Prep

Lee Fiora is a smart girl from Indiana who decides to leave the Heartland to journey to the mysterious, elite world of Ault School in Massachusetts. Her dreams of entering the ranks of her rich peers never quite come to fruition, and Lee is often waiting on the sidelines for her life to come together, and it never quite does. Prep is a leisurely-paced novel that revolves around the internal life of Lee rather than pure plot, which can be both fascinating and frustrating. At 400 pages, this detailed account of Lee's 4 years at Ault makes the reader feel like they have truly joined her in her high school experience. We are with her as she struggles to make friends, feels hopelessly alienated, stumbles through awkward and casual sex experiences, and grapples with being an invisible outsider on scholarship.

Appeals: Character-driven, frustratingly real protagonist, rich with detail. Elements of romance and friendship, but ultimately balanced in a way that addresses the loneliness and unhappiness many people feel during adolescence.

This book shares the alienation of Holden in Catcher in the Rye, the strange solitude and pointlessness of life felt by the main character of The Bell Jar, and the solitude and internal struggle of the main character in Speak (by Laurie Halse Anderson).

If you like stories about alienated, disillusioned youth, you might also enjoy Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks.

Sittenfeld, Curtis. Prep. 2005. 420 pages.

The Hunger Games

Set in the future, this is a dark tale of survival. In what used to be North America exists Panem, where each year there is a lottery that plucks everyday citizens to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. Everything is filmed, every moment watched by all (the ultimate Big Brother).

Katniss, a skilled, tough 16-year-old chooses to take her sister's place in the Games, and she begins a journey of calculated moves, multiple motives, possible love, and murder.

Appeals: page-turning plot, tale of survival, futuristic setting, strong characters.

If you enjoy the futuristic tale of survival, you might also enjoy Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, 1984 by George Orwell and How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.

If you enjoy The Hunger Games, be sure to catch part 2 of the trilogy: Catching Fire.

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. 2008. 374 pages.

The Road: Movie Trailer

Update on The Road: the release date for this movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's harrowing post-apocalyptic novel is set for October 2009.

Here is a three minute trailer, which I promise will give you even more chills after you have read the book.

The Graveyard Book

Nobody Owens is anything but ordinary. After his entire family is killed, Nobody (aka Bod) is raised and educated by ghosts, werewolves, and people somewhere between life and death.
When Bod becomes a teen, he longs to learn about life outside the graveyard, and most importantly, to find Jack, the man who killed his family.
Winner of the Newbery Medal in 2009, Gaiman's book is part fantasy, part reality, part adventure, and all macabre.

Appeals: fast pace, elements of fantasy, tinges of horror and adventure

If you enjoy the dark adventure of The Graveyard Book, you might also enjoy Coraline (also by Neil Gaiman), or the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan.

Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. 2008. 312 pages.

Bonus: Want to find out what author Neil Gaiman has been reading? Watch this video, courtesy of Salon.com

Create a Superhero!

This is not a book review.
But I did want to share this website: Marvel Create Your Own Superhero.
I think I was inspired because I have been reading Watchmen.
More on that later.

The White Tiger

Did you like the tale of murder from the murder's perspective, but wished Crime and Punishment had been funnier? Are you sick of books that paint fantastic, exotic pictures of India? Look no further! The White Tiger is here to serve your needs.
Told over seven days, in seven chapters, Munna, poor son of a rickshaw driver, tells his entrepreneurial tale of rags to riches that moves him from the countryside to Bangalore. His unapologetic account of his path to success involves stealing, abandoning his family, and murder.
Very darkly funny. Being good, dark humor, what lies beneath the surface is a tale of great tension that reveals the anger of someone destined to servitude.

Appeals: Dark humor, mystery that is slowly revealed, strong narrative voice

If you enjoy the the dark humor of The White Tiger, you might also enjoy A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul. You may also enjoy books that Aravind Adiga lists as his influences: The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and the works of James Baldwin and Richard Wright.

Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. 2008. 276 pages.

Stormbreaker

Alex is an orphan. And at the beginning of Stormbreaker, he gets orphaned again when his uncle and guardian dies suddenly in an accident. But was it an accident? Alex soon discovers that his uncle was no mere bank manager, but he was a spy for M16, a top secret spy agency. Alex is recruited to take up where his uncle left off.
This story is completely silly and "borrows" a bit too much from Batman (Mr. Grin with scars on his cheeks... really?) and James Bond, but it's all in g...more Alex is an orphan. And at the beginning of Stormbreaker, he gets orphaned again when his uncle and guardian dies suddenly in an accident. But was it an accident? Alex soon discovers that his uncle was no mere bank manager, but he was instead a spy for M16, a top secret spy agency. With little time to mourn, Alex is quickly recruited to take over where his uncle left off. What starts out as gadget-filled games soon turns into a possibly fatal mission.

Appeals: James Bond-like spy story, chock full of gadgets and high-speed chases.

If you like the action-adventure tale of Stormbreaker, you might also enjoy the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson or The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) by Rick Riordan.

Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. 2000. 256 pages.

Naked

Sometimes the truth is funnier than fiction. In 17 essays, David Sedaris covers topics including his obsessive-compulsive tendencies as a child to count and lick everything (including the chalkboard), hitchhiking with a wheel chair-bound companion, coming out at Greek camp and ending with an awkward visit to a nudist colony as a teenager.

Appeals: dark humor, quirkiness

If you like the too-crazy-and-funny-to-believe memoirs of David Sedaris, you might also enjoy Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs.

Sedaris, David. Naked. 1997. 224 pages.

Spanking Shakespeare

His parents cursed him with a horrible name, and life has only gotten worse since he was born on Hitler’s birthday. Shakespeare Shapiro is a senior in high school and has never had a girlfriend, has a younger brother who’s cooler than he is, and has a best friend who discusses nothing but his bowel movements. But Shakespeare can write, and he chronicles every mortifying moment in this borderline obscene tale.

Appeals: Hilarious, awkward, gross.

Wizner, Jake. Spanking Shakespeare. 2007. 304 pages.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

Virginia Shreves isn’t FAT fat, just chubby fat, which means that hooking up with Froggy Welsh must be kept a secret. Virginia lives in a penthouse in New York with a skinny, perfect family and wonders if she was switched at birth. When something happens to mar the family’s good name, Virginia starts to write her own rules, and before long, it seems like anything is possible.

Appeals: funny, girl power message, deals with tough and uncomfortable issues.

If you like books about teenangers who don't quite fit in, you might enjoy Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci, The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga or Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

If you like books that make you laugh like this one, you might enjoy Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb, Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdoch, or Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.

Mackler, Carolyn. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. 2005. 256 pages.

Cirque du Freak, Book 1: A Living Nightmare

Darren Shan loves spiders. So when he gets a ticket to a secret freak show in held in the middle of the night, he is of course impressed by the wolf-man and the snake boy, but most of all, he is mesmerized by Madam Octa, the deadly performing spider. But soon Darren's spider obsession gets him stuck in a web of his own making, and before he knows it, he is in for a way more than he had bargained for.

Appeals: Sick of all those sappy vampire love stories? This tale is gross and gruesome, be forewarned. Peppered with humor, this tale will also raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

If you like Darren Shan's horror story, be sure to check out book two: The Vampire's Assistant. Looking for more fun and gruesome horror? Check out books by R.L. Stine.

If you like guy-centered vampire stories, you might also enjoy Thirsty by M.T. Anderson.

Shan, Darren. Cirque du Freak, Book 1: a living nightmare. 2000. 257 pages.

The Road

A nameless father and his son walk through an empty, chaotic, burned America. In this post-apocalyptic tale, the boy and his father must learn to survive in a world without rules, must fend for their lives in a place where acts of unthinkable horror happen every day.

Appeals: Harrowing, post-apocalyptic setting, sparse language, survival tale.

If you enjoy tales of journey and survival, you may also like What is the What by Dave Eggers, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, and Blindness by Jose Saramago.

No trailer yet, but the movie adaptation of The Road is set to come out some time in 2009.

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. 2006. 256 pages.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

"It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who's just walked in to his band's show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City;and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date"(from Goodreads)

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a tender, quirky tale of unexpected high school love. In one night, Nick and Norah go all over the city in search of Fluffy, a much loved band, and in the process, discover each other and start to mend their once broken hearts.

Appeals: Quirky characters, witty banter, high school romance, music

If you like a tale of two high school misfits falling in love, you also might enjoy Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball! by Paul Zindel.

If you want more tales of teenage romance, try Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler or Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci.

Haven't seen the movie? Check out a trailer.



Cohn, Rachel and David Levithan. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. 2006. 183 pages.

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature

" Your best friend hates you. The guy you liked hates you. Your entire group of friends hates you.

All because you did the right thing.

Welcome to life for Mena, whose year is starting off in the worst way possible. She's been kicked out of her church group and no one will talk to her, not even her own parents. No one except for Casey, her supersmart lab partner in science class, who's pretty funny for the most brilliant guy on earth.

And when Ms. Shepherd begins the unit on evolution, school becomes more dramatic than Mena could ever imagine . . . and her own life is about to evolve in some amazing and unexpected ways." (from Goodreads)

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature manages to address faith, bullying, ostracism, and the beauty of science all at once. Oh, and there is romance and puppies, too.

If you like books about making tough decisions, you might also enjoy Blackwater by Eve Bunting, A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, or Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney.

Brande, Robin. Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature. 2007. 272 pages.

Candide: Or Optimism

Candide lives in the best of all possible worlds, or so it seems until he is expelled from his castle for necking with the lovely Cunégonde. Candide is hilarious and naughty romp that urges the reader to consider what happiness really is.

Appeals: Satire, very quick read, funny, irreverent.

If you enjoy satire, you might also enjoy Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift or The History of Rasselas: Prince of Abissinia by Samuel Johnson.

Voltaire. Candide: Or Optimism. 1759. 200 pages.

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

From musical hauntings to music therapy, Musicophilia passionately explores the mysterious power of music through stories of patients with neurological disorders or recent brain trauma, musicians and everyday people.

Appeals: Sacks writes about science that in a way that is both accessible and not dumbed-down; compelling characters; good footnotes and references that will guide an interested reader to many other great books and movies.

If you enjoy science writing, you might also enjoy I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould or Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.

Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. 2007. 381 pages.

The Maltese Falcon

Detective Sam Spade must unravel the case of two murders connected with a precious statue, a grifter named Joel Cairo, an obese man named Gutman, and a mysterious, beautiful woman named Brigid O'Shaughnessy.

Appeals: Gritty and stark atmosphere, hard-boiled detective story, a few steamy scenes, witty banter between characters, very masculine.

If you like classic detective stories, you might enjoy The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith or Crime Classics: The Mystery Story From Poe to Present (various authors).

Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon. 1930. 224 pages.

Looking for Alaska

Miles is looking for the Great Perhaps--and an Alabama boarding school offers the possibility of finding it, especially after he meets the charming, unpredictable, and utterly alive Alaska. Miles is captivated by Alaska's beauty and her intelligence. In a year that unfolds with pranks and surprises, Miles must ultimately come to terms with some of life's biggest questions: why are we here? After a tragedy, how can we possibly keep faith that life is worth living?

Appeals: Funny, smart, and deals with romance and friendship. Looking for Alaska also manages to get the reader thinking about deep questions about life and our existence... without being pedantic! Simple and thought provoking.


Want more about John Green? Be sure to check out his website, sparksflyup.com.

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. 2005. 256 pages.

Understanding Comics: the Invisible Art

A meta-comic, this graphic novel provides a thoughtful, visually-stimulating history of comics as a form of artistic expression and communication.

Appeals: Quick, fun read. Will appeal not only to comic fans but also to anyone interested in visual communication. Provides an effective overview of the medium.

McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: the Invisible Art. 1993. 224 pages.

Rebecca

When a young woman meets and marries Maxim de Winter, the owner of the famous Manderlay estate in Corwall, she becomes haunted by the memory of her husband's deceased wife, Rebecca.

Appeals: Elements of romance, suspense, mystery, horror. Feels like a ghost story even if Rebecca does not actually appear as a ghost. Many details and descriptions of the estate bring it to life, making the estate one of the main characters.

If you like the ghost story atmosphere, you also might enjoy The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

Like gothic romance and want more? Try Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Du Maurier, Daphne. Rebecca. 1938. 448 pages.

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

The Professor and the Madman is a sensational story of how a mad murderer became one of the most important contributors to the construction of the first great index to the English language: the Oxford English Dictionary.

Appeals: Reads a bit like a thriller. Inside scoop on individuals that reveals a bigger story of the work entailed in creating a dictionary. Gruesome, gritty, and sure to improve your vocabulary. For word nerds and people interested in the dark depths of the human psyche.

If you like historic tales of murderers, you might also like The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson or In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Winchester, Simon. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary. 1998. 288 pages.

What is the What

Based on true life experience, Valentino Achak Deng recounts his life as a refugee from the Sudanese civil war. Starting with his life in America, What is the What traces Achak's story back to his native village of Marial Bai and his exodus through Ethiopia and Kenya. Told with clarity, humor, and unflinchingly, this tale defines the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

Appeals: Framed with a robbery experience while living in the States, readers unfamiliar with the subject and with Sudan are given a gateway to another part of the world. Amazing sense of closeness to the narrator. While enduring unthinkable hardship, any reader can relate to Achak's universal feelings of confusion, hope, love, crushes, friendship, loss and survival.

Want to read more about the effects of war and the lives of refugees? Try reading A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah or The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Eggers, Dave. What is the What. 2006. 538 pages.

Rule of the Bone

Drugs. Identity. Broken families. Slavery. Ashanti warriors and Rastafarians. White privilege. Journey.

This is how I would describe Rule of the Bone.

Bone is a story of 14-year-old Chappie. Chappie hates his stepfather and is well on his way to self-destructing when he starts using and dealing drugs, stealing from his family, and running from the law. Life changes when he meets I-Man, a Jamaican mystic who starts to change Chappie's outlook on life and who starts him on a journey of self-discovery.

Ultimately, Bone is a story about finding yourself and figuring out what's important in life.

Appeals: Strong first-person narration, gritty, tale of journey and growing up

If you like this book, you might also like What is the What by Dave Eggers for a similar though very different tale of pilgrimage and discovery. Also, the Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Banks, Russell. Rule of the Bone. 1995. 390 pages.