Friday Favorites: The Sparrow

The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
★★★★★

I resisted this book for a long, long time. I actually checked it out of the library more than once and returned it unread, which rarely happens. The cover looked boring and the summary sounded too preachy. A Jesuit priest travels into space, blah, blah, blah. Man was I wrong.

The premise actually sounds more complicated than it is. There's a group of friends on earth. One of them discovers that there is life out in the universe and they end up travelling to that planet, Rakhat, to find it. We know all of this from the beginning because the story is told using two timelines. The first is in the future when the Jesuit priest, Emilio Sandoz, returns to earth physically and mentally destroyed. He is the only member of the original crew to return. The second timeline explains everything that happened to lead up to that point.

Now strip all of that away and get rid of any preconceived notions. This is a story of loss, friendship, love, heartbreak and everything else that’s intrinsically human. It’s devastatingly beautiful, but it’s also funny and sweet. It captures the pain and loveliness of humanity in an incredible way. The characters are flawed, but loveable. You feel so close to them as the story progresses, which is crucial for its success.

The book is plotted perfectly in my opinion. There’s a large chunk explained at the beginning which leaves you anticipating the explanation throughout the book. After that things are slowly revealed, but you’re left with some questions right up until the end.

Please don’t let the silly title, cover and publisher summary keep you from this book. I let them deter me for far too long and they are in no way a representation of the real story held within the binding.

“You know what’s the most terrifying thing about admitting you’re in love? You’re just naked. You’ve put yourself in harm’s way and you’ve just laid down all your defenses; no clothes, no weapons, no where to hide, completely vulnerable. The only thing that makes it tolerable is to believe the other person loves you back and that you can trust him not to hurt you.”

A few other great reviews... books i done read, let's eat grandpa, My Friend Amy.

Friday Favorites: Half Broke Horses

Half Broke Horses
by Jeannette Walls
★★★★★

The book begins with a flood. Literally, on the first page a flash flood threatens the lives of three young children in Texas. From that second on the book completely hooked me. This addictive read is a “real life novel” from the author of The Glass Castle (which I loved). Her first book chronicled her own unconventional childhood. This book tells her grandma Lily’s story.

It’s a “novel” because she allows Lily’s voice to tell the story and doesn’t question the amazing stories that have been passed down orally in her family. The style is perfect and I think it would have felt stilted and forced if written in any other way. Lily is a spitfire and led one hell of a life. It’s rare for me to feel so completely sucked in to a nonfiction book. I had a hard time putting it down, because there was no end to the trials Lily faced. Her life reads like a movie.

Whenever she decided she wanted something, she just rolled up her sleeves and made it happen. She didn’t shy away from hard work, but she also never became complacent in her life and settled for what she had. Her strong personality was off-putting to many people in her life, but that never stopped her. She stood her ground regardless of public opinion. She was determined, brave and a fierce advocate for her children.

“I realized that you can get so used to certain luxuries that you start to think they’re necessities, but when you have to forgo them, you come to see that you don’t need them after all.”

If you’ve already read The Glass Castle (definitely not a necessary thing to do before reading this) you’ll be interested to learn more about the author’s mother Rosemary. This book explains her upbringing, which sheds a lot of light on why she turned out like she did. It’s not a perfect book, but I loved it. So whether you’re interested in learning more about their family or just want a great story, read this!

The book is packed with too many great one-liners to mention, but here are a few of my favorites…

"The only difference between a traitor and a patriot is your perspective."

“If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, Mom always said, just watch the sunrise. And if you want to be reminded of the wrath of the Lord, Dad said, watch a tornado.”

“Some times after I finished a particularly good book, I had the urge to get the library card, find out who else had read the book, and track them down to talk about it.”

Friday Favorites: The Awakening

The Awakening
by Kate Chopin
★★★★★

This often over-looked classic, has been making waves for more than a century. It has been called the “proto-feminist precursor to American modernism” and has inspired generations of women.

The story revolves around Edna Pontellier, a woman in her late twenties who is a mother, wife and socialite in New Orleans. After a family vacation to the seaside, Edna’s view of her world and the life she leads drastically changes. She’s no longer content to be viewed as a piece of property and she decides to rebel against the accepted social norms.

The novel is small in size, but large in revolutionary ideas. If it had been written in the last 50 years, it wouldn’t have the same power. It was published in 1899 and it challenged the traditional and widely accepted social standards of that time.

In Edna, Chopin created a character that balked at being defined by her husband and children, when no one else dared to do so. Though I’ve never had children and I’m lucky enough to have a husband who supports my interests, I can still understand how disturbing it would be to see yourself disappearing into the roles you’ve been assigned.

Henrik Ibsen published his play, A Doll House, which deals with a similar situation, in 1879, but I think it’s easier for a man to make those observations. It was much more daring and controversial for a woman to write about such things.

The book is striking both for the issues it deals with and because of the prose is beautiful. It provides a powerful look at our gender and a gives us a chance to reflect on just how far we’ve come.

Friday Favorites: I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith
★★★★★

The Mortmain family lives in a rundown castle in the English countryside in the 1930s. The book is presented as the 17-year-old Cassandra’s journal and in this way we see the world through her eyes.

There’s her father, a famous author who has become temperamental and withdrawn and no longer writes a thing. Topaz, her stepmother, a free spirit convinced that her purpose in life is to inspire great works in others. Rose, Cassandra’s older sister, is a beauty whose goal in life is to marry a rich man and escape poverty. Thomas, her brother, is a clever boy who never steps into the story’s spotlight. Finally there is Stephen, the son of their deceased maid, who lives with them and helps take care of the grounds. He’s a kind, humble boy and is devoted to Cassandra. He spends his extra time and money trying to make her life better in every way that he can.

Despite their financial ruin, Cassandra and her family are rather content. They make do with what they have, though it’s not a lot. Their lives are turned upside down when two wealthy American brothers, Simon and Neil Cotton, move into the mansion up the road. The two very different families find their fates unavoidable intertwined.

Like many literary second daughters before her (Jo March, Elizabeth Bennet) Cassandra makes a wonderful central character. She’s someone who you just want to be friends with. She’s a bit naïve for her age, but that’s because she’s grown up with almost no social interaction outside of her family. Throughout the book we watch her mature and begin to understand not only the world around her, but also herself.

This is one of those books that I just knew I was going to love. I’ve been saving it to read when I was in just the right mood. People had recommended it to me for years, comparing it to some of my favorites like, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Near the beginning of the book Cassandra and her sister share this exchange…

"How I wish I lived in a Jane Austen novel!"
“I said I'd rather be in a Charlotte Bronte.”
"Which would be nicest - Jane with a touch of Charlotte, or Charlotte with a touch of Jane?"

Please tell me how I could have resisted a book with a passage like that.

In the end it was all that I hoped it would be. The characters are rich, but deeply flawed. The plot is much more complicated than a simple happily ever after. The writing was wonderful and completely engrossing. Throughout the story I felt like I was there, enjoying the Midsummer Night’s Eve or sipping from my first glass of port on a rainy day right beside Cassandra. It did what so few books can do, left me wanting more from the characters who now felt like my friends.

A couple great lines…

“Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.”

“They went on interrupting each other in a perfectly friendly manner.”

Friday Favorites: The Polysyllabic Spree

The Polysyllabic Spree
by Nick Hornby
★★★★★

This collection of Hornby’s essays from the magazine The Believer, was beyond delightful. He writes about what books he bought each month and which ones he read. In anyone else’s hands that concept could be as dull as dirt, but Hornby makes you feel like you’ve just asked your friend, “So what have you been reading lately?”

He read a wide range of subjects in fiction, nonfiction, classics, etc. so there’s something for everyone. The funny thing was, it really wasn’t about the books themselves, it’s more about his personal reading experience. You can love his columns without ever picking up one of the books he mentions (though I evitably will).

It’s his humor and cheek that made this book so great. The way he describes reading is spot on and I couldn’t help laughing as I recognized myself in so many of his observations. Here are a few great ones…

“I don't reread books often; I'm too conscious of both my ignorance and my mortality.”

“When reading is going well, one book leads to another and to another, a paper trail of theme and meaning; and how, when it's going badly, when books don't stick or take, when your mood and the mood of the book are fighting like cats, you'd rather do anything but attempt the next paragraph or to reread the last one for the tenth time.”

“What you must do is work unceasingly, day and night, read constantly, study, exercise willpower... Every hour is precious.”

Friday Favorites: Half Magic

Half Magic

by Edward Eager

★★★★★

It’s rare to stumble upon a book that makes you wish you were a kid again, just so you could read it for the first time while you were young. That’s exactly how I felt about Half Magic.

In the beginning the story is a simple tale of a magic charm which grants wishes in halves. By the end of the book Eager has captured a deeper essence of fear and pain that haunts not only children, but grown-ups as well. Even as adults we can baulk at life when we lose someone we love or must accept new circumstances we don’t enjoy.

The writing reminded me of Roald Dahl, which is the highest compliment I can give. The author portrays the kids so honestly. They were neither angels nor devils, they were just children. At times they were selfish or silly or scared, but all of those emotions rang true.

In one section (ch. 6) Eager describes the four categories that adults fall into when they are around children. It’s a brilliant description that’s both insightful and funny. Eager found that perfect balance of creating a wonderful story, while at the same time slipping in some life lessons.

Here’s a few great lines …

“All of the four children hated Charlie Chaplin, because he was the only thing grown-ups would ever take them to.”

“One of the least admirable things about people is the way they are afraid of whatever they don’t understand.”

Friday Favorites: Fahrenheit 451

“It was a pleasure to burn.”

That is undoubtedly one of the best opening lines in history. It’s simple, beautiful and so complex once you realize what they are burning. For me, Fahrenheit 451 was one of those rare books that shook me to my core. I had read Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World, but this dystopia was so much more terrifying to me. It shows a world in which books were illegal paraphernalia and owning them was cause for death.

Our hero, Guy Montag, is a firefighter, but in this future reality firefighters are the ones who start the blaze, not put it out. They are employed to find and burn books and Montag never questions his profession. Then one night he meets a girl who changes everything for him. She’s not empty and cold like his wife. She sparks some bit of life in Montag and he begins to question the world around him.

The most disturbing aspect of the plot is that the people chose to stop reading books, no one forced them. They became obsessed with television and books take too much time and effort. It’s a bit too close to our current reality for comfort.

***SPOILERS***

My favorite part of Fahrenheit 451 is the brilliance of how Bradbury decided to preserve books that must be burned. The characters themselves become the books. Individuals all over the world memorized and entire novel or book in the Bible and through them the book was kept alive.

**SPOILER OVER***

If you’ve never read this classic I would encourage every book lover to pick it up. It’s less than 200 pages, but it packs such a powerful punch that it remains one of my favorite books of all-time.

I recently read the graphic novelization of this book and it was wonderful. The illustrations are done in vivid shades of orange and red throughout much of the book, bringing the fire to life on each page. The graphic novel pays close attention to the details and portrayed the story beautifully. I would recommend reading the actual novel first, so you can create the world in your own imagination first, but the graphic novel is a wonderful treat for those who are familiar with the book.

Friday Favorites: Book Lust To Go

Book Lust To Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds and Dreamers
by Nancy Pearl
★★★★☆

When I heard the Nancy Pearl was releasing a new Book Lust volume devoted to travel I was beyond thrilled. One of my favorite genres is travel memoirs; good ones, the kind that describe the locale and the author’s experience, not the kind that just whine about life. I love reading both fiction and nonfiction set in areas I’m about to travel to or reading about an exotic city and vicariously visiting it through the book.

I’m also attempting to read one fiction and nonfiction book set in each of our country’s 50 states and this book is a huge help towards that endeavor. I don’t want to read things that are loosely set in a state, I want books that make frequent reference to the area and are good representations of that particular state. Pearl’s suggestions are tailor-made for just that.

By this point I trust Pearl’s taste and so her specific comments about the books are great indicators of whether I should pick it up. For example, she’ll say about a title, “Fans of Gilead will probably enjoy it very much.” You can tell she’s a librarian at heart because she’s always trying to match readers with new authors or books she thinks they’ll enjoy. Reading her books feels like getting recommendations from a friend who knows your taste. If you haven’t already read her first two, Book Lust and More Book Lust, they’re absolutely wonderful.

Pearl also covers a lot of ground, literally, within the book. She has suggestions for everywhere, from Newfoundland to Cuba, Morocco to Australia. The variety of types of books is a huge plus too. There’s a bit of everything, nonfiction, biographies, memoirs, modern literary fiction, classics, etc. That’s exactly how I love to read, jumping between genres, time periods and countries to keep things fresh.

The books layout is a bit frustrating at times. Some sections are alphabetized, which means Martha’s Vineyard is next to Malaysia, while other cities and countries have whimsical categories, like Paris is under W for “We’ll Always Have Paris.” It makes it difficult to pick it up to reference a specific city or area.

Regardless of the organizational flow, this book is one that I will be referring to for decades to come. I’ve already highlighted all the books I’ve read and made a list of a dozen or so to add to my TBR immediately. Each time I plan a new trip, or whenever I need a literary journey, I’ll be pulling this off the shelf for another great recommendation from my favorite librarian.

*I received this review copy from the publisher.

Friday Favorites: The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler’s Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger

Meet Claire Abshire and Henry De Tamble, just a perfectly normal couple, except for the fact that Henry has Chrono-Displacement Disorder, which means he is a time traveler.

At its heart The Time Traveler’s Wife is a love story, but one that’s more complicated than your average boy meets girl. The thing I love the most about this book is that it has an obvious gimmick - time travel, we know that from the title alone. It would have been so easy for Niffenegger to rely on that to tell the whole story. Instead she creates two beloved characters who feel so real that you root for them from the start. Henry and Claire feel like friends, people you could meet anywhere, and because of that the reader can suspend disbelief and embrace the time travel plot.

There’s no sugar-sweetness in this story. It has harsh moments where the reader finds Henry stranded somewhere in time or Claire is left alone for days, not knowing where he is. Just because he isn’t leaving intentionally doesn’t make it any easier for her when he’s gone. It also doesn’t mean that Claire or Henry are perfect people. They are selfish and flawed just like anyone else.

The thing that surprised me the most was that there is not a single sci-fi element in the book except time travel. Niffenegger treats Henry’s condition just like it’s any other disease, which removes any absurdity from the story. It’s a hurdle that complicates their lives, but it’s a reasonable one within the confines of the book.

In the end I fell in love with the story and the characters. It was one of those books I just couldn’t put down. I re-read it recently and loved it just as much the second time around. It felt like revisiting old friends in the way that only the best books can.

Side Note: I have read Her Fearful Symmetry, Niffenegger’s most recent novel, and I wasn’t too impressed. I also saw the movie version of Time Traveler and I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the book.

Friday Favorites: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
by Robert C. O’Brien

Mrs. Frisby is widowed field mouse who is used to a quiet life. When her son Timothy comes down with pneumonia she becomes desperate to save him and is thrown into an unexpected adventure.

Soon Mrs. Frisby’s path leads her to a group of former laboratory rats that live on the same farm that she does. Their leader, Nicodemus, explains their history and then must decide if they’ll help her in her quest.

This was one of my absolute favorite books growing up. I think I was in about 2nd grade the first time I read it and I was hooked. We are sucked into a fascinating world of animals with human intelligence, yet the author keeps it firmly grounded in reality, with a believable explanation for everything.

The book won the Newbery Award in 1972 and author’s daughter later wrote two sequels, Racso and the Rats of NIMH and R-T, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH. I read the two sequels as a kid. Neither is as good as the original, but I just couldn’t get enough of the story.

If you haven’t read this one, than I’m bummed, because I’m sure it’s much better if you’re a kid. But I still think you should pick it up and read it. Then eventually you can pass it along to another young reader.

Side Note: I saw the animated movie version when I was young. I wasn’t impressed. It adds unnecessary magical elements to the story, which just detracts from the plot.

Friday Favorites: Lord of the Rings

When I was in 3rd grade my family took a trip to visit relatives in Boston and my Dad gave me a copy of The Hobbit to read while we traveled. I’ve never forgotten my first taste of Middle Earth. Bilbo Baggin’s journey was much simpler than his nephew Frodo’s in the books that followed, but it was the perfect introduction to Tolkien’s epic world.

The plot, in a nutshell, is as follows. There is one ring of power, created by a dark lord, which ends up in the hands of a simple hobbit. Once the good people of Middle Earth realize what the ring is, they must band together and travel to Mt. Doom to destroy it. A fellowship of four hobbits, two men, a wizard, an elf and a dwarf take on the quest.

One of my favorite things about the trilogy is that their world is so different from ours, filled with wizards, elves and orcs, yet the relationships are so similar. Tolkien created such original creatures, like the tree-herding ents, but the emphasis is really on the friendships that have to withstand such intense trials.

Tolkien’s story is memorable not only for the plot, but because of the wonderful characters that fill it. There’s Gandalf, a powerful but wise wizard, Aragorn, a reluctant leader, Gollum, a broken, depraved creature, Samwise, the most loyal friend a person could hope for, and so many others.

Our hero is not a powerful man, but instead a small hobbit, the gentlest people in the land. Our villain is Sauron, the ultimate embodiment of evil. He has no redeeming qualities, just an all-encompassing need for power. He is the inspiration for future characters like Voldemort. Yet at the same time we also have other characters that used to be good or are still trying to be, that succumb to the temptation of the ring, like the Ringwraiths, Boromir and Saruman. These characters demonstrate how even good people can become weak when tempted by something so powerful. Their failure to resist just makes Frodo and Sam’s journey all the more poignant.

I’ve heard people complain that the books are too long, too boring, too detailed, etc. I understand those thoughts, but I think people are more forgiving with other classics, like Anna Karenina, than they are with these fantasy novels. People expect aspects of Charles Dickens work to be too detailed, so they read it and judge the book by its overall plot, but LOTR is sometimes overlook by those same people. I would argue that the story Tolkien created is just as powerful as many classic tales from centuries gone by. So don’t skip these because fantasy isn’t your thing or some other silly reason.

Side Note: People are divided on whether the films did the movies justice and I’m firmly in the camp of, they absolutely did! They manage to capture the massive scale of the wars and the intimate delicacies of falling in love. They also highlighted the best parts of the books and even emphasizing lesser story lines, like Aragorn and Arwen's relationship, which is only an appendix in the book. So I love the films and never get tired of watching them.

Friday Favorites: The Portable Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker and her acidic wit are infamous. I fell in love with her writing after reading one of her cynical poems and just cracking up. After that I asked for a book of her collected stories for Christmas one year and my Dad said, “Of course you would like her work.” I think he recognized a bit of the sarcastic nature.

The Portable Dorothy Parker is a 600 page tome filled with her short stories, poetry, articles, letters and more. If she wrote it, it’s probably in there. She had a sharp tongue, but also a brilliant talent for writing. Her short stories were usually tinged with tragedy, giving a weight to her words. One of my favorites is “The Game.”

(The painting at the Algonquin Hotel above the Round Table, that's Dorothy on the left)

The poem below is a great example of her cutting sense of humor; short and to the point.

General Review of the Sex Situation

Woman wants monogamy;
Man delights in novelty.
Love is woman's moon and sun;
Man has other forms of fun.
Woman lives but in her lord;
Count to ten, and man is bored.
With this the gist and sum of it,
What earthly good can come of it?

Parker’s personal life was tragic, filled with unhappy marriages and alcohol. She was part of the famous Algonquin Round Table in NYC and never toed the line of what was normal or expected. Though I don’t envy her life, I do love her work. Her quips never fail to make me laugh and her stories always make me think. She was an amazing author.

“The writer's way is rough and lonely, and who would choose it while there are vacancies in more gracious professions, such as, say, cleaning out ferryboats?”

Photo by moi.

Friday Favorites: Nine Stories

Nine Stories
by J.D. Salinger
★★★★★

After reading The Catcher in the Rye I realized that angst and frustration were universal feelings. Franny and Zooey made me fall in love with the Glass family and decide to cover my walls with large sheets of handmade paper, covered in quotes. But it was Nine Stories that's always held my favorite bit of Salinger's writing.

Where his other novels are sometimes a bit too dramatic for my taste, Nine Stories offers single servings, just enough that it feels like brilliance as opposed to whining. In these smaller doses Salinger's writing is poignant and powerful. He doesn't give the reader everything, he makes you work for it and I appreciate that.

Many of the stories deal with someone connected to the Glass family in some way. I get something different from them each time I read one. My two favorites are "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," which broke my heart and "Down at the Dinghy," sweet in its innocence. "Teddy" is also memorable, because it's a bit disturbing.

Nine Stories has always seemed a bit underrated, which probably makes me love it more. It contains some of Salinger's greatest characters, if only a snapshot of them, and helps me get a Salinger fix if I need one.

Friday Favorites: The Princess Bride

A princess falls in love, but the man she loves is kidnapped by a pirate. So she is forced to marry a prince, but before she can she is also kidnapped. Along the way she meets a friendly giant, a Spaniard seeking revenge and a few R.O.U.S creatures (rodents of unusual size). Sound familiar?

The book is a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale that was turned into one of the best movies ever. It's part romance, part adventure, part satire and pure brilliance. If you've seen the movie and love it, then I would absolutely recommend the book. Unlike most film adaptations, that one remained almost identical to the book.

I love this book not because it's written perfectly or has a groundbreaking story, but because it makes me laugh so hard I cry. It defies all regular happily ever after rules and chooses humor instead. The Princess Bride paved the way for Neil Gaiman's Stardust, another hilarious fairy tale. It's filled with some of the best one-liners ever. Even elements that I was sure were changed in the movie originated in the text, like the priest's odd mispronunciation of the word marriage as "Mawidge." It's all in the book.

So if you haven't read it you're missing out.

Friday Favorites: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

It all starts with a quiet British man named Arthur Dent... who hitches a ride on a space ship just before the earth is destroyed. What follows is a five book "trilogy" featuring travels through space and absurdity at it's best.

It's hard to explain just how hilarious Douglas Adam's writing is. He creates characters and situations that make you laugh out loud no matter where you are. His wit is legendary and just when your stomach stops hurting from laughing so hard, he throws another curve ball, like an alien race that tortures people by making them listen to horrible poetry.

This books are filled with unforgettable characters like Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox and Trillian. My personal favorites are Dent, who's bumbling, sweet-natured confusion is irresistible and Marvin, a depressed robot who is constantly bemoaning the fact that no one listens to him.

I think the first three books in the series are probably the best, but by that point, you're so attached to the characters that you can't help love each new foray into their world.

I would recommend Adam's writing to most people, but I would say if you love Monty Python's sense of humor these books are an absolute must. You should start at the beginning of the series with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and no matter what... don't forget your towel.

Friday Favorites: Me Talk Pretty One Day

My first introduction to David Sedaris was an essay in The New Yorker chronicling his trip to Amsterdam while in the midst of house hunting in Paris. He saw Anne Frank's house and all he could think was that if it wasn't a historical home it would be the perfect flat!

Sedaris' irreverence and dry humor sucked me in so completely. Nothing is sacred.

Me Talk Pretty One Day was the first of his books I read and after that I knew I was hooked. It remains my favorite of his, though that might be because it was my first. It's a collection of 26 essays, mainly dealing with Sedaris' personal life and experiences.

Whether he telling stories about his unconventional family, dealing with a lisp or trying to learn how to speak French, he brings an absurdity to the most banal situations.

"You Can't Kill the Rooster" is Sedaris' story about his hillbilly brother... who refers to himself as "the rooster." It's one of my favorites in the bunch. I first read it, then later listened to Sedaris read it and it literally made me laugh so hard I was crying. He does a squealing, high-pitched imitation of his brother's voice, which is too ridiculous to be far from the truth.

Yes Sedaris can be crude and occasionally the situations he finds himself in are a bit disturbing, but he tells the stories in a way that's irresistible. I once attended a reading he gave and was thrilled to discover he was even funnier in person. If you've never read anything of his I would highly recommend starting with this book and get the audio version if you can!

"I noticed an uncommon expression on Alisha's face. It was the look of someone who's discovered too late that she's either set her house on fire or committed herself to traveling with the wrong person."

Friday Favorites: The Westing Game

I first read The Westing Game when I was 9-years-old. I think my older sister read it and recommended it to me (which any of you with siblings know, probably means she told me I was too young to read it, so I had to steal her copy and read it immediately).

From the first pages I was hooked. It was completely different from anything I'd read before. A wealthy man, Samuel Westing, dies unexpectedly and leaves riddles and games in his wake. His strange will leaves his fortune to 16 tenants who live or work in a local apartment building, but it's not without a catch. Those 16 people become competitors in a game to find Westing's murderer.

The book was the 1979 Newbery award and introduced me to the world of quirky mysteries. Ever since I've loved reading books with a good twist. This was my precursor to Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier and dozens of others.

The Westing Game also taught me that any book is made richer when you care about the characters and not just the plot. In The Westing Game, a 13-year-old named Turtle gave me someone to identify with. She's a tomboy and a spitfire and I loved her. The other 16 competitors include a young track star, a bride-to-be and a Chinese couple among others. There's such a rich cast that the wonderful plot becomes secondary, always a plus for me.

I wish that all of you read this book when you were young, because I'm sure that's when it would have the biggest impact. But if you missed it then, I hope you pick it up soon.

Friday Favorites: Maeve Binchy

In 2003 I went to Ireland for the first time and I stumbled upon Maeve Binchy's books. That year I went on a bit of a binge, but have since limited myself to about one a year. It's my go to for a reliable comfort reads. Obviously when you've written more than a dozen books, some will be mediocre, but most are great character driven stories.

My favorites are Tara Road, Evening Class, The Glass Lake and Circle of Friends. In each books Binchy creates characters that have stayed with me for years. The books are always about people, not plots. Some of her books are collections of stories, tying people together in some small way. Those books are a good way to get a little taste of her writing style to see if it's for you. Some of the novels blend together and she tends to rely on a few specific types and seldom deviates, but they're still enjoyable reads.

Do you guys have any comfort read authors?

Friday Favorites: Shel Silverstein

Rockabye

Rockabye baby, in the treetop.
Don't you know a treetop Is no safe place to rock?
And who put you up there,
And your cradle too?
Baby, I think someone down here's
Got it in for you.

Whimsical and strange, Silverstein's poetry has fascinated me since I was a kid. Most of the poems are quirky and funny, like the above, but there are others that can wrench your heart. Silverstein had a bit of Salinger in him. He was odd and a bit reclusive, but brilliant in his own way. When I was in eighth grade I performed some of his poems for a speech competition. The most difficult part was narrowing it down to only two poems.


The Missing Piece is another of Silverstein's books, but it's not a poetry collection. The story is about a little circle creature on a mission to find his missing piece. He tries many different shapes, but none of them fit. Finally he finds the perfect piece, it fits into the empty pie sliver in the circle. Hurray, now he is complete! But wait, it's a Silverstein story, so that's not really the ending. Instead, the circle now realizes that with his perfect piece he can no longer talk. It doesn't make his life perfect at all. He lets go of the piece and rolls on, happy again.

It's Silverstein's ability to bring elements of real life into children's stories that made me love his work. That's a tricky thing to do and he always managed to do it without making it too dark.

Here's one of my favorites...

The Little Boy and The Old Man
Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the little old man, "I do that too." The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.Said the little boy, "I often cry." The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me." And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand. "I know what you mean," said the little old man.

Friday Favorites: Watchmen

"But the world is so full of people, so crowded with these miracles that they become commonplace and we forget ... I forget. We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another's vantage point, as if new, it may still take the breath away." - Watchmen

Before I read one, I always thought graphic novels were called that because of graphic violence within the novel. I realize that logically that doesn't make sense, but some part of my brain assumed that was the case. Obviously it's not. A graphic novel is called that because it is drawn like a comic book, pairing an in depth story (like a novel) with drawings.

That plot can deal with anything, not just superheroes like Batman. In the case of Maus (which won a Pulitzer Prize) it's the Holocaust; with Persepolis it's the autobiography of an Iranian woman. There is no limit to what can be used as subject matter in a graphic novel.

I've never been a big comic book person (though I'm starting to think that might be because I haven't given them a chance), so even once I figured out what they really were, graphic novels didn't appeal to me. Then a friend recommended Watchmen. Then he recommended it again and again and finally I read it. It was my very first graphic novel and I was completely blown away.

Here's the basic plot, the Watchmen are a group of crime fighters, including Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Rorschach and others. Someone is trying to kill them off and discredit their work and the surviving members are desperately trying to find out who's behind it. The story dedicates a chapter to each of the characters, giving the reader a chance to get to know each of their history and current struggles.

I was expecting a basic good guys vs. bad guys story, predictable, but fun. This wasn't that by any stretch of the imagination. In Watchmen Alan Moore blurs the line between good and bad. He questions the characters' actions and motivations. He creates a world where you have to ask, "Who is watching the Watchmen?"

Watchmen has such a rich story full of complex characters, literary references and complicated back-stories. The writing is excellent, the illustrations are intense and the story is epic. Watchmen opened my eyes to an entire genre. I have since read quite a few graphic novels and I can't believe it took me so long to try them. I would encourage any of you who have never read one to find one that looks interesting to you and check it out.

Here are a few that are on my TBR list...

French Milk
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
V for Vendetta
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
Blankets