But I need suggestions.
What are some works you'd like to see analyzed this way? And what, from your reading of the blog, do you think I'd enjoy?
Please limit your suggestions to (in order of preference) YA, Women's, and/or Literary Fiction. I suppose if there's a great work of Sci Fi out there, that'd be fine too, but I think most of you are writing in the above three genres, so they'd be the most helpful.
Please comment with the name of the work, its author, a line of summary, and (if applicable) something you'd wondered specifically about the work (ie, "Is it just me or is the writing terrible?").
Then, as you see comments build, you are welcome to say, "I second ______," or "I hated ____, don't bother" or "Instead of _____, try _____, and look for _____."
Books in paperback are much preferred; books I can get from the library are best of all. I'll choose based on the following factors:
- Your votes
- Book availability (library, paperback v hardcover, etc.)
- Plot (if it looks like something I'd be interested in.)
Your prize, if I choose the work you nominate? My copy of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, mailed to you. It's a paperback in fine condition. So, please include your e-mail address, or a method of contacting you. If you've chosen an alias, send a mailing address and your alias to AgencyGatekeeper@gmail.com. It's fine if you'd like to stay anonymous by choosing an e-mail address that doesn't have your name in it.
21 comments:
I would love to see feedback and thoughts on Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It's a YA paranormal with major amounts of hype (Warner Brothers movie deal and Amazon YA pick of the year).
The problem is, I wasn't crazy about it at all and don't see what all the fuss is about. I won't list my issues with the book here, but would love to see your opinion (and the thoughts of other commenters).
I suggest Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie. It's a YA/MG/adult literary book that I'm sure the library will have. It's a story of a boy Haroun who must save the Sea of Stories or all stories will go "kaput." In the meantime, all the stories and fairy tales are coming out wrong. For example, Rapunzel's prince turns into a spider while climbing up her hair.
It's a fantastic book. If you don't read it, you'll never know what a P2C2E is and your life will never be complete.
Thanks, Connie--I've just added it to my list of requests from the NYPL.
MeganRebekah,
A good friend of mine--when I was a Young Adult myself--recommended this. I'll see if I can find it.
All best,
AG
Yup! NYPL has Beautiful Creatures. Have added this, too, to my requests. Gosh I love the NYPL.
Three suggestions (all wildly different!)
1. Days of Little Texas by R.A. Nelson--This one's a quirky YA ghost story with a strong literary edge.
2. The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade--New YA steampunk-tacular story. Think Quasimodo (and Esmerelda, of course!)meets 007 meets Sherlock Holmes.
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card--This one's an old favorite. The characterization is so deep it makes your heart ache.
I am currently reading BEAUTIFUL CREATURES also. I like that it is from a boy's pov, but still built like a romance.
Hi AG,
What a fun idea. A Great and Terrible Beauty would be my pick. People seem split on this but I gobbled up the series and licked my fingers afterward. It's been out a while, so you may have already read it. If not, it's a paranormal historical YA about a girl's mysterious access to a magical realm. It has undertones of feminism (I believe), especially in the later books, and the romance is put on the backburner until book three. I'm curious about what you thought of the first-person present tense, the slow-to-build romance, and whether the vague-ish descriptions should have been elaborated on (I think so) or if less-is-more in this case. I'm looking forward to the results, whether or not you choose my selection the review is going to be interesting!
By the way, thanks for the great review on Shiver. I plan on reading it just for the sake of seeing if I agree... *after* I read Catching Fire though :)
Di
Oops, I forgot to do the follow-up comments thing.
I recommend Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli - a mermaid/siren shuns her own kind and tries to hold on to true love through immortality - I liked it, though would have changed some things about it. . .
And I second anything by Rushdie. I think his latest is The Enchantress of Florence (have copy, haven't read yet).
Stardust by Neal Gaiman - an affair with the land of Faerie triggers big trouble for one particular love child when a shooting star falls down from the sky and takes the the form of a feisty young lady. I would have changed a lot of things about this one. Must be an aesthetic thing because I know Gaiman's a great writer.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle - a unicorn struggles with a magician to free the rest of her kind. I read this recently and thought this was a nearly perfect book.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Like the movie, only with more tricksiness. I read it long ago and remember it also as near-perfect.
Good luck deciding!
:)
Two Suggestions:
The Forgotten Garden: A Novel by Kate Morton...I'm only 25% into the book, but it seems a great combination of mystery, history and art. Her writing style reminds me of an author I can't quite put my finger on!
The Help by Kathryn Stockett...Loved the characters in this book that takes place in Jackson, MS (circa 1960's)...written from three different voices -two black maids and one white journalist determined to tell the "help's" story. Appalling in parts (not surprising), humorous in parts and overall a touching story of relationships.
Hey :), You are my kind of peep. You named three of my all time fave books: Stardust, The Last Unicorn, and The Princess Bride. Are you my evil twin?
Ohhhh totally agree with :) about Sirena! Can I vote for two? Something I'd wondered specifically... okay, do you think she pulled of the setting (barely changing ever), and how do you feel about these kinds of endings? AND just like Great and Terrible Beauty (by Libba Bray), it's in first person present tense. So is Hunger Games, actually... I guess this isn't as unusual as I thought, but it seems hard to pull off. All three of those books worked brilliantly for me, but I've noticed reviews that say present-tense is ewwww. Or something to that effect. Thoughts?
Some awesome suggestions so far that I'm adding to my own TBR list.
I'll throw in another YA fantasy, which was originally adult fantasy before being re-released. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, set in a different world where a girl is sent to prison for murder (in self-defense) but is given a choice instead: die by the noose, or be the Commander's new poison taster.
It was very intriguing to me, and though set in a different world carried a voice I could easily relate to. There's also a love story between the MC and the guy who gave her the choice and is technically her boss (and a very efficient assassin). I gobbled it up in a fairly short amount of time.
Okay I came back to check out the other recommendations, and I have to second Stef's suggestion of The Help - I read it on my trip to Canada last month and it was amazing. One of those that I kept sneaking out of my bag every chance I could get.
jmartinlibrary - I'm just another fairy tale addict. I've heard only good things about Orson Scott Card though haven't read his stuff yet. What's a good one to begin with?
:)
If you want to read Orson Scott Card, you have to start with Ender's Game.
I will heartily second the votes for Ender's Game and The Last Unicorn (movie is a gem too, btw, if you skip the cheesy music interludes. Which admittedly can grow on you). And The Enchantress of Florence is great.
But, in a more literary vein, these are the best three books I read over the past 6 months and I heartily recommend all: The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin, Metropolis by Elizabeth Gaffney, and The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat. All beautiful, compelling and maybe even life-changing (particularly the first and third).
Thanks Connie,
With a name like Ender's Game, who knew it'd be the first (except everyone but me, probably :)
Other recommendations:
The Lazlo Letters by Don Novello - Fr. Guido Sarducci's off-air persona's persona (do the math there, if you dare) spent the Nixon years and beyond writing letters to Presidents of the United States and Mr. Bubble alike. The responses to his wacky letters come in a wide range of form (evidently not exclusive to publishing) and custom varieties, and often make less sense than Mr. Toth's amusing ramblings.
I laughed out loud on almost every page. If you like the first book, there are two more Lazlo books (I believe both out of print but widely available under $5).
Novello also wrote a high school yearbook for sheep called The Blade: Shellville High School Yearbook that's out of print and goes for at least $40 (current low price online: $74.88 USD).
I kid you not. I am just waiting for someone to list it for $1.25 somewhere, because I have never seen a copy and it looks to me like a laugh riot.
:)
Okay, just finished The Secret Garden by Kate Morton...definitely a favorite. It's complete with mystery, longing, unrequited love, relentless maternal motifs, haunted histories and (alas!) FAIRY TALES. Morton creates a beautiful novel with imagery that is so escapist, I was able to stay up past 10:00 pm in recent weeks. (Big feat for me.) She creates a story line so compelling that my mind was always a minute away from considering the plot. The novel aspired to make my favorite list because of the incredible and soulful heroines amidst three very distinct story lines that ultimately become interwoven. I do hope you read this one -- even if you don't choose it as your winner!
Oops -- did I say Secret Garden? It's THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN: A Novel by Kate Morton.
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