’ve only seen the movie, the book is better in that some of the characters you only see briefly in the movie have a more important role in the book, especially in supporting the moral and ethical themes of the story.
  2. Shel Silverstein Books
    It’d be easy to say Where The Sidewalk Ends or The Giving Tree, but all his books are worth recommending.
  3. Watership Down by Richard Adams
    This story began as one the author told to his daughters on long car drives. It is a hero’s journey told in a form that anyone can read and follow.
  4. Harry Potter Books
    Magical and fantastical, yet like Watership Down it has themes that go way beyond a simple children’s book. Kids of all ages will love this series.
  5. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
    Besides Shogun, this novel helped in cementing my love for historical fiction. The detail is dazzling but not overdone, showcasing how valuable good research is in telling a fictional story based on real events.
  6. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
    Another historical fiction based on excellent research as well as a personal connection to the Chinese culture. At it’s core is a story about a complicated relationship that spans a lifetime and how it survives through tragedy and hardship.
  7. A. Lee Martinez books
    He writes fantastical stories with a comic flair. I don’t think I’ve ever read a horror novel that made me laugh out loud as much as his do. His characters are ones you will immediately like and the narrative very entertaining.
  8. Belgarion series by David Eddings
    Other than Mary Stewart’s books, this series will lure the reader in and never let them go until they finish. Just have some tissues handy. The story will take you places emotionally as well as imaginatively.
  9. Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy
    (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment)
    Long before Merlin was a TV series and the Arthurian legend a box office boon, Stewart was bringing these mythological characters to life, giving me (and I’m sure many other readers) a glimpse of a legend we couldn’t get enough of.
  10. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster
    (My World Book Night choice this year)
    A modern fairy tale that has a universal appeal. It’s easier to read for those who like Lewis Carroll but are unsure it’s appropriate for youngsters that won’t understand all the nuances. They may not in this book too, but that just makes it a book that should be read more than once – even by adults.
  11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
    (My World Book Night choice last year)
    You’d think that a book narrated by Death would be morose – and being set in Nazi Germany, it could be. But it isn’t  Amid tragedy, especially war, life still goes on and in many ways still carries hope and love.
  12. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
    It’s easy to recognize the Dickensian theme running throughout this novel, but The Good Thief has excellent merits all its own. This is a book where I recommend the reader have time set aside, because once they start, it will be a hard task to walk away from it for very long.

Have you read any of these? Would you recommend them, or are there others you’d add or change on this list?

JC

 

 

 

Reading Life Before Blogging

toptentuesday.jpgThis weeks Top Ten Tuesday is asking me to list the “Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger“.

As I worked on the list, I was surprised by the the fact that all of them are ones I read when I was younger. In fact, I think the most “modern” book on the list was originally published in the 1970′s. Oh my. That was, like (counts on fingers then grabs the calculator…) – I digress. Let’s get back to the list.

In trying to narrow it down to ten, I’ve decided to list the ones that I’ve read more than once and plan to re-read again. They are books that introduced me to the genres that fill the majority of my shelves today; books that make me laugh and cry, and every time I read them I am affected in a different way than I was the last time I read it. These are truly timeless classics – at least in my library.

  1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    Published in 1960, this Pulitzer winning novel became one of the best movie adaptations ever and a well-deserved Oscar winner. It’s a modern American classic as well as one of the most challenged books due to its language and sexual content. The opening paragraphs of the book are some of the most powerful I’ve ever read.
  2. Island Of The Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
    Based on a true story, this Newbery Award winner made a huge impact on my reading as it was the first time I remember connecting so quickly, and deeply, with a character.
  3. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
    Although published in 1938, Rebecca is a classic mystery that any reader will love and an opening line that has become one of the most famous in literature.
  4. The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart
    Up until reading Stewart’s novels, I was primarily a science fiction fan and read very little fantasy. But reading these stories of Merlin and the Arthurian legend introduced me to a genre that has turned out to be one of my favorites behind historical fiction and steampunk.
  5. Agatha Christie books
    From time to time I love reading a good mystery or detective fiction. And if I want a guaranteed excellent read, I trust the writer who created Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. My favorites are And Then There Were None, Murder At The Vicarage, and Murder On The Orient Express.
  6. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
    The Martian Chronicles, as the title implies, is not a novel but a collection of short stories. It’s because of writers like Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Stephen King that I learned to appreciate short fiction.
  7. Dune by Frank Herbert
    Dune is the first book in a series that has become one of the most adapted in history. It is a Hugo Award winner and was the inaugural winner of the Nebula Award. It is one of those books that seems to be different every time I read it. I’m sure this is due to some elements of the book speaking louder than others because of where I am in my life and what is going on in our society.
  8. Shogun by James Clavell
    This was the first book I read that was over 1,000 pages. It also introduced me (as well as millions of others) to Japanese culture. It was because of Clavell and John Jakes that I became a fan of historical fiction, which continues to be the genre I read the most.
  9. Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
    One of the first books to make me bawl my eyes out. (The other was Old Yeller, another excellent book I like a lot). This is a coming-of-age novel that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it. It’s right up there with Tuck Everlasting, Bridge to Terabithia, and To Kill A Mockingbird. These are all books for all time and for all ages.
  10. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
    The Little Prince is one of the few books I’ve read in English and its original language (French). One of the most famous lines from the book is a quote I have written down and posted on my bulletin board: On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. (One sees clearly with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eye.) Reading this book helps me in not allowing my “adultness” to stifle my creativity and the “childness” that is necessary to remain fearless in the face of a society that continually demands conformity.

Well, there it is. A bit more wordy than my usual lists, but these books mean more to me than simply being a “favorite”. They’ve taught me about reading and about life.

If you’d like a copy of any of these books (or any great book of literature for that matter), you can get them at Powell’s or at Amazon.

JC

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