Top Ten Debut Books

Hi all, another Tuesday and another top ten list. This week: Top Ten Debut Books!

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: The only novel this author has ever written has become a staple in high school classrooms and a favorite of many, including me.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling: Seriously. This book actually changed the world. It revolutionized the children's book market and made it socially acceptable for adults to read children's fiction. And what a great world Rowling created!

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: I love this book immensely and have read it three times. I plan on revisiting it again.

4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett: I don't know anyone who has read this and hasn't liked it. It's fantastic and Stockett's only novel thus far.

5. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley: I love this series and Flavia de Luce, greatest 11-year-old narrator ever. And the mysteries are awesome.

6. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: Just because I love Jane Austen.

7. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko: I read this in college and might have been the only one in my class who enjoyed it. But I really did like it; and also, how many debuts are read in college-level courses? It's an incredibly rich story. I'm reading her memoir now and I'm loving it.

8. Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley: Another classic that actually came about from a party of sorts, where the guests told ghost stories. Among the guests were Lord Byron, Percy Byce Shelley, and the guy that wrote the first vampire story, John William Polidori.

9. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg: This book made me go through every emotion. Funny and sweet and heartbreaking, it's a wonderful story with wonderful characters.

10. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: The first book written by a writer of classic children's books still beloved today, this is my one of my very favorite books.

Woman in White Readalong: Post #2 (Done!)

So I have completed Wilkie Collins' sensation novel The Woman in White. Verdict? Crazy goings-on and villainously vile villains. Count Fosco might be one of the most chilling and awesome foes I've come across in a while—I still assert that he is super creepy, but also a genius. And Countess Fosco was a close second for creepy factor.

I was interested in the amount of narrators who told the story. One contemporary review (included in the back of my edition) mentioned that it was like witnesses at a trial, and that is pretty accurate, though I'm not sure it's as negative as the reviewer seemed to think. I enjoyed getting the whole story, and that would not have been possible without those other narrators.

There were quite a few contemporary critics that disliked it, actually. But despite this, Victorian England seemed to just eat it up. This is the first "sensation novel," according to Camille Cauti in her introduction, which was a great supplement to the novel (lots of info on the time in which it was written and Collins's life, as well as critical analysis of the novel itself). A sensation novel is described by Cauti as similar to the Gothic novels popular at the time, what with the intrigue and suspense and all, but minus the supernatural stuff. Everything in The Woman in White is based in reality, though it may be far-fetched.

Anyway. I wanted more crazy stuff going on, and I totally got it. The second half delivered for sure—I was surprised a few times at the turn of events.

I'm sorry to say, though, that I still found Laura irritating when she was in the narrative. Marian was way better, and way more interesting. In fact, the most interesting characters were all secondary (or rather, not Laura or Walter). Fosco and Marian are my top two for the whole of the book. Countess Fosco is also an interesting lady that the book would be less fun without.

I can certainly recommend this book as a fun classic to read that keeps you engaged and in suspense, though it does get slow in parts (mostly toward the beginning). I'm very glad I read it.

Another readalong!

Hi all.

I've decided to embark on another readalong, hosted by Unputdownables. This time it's Villette by Charlotte Bronte, regarded by some as superior to Jane Eyre.

If you're interested, join us! http://unputdownables.net/2011/01/27/villette-read-a-long-starting-post/

Review: "The Liberation of Gabriel King" by K.L. Going

Title: The Liberation of Gabriel King
Author: K.L. Going
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005
Where I got it: Saw it at the library and borrowed it.

Fear can encompass many different things. A person can be scared of spiders, swinging off the rope swing into the lake, or of bullies. They can even be afraid of the fifth grade. Gabriel King is afraid of all of these things, but if his best friend Frita makes it her mission to help "liberate" Gabe and beat his fears. The summer of 1976 will be the summer Gabe becomes brave, and he has Frita to help him—she's not afraid of much of anything. But as the two friends work through Gabe's list of fears, Gabe realizes she is afraid of some things and needs to work on her own list—but it will take an awful lot of courage to confront the things Frita fears the most.

It's good to read a story set after the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s that deals with racism in the South. There aren't a lot of stories that I've come across in my reading that deal with the post-Jim Crow South, but this late elementary/early middle grade book is one of them. Frita is a black girl living in Georgia, and she has been "integrated" into the white school in Hollowell, where she met Gabe. She is a firecracker, always willing to go on adventures and often having to drag Gabe with her. Despite their remarkable differences from each other, the two are incredibly loyal to each other and the best of friends.

Though most of the book focused on fear and overcoming it, there is a bit of history included within the scant 151 pages of the novel. Readers learn about Jimmy Carter before he became president; I had no idea he was a peanut farmer before he made it to the White House, and I certainly had no idea about his stand against white supremacy. We also take a look at the treatment of African Americans during and after the Civil Rights Movement, though not in great detail.

I also thought it was great that Going did not shy away from using the n-word. It was especially relevant for me to read this right after the whole Mark Twain "let's censor the language because it's offensive to modern readers" thing. The use of that word certainly made an impact on me, not to mention it made the narrative all the more believable. There are some very serious issues that Frita and Gabe have to grapple with, and it forces us as readers to think critically about the situations. And yet, Going still managed to include a good deal of humor and playfulness within the two friends' fear-busting exploits.

There were a few flaws I noticed that detracted from the book for me. Though I thought it was sweet how Gabe didn't really see why Frita's skin color mattered to so many people, I found it difficult to believe that he had never come across racism before, especially having a best friend who would most likely be often on the receiving end of it. He seemed genuinely confused about why white people would treat black people differently, and didn't seem to understand why Frita would be targeted in their community. And his frequent realizations vocalized as "Huh. I'd never thought of it like that" or something similar sounded forced and trite to me—it got irritating.

Though it had its drawbacks, I still liked this story of doing the right thing and gathering courage, even if it means facing your worst fears. The two friends might not have crossed every single thing off their lists, but they certainly learn what it means to be brave.

Top ten books I wish I'd read as a kid

Today is Tuesday, which means another top ten list. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish—if you think you'd like to write up your own list, head on over!

Today's topic: Top ten books I wish I'd read as a kid.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: I mentioned this in my top ten books I can't believe I've never read list, BUT it's not for lack of trying. I've attempted it twice, and just couldn't get through it. I got it for free on my nook, so maybe it will give me a reason to try again. It's just something I wish I already finished.

2. Matilda by Roald Dahl: This is definitely something I wish I'd read when I first wanted to read it back in fourth grade. I was enchanted by the cover when I passed it in the library at school, but I never went in and checked it out. I read it this past summer and I'm very glad I did, but I think it would have meant more if I were younger.

3. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: I spoke with an elementary teacher at B&N one day who was surprised that I had never read this and proceeded to tell me that I NEEDED TO READ THIS IT'S AMAZING AAHHHH. So I bought it and it's still sitting on my shelf. I feel like I missed out on something.

4. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George and its sequels: I feel like I would have loved these when I was younger. I recently read the first one and did; it's right up my alley of settings and people and plot, sort of like Scott O'Dell (who I LOVE).

5. Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell: Speaking of Scott O'Dell, this is one I never got around to reading—in a burst of frugality, I didn't buy it when I saw it for a dollar (I was younger, mind you) and to punish myself I refused to buy it for more than that. Luckily I found it at a used book sale for 50 cents and I now have it waiting for me in my bookcase.

6. The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper: This is another series that I know I would have loved when I was younger, since I was into the fantasy stuff like that, especially when it's mixed up with mythology. I've read all but the last one now.

7. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: I feel like everyone has read this and it's a classic that I should read as soon as possible. Especially if I want to be a youth services librarian.

8. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White: I know, I know. This was also on my "can't believe I've never read it" list. I bought a copy and I have it, and I intend to read it, but I wish I had done that when I was a child to appreciate it with a child's eyes.

9. The Ramona Quimby books. Seriously, they are hilarious. I wish I had read Beverly Cleary's stuff when I was little.

10. Anything by Judy Blume. I feel like I totally missed out on important parts of childhood by skipping these. I had to learn about my period from those videos they showed us in health class—imagine!

Anything on here ring a bell? Or do you have a completely different list?

Review: "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine

Title: Mockingbird
Author: Kathryn Erskine
Publisher: Philomel Books, 2010
Where I got it: I requested it from the library.

*Starred Review*


As someone who has Asperger's, 10-year-old Caitlin has trouble understanding why people act a certain way and how to react to them in turn. She would always turn to her older brother Devon to explain things and situations for her, but Devon dies in a tragedy that rocks their entire community. So not only is Caitlin left without her most trusted friend and big brother, she must learn how to deal with the way her father is now acting, the way others treat her in school, learning empathy, and most important of all, getting to Closure.

If you haven't heard of this book yet, just to tell you, it won the National Book Award for young people's literature. And let me tell you, it certainly deserved it. Through Erskine's book we see the world through Caitlin's eyes and mind. She doesn't Get It (as she would say) most of the time, as she can't understand certain emotions or reactions. She has to work really hard to see how another person is feeling and how to make them feel better, instead of worse. It's very illuminating to see how a person with Asperger's might view the world, and gives us a tool to understand them better and the way they see things better.

Despite her lack of understanding others, Caitlin is remarkably intelligent and an incredible artist. Throughout the book, Erskine uses Caitlin's artistic talents as a device—her refusal to use color goes hand in hand with the way she likes to see the world. Black and white are much easier to deal with than colors that can run together and blur. But as she begins to learn empathy and friendship, as she begins to find the ever-illusive Closure, Caitlin begins to see that color might be useful.

What really struck me about this novel was the rawness and realness of everything. Erskine does not really censor much, but not in an inappropriate way. What I mean is, Caitlin just reports things as she sees them, bluntly and accurately—this is especially true when she describe her father's violent reaction when he hears the news of his son's death and his subsequent grieving (mostly detachment, refusal to speak of Devon, and lots of crying),  and how she herself is dealing with the loss of the only person who seemed to understand how to talk to her. We also see things that Caitlin misses. She has incredible skills of observation, and doesn't shy away from telling us everything—actions and gestures that she doesn't understand are not lost on us, and I felt it all the more.

We also see the way a tragedy can affect everyone involved, even those who are related to the ones who caused it. It's heartbreaking, but the quest for Closure is a bold and valiant one that Caitlin tries to share with the entire community.

The mockingbird title comes from Devon and Caitlin's shared love for the movie To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout, Caitlin keeps returning to this, to her nickname Scout that Devon gave her, and to all of their likeness to the three main characters in the film and book (Jem, Scout and Atticus). In the end, Devon is the symbolic mockingbird—dead despite his innocence, but living on in the memory of his family and of his community.

Incredibly moving and poignant (I use that word not as a cliche; I mean it with all my heart), Caitlin shows us a world that we mostly try to ignore. She shows us ways to deal with grief, both good and bad, but all real; after death and tragedy, we must find our way to Closure, and to living again.

Ratings

I've been debating on the ratings thing for a while now, and I think I've finally come to a satisfactory solution. I will do away with star ratings, but for those that are incredible and absolutely amazing, I will give a "starred review" like they do in review journals.