Books to Read via Amy Sherman-Palladino

 

 Rory's love of reading on Gilmore Girls didn't come out of thin air. The show's creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, is a big reader herself. Years ago when the show was still on, Sherman-Palladino release a list of some of her favorite books. It was broken into two parts, classics and newer releases. There were 60 books (120) on each list.

I printed off the list around 2006 and started reading books from it. I discovered so many amazing gems! The list introduced me to the work of Margaret Atwood, Mary Roach, Dorothy Parker, Ann Patchett, Richard Russo, and Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I discovered The Awakening, Ella Minnow Pea, and Middlesex because of this list. Not every book has become a new favorite, but I've gotten something substantive from almost every single one. As I read each book I marked it off my tattered list and checked to see what I had left to read. I still have a few, but I'm running out of her recommendations!

In the comments of recent post on Brick Lane Trish asked me where I'd heard about the book. It was from this list and I realized I should post about the wonderful books I've discovered in the last decade because of it. I couldn't find a single place online where all these books are listed. Honestly, it's been so long since I first found it, I don't even remember where I got it.

So I just scanned my very worn copy of the list that has traveled around with me for years. You'll see a list of 30 Books to Read Before You're 30 on there as well. It also includes a list of Best Picture Oscar winners that I've been slowly working my way through. There's a little list of Stephen King's top 10 audiobooks that ran in Entertainment Weekly years ago. That list is the one that first introduced me to Neil Gaiman's work!

You never know where you'll find a great book recommendation. Before I started blogging this list was my secret key to discovery so many of the authors who are now my favorites, so I had to share it. I'm so grateful for Sherman-Palladino's impeccable reading tastes!

p.s. If you have any questions about a specific book just ask! I'm sure some of the titles are hard to read because of my scribbles and notes.

p.p.s. If ANYONE know how I can watch the movie Cavalcade, please let me know! It's the only movie on my Oscar list that I haven't seen and I've never been able to find a copy of it. 

Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for the Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read.

1) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – A nonfiction memoir painstakingly written by a man who is paralyzed in a car wreck. He blinked out every letter he wanted written.

2) Room – The horrific nature of this novel is tempered by the way it is told. A kidnap victim has a child while captive and the reader sees the story unfold through the innocent eyes of a 5-year-old.

3) Ella Minnow Pea – This clever epistolary novel uses fewer and fewer letters throughout the book as certain pieces of the alphabet are banned.

4) The Arrival – A graphic novel that manages to convey a gripping emotional story of immigration without using a single word.

5) Anything by Jasper Fforde – From his literary detective in the Thursday Next series to the world of hierarchical colors in Shades of Grey, Fforde creates the most fantastic societies.

6) We Need to Talk about Kevin – A book about a killing at a school that makes the reader question nature vs. nurture. This one is unique because at the end you’re still not sure whose side you’re on.

7) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Our narrator has some form of autism, probably Asperger’s, which gives him a very distinct view of the world.  

8) The Sparrow – Is it a novel about space travel, religion, xenophobia, culture divides? It’s all of the above and I’ve never read anything else like it.

9) A Clockwork Orange – The characters speak in a slang language of their own devising.

10) The Book Thief – The book is narrated by Death, enough said.

Top Ten Books to Read in a Day

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for our top ten books to read in a day. This list idea is well-timed as the Dewey Read-a-Thon is coming up on April 21! For anyone participating (and you should!) it’s fun to pick shorter books so you don’t get burnt out on a single massive tome.

1) Graphic Novels: I think this format is particularly good when read all at once. They are easy to read, especially once you adjust to that format. A few good ones to start with: The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Maus and Watchmen.

2) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Pick up any of the books featuring Sherlock and you’re in for a treat. Even if you only have an hour or two, you can enjoy some of his cases and see his brilliant mind at work.

3) Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn – An epistolary novel that plays with language, too fun!

4) Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty – Jessica and Marcus’ banter is addictive and this is one book that’s even better when consumed in one sitting.

5) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby – This unbelievable piece of nonfiction was written by Bauby after he had a stroke and become a paraplegic. Using a system of eye blinks, his work was transcribed by aides. It’s short and very moving.

6) Plays: This is another great format to read in one sitting. A few good possibilities: Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, Death of a Salesmen by Arthur Miller, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen or and anything by Shakespeare!

7) Hunger Games – Just try to put this one down. Once you get caught up in the intense competition, it’s hard to peel yourself away.

8) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – Every time I read this one, I mean to read just a little bit and I end up lost in the story until it’s done and I’m crying.

9) 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff – Short and sweet, this collection of letters is perfect for any book lover.

10) Half Magic by Edward Eager – I somehow missed this great book when I was a kid. I only read it recently, but it’s a treat.

Image from here.