tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77753943781788394722024-02-08T04:38:36.332-08:00The Literacy ChallengeA blog devoted to inspiring everyone to read more books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-55924703306350573212010-07-17T11:12:00.000-07:002010-10-08T14:54:07.040-07:00Reading List: Shojo Manga & Manhwa Series<strong>SHOJO MANGA</strong><br />
<strong>High School</strong><br />
Hot Gimmick - Miki Aihara<br />
Monkey High! - Shouko Akira<br />
Ouran High School Host Club - Bisco Hatori<br />
The Wallflower - Tomoko Hayakawa<br />
Tears of a Lamb - Banri Hidala<br />
Boys Over Flowers - Yoko Kamio<br />
La Corda d'Oro - Yuki Kure<br />
Cy-Believers - Shioku Mizuki<br />
We Were There - Yuki Obata<br />
Peach Girl - Miwa Ueda<br />
<br />
<strong>Cooking</strong><br />
Kitchen Princess - Natsumi Ando & Miyuki Kobayashi<br />
Mixed Vegetables - Mayumi Komura<br />
<br />
<strong>Sports</strong><br />
Crimson Hero - Mitsuba Takanashi<br />
Bamboo Blade - Masahiro Totsuka & Agui Igarashi<br />
<br />
<strong>Post High School</strong><br />
Dramacon - Svetlana Chmakova<br />
Skip Beat! - Yosikiki Nakamura<br />
Nana - Ai Yazawa<br />
<br />
<strong>Fantasy</strong><br />
Merupuri - Matsuri Hino<br />
Mamotte! Lollipop - Michiyo Kikuta<br />
Atelier Marie and Elie Zarlburg Alchemist - Yoshiko Komura<br />
13th Boy - SangEun Lee<br />
Fruits Basket - Natsuki Takaya<br />
Basara - Yumi Tamura<br />
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Nagaru Tanigawa & Gako Tsugano<br />
Fushigi Yugi - Yuu Watase<br />
Ultra Maniac - Wataru Yoshizumi <br />
<br />
<strong>Historical</strong><br />
Emma - Kaoru Mori<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>MANHWA</strong><br />
Honey Mustard - Ho-Kyung Yeo<br />
Very! Very! Sweet - JiSang Shin-Geo<br />
The Royal Palace Goong - Park SoHeeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-83702816700419827962010-01-19T17:39:00.000-08:002010-03-03T18:56:41.339-08:00Reading List: Memoirs<div style="margin: 0px;">INTRODUCTION<br />
As with all of the reading lists on this site, this is a living document, meaning I will add to it as I come across books I've omitted, and would love suggestions of any noncelebrity memoir you would highly recommend. As far as the categories, I've done my best--some books fall under multiple categories so I went with the most dominant/specific theme (i.e. <em>Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim </em>is primarily about Sedaris's childhood, but not entirely, and it's humorous as is Bryson's memoir). I've read many but not all of these, so please let me know if a book belongs under a different heading. If you're interested in travel memoirs, there's a extensive separate reading list posted. <br />
<br />
ABUSE MEMOIRS<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><em>Please Stop Laughing at Me</em> - Jodee Blanco<br />
<i>Running with Scissors </i>- Augusten Burroughs<br />
<em>Blackbird - </em>Jennifer Lauck</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i>A Child Called It - </i>Dave Pelzer</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i>The Bell Jar - </i>Sylvia Plath<br />
<em>Jesus Land</em> - Julia Scheeres<br />
<em>Lucky</em> - Alice Sebold<br />
<em>The Glass Castle - </em>Jeannete Walls<br />
<br />
ANIMAL MEMOIRS</div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i>Marley and Me - </i>John Grogan </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i>Seabiscuit</i> - Laura Hillenbrand</div><i>Dewey </i>- Vicki Myron <br />
<i>Alex & Me - </i>Irene Pepperberg<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
CHILDHOOD MEMOIRS<br />
<em>An American Childhood </em>- Annie Dillard<br />
<em>The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid </em>- Bill Bryson<br />
<em>Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim - </em>David Sedaris<br />
<br />
GRIEF MEMOIRS<br />
<em>The Year of Magical Thinking</em> - Joan Didion<br />
<br />
HUMOROUS MEMOIRS<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><em>Close Encounters of the Third-grade Kind - </em>Phillip Done<br />
<em>A Red State of Mind </em>- Nancy French</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i>Me Talk Pretty One Day </i>- David Sedaris<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">INTERNATIONAL MEMOIRS<br />
<em>Things Fall Apart</em> - Chinua Achebe<br />
<em>A Long Way Gone - </em>Ishmael Beah<br />
<em>Wild Swans - </em>Jung Chang<br />
<em>The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - </em>William Kamkwamba with Bryan Mealer <br />
<em>Child of the Jungle</em> - Sabine Kuegler<br />
<em>Chinese Cinderella -</em> Adeline Yen Mah<br />
<em>Angela's Ashes - </em>Frank McCourt<br />
<em>Three Cups of Tea - </em>Greg Mortenson<br />
<em>Reading Lolita in Tehran - </em>Azar Nafisi</div><br />
NATURE MEMOIRS<br />
<i>A Walk in the Woods - </i>Bill Bryson<br />
<em>Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - </em>Barbara Kingsolver<br />
<i>Into the Wild </i>- Jon Krakauer<br />
<em>Life in the Treetops - </em>Margaret D. Lowman<br />
<br />
RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUALITY MEMOIRS</div></div><em>Tuesdays with Morrie</em> - Mitch Albom<br />
<i>Eat Pray Love - </i>Elizabeth Gilbert<br />
<em>Angry Conversations with God</em> - Susan Isaacs<br />
<em>The Year of Living Biblically</em><em> - </em>A.J. Jacobs<br />
<em>Traveling Mercies</em><em> - </em>Anne Lamott<br />
<em>Blue Like Jazz</em><em> </em>- Donald Miller<br />
<em>Shattered Dreams </em>- Irene Spenser<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div>SOCIAL EXPERIMENT MEMOIRS<br />
<em>Black Like Me</em> - John Howard Griffin<br />
<em>The Know-It-All</em> - AJ Jacobs<br />
<em>The Year of Living Biblically</em> - A.J. Jacobs<br />
<em>Living Oprah</em> <em>- </em>Robyn Okrant<br />
<em>Julie and Julia</em> - Julie Powell<br />
<em>The Happiness Project </em>- Gretchen Rubin<br />
<br />
OTHER MEMOIRS<br />
<em>Minor Characters - </em>Joyce JohnsonUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-55182212294339394132010-01-07T18:04:00.000-08:002011-04-13T21:03:42.627-07:00Reading List: Travel Narratives<strong>INTRODUCTION</strong><br />
The following are travel narratives, with a few international memoirs mixed in. They are organized by continent. The books on this list I’ve either read, plan to read, or have been highly successful. Most are contemporary, but a few were written over 50 years ago (i.e. Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Freya Stark, Theodore Roosevelt). I've listed specific countries where appropriate if they're not evident from the title. I know this list is far from comprehensive, so recommendations would be appreciated. <br />
<br />
<strong>NORTH AMERICA</strong><br />
<em>I'm a Stranger Here Myself</em> - Bill Bryson<br />
<em>The Lost Continent</em> – Bill Bryson<br />
<em>A Walk in the Woods</em> [Appalachian Trail] – Bill Bryson<br />
<em>Blue Highways</em> - William Least Heat-Moon<br />
<em>Roads to Quoz</em> - William Least Heat-Moon<br />
<em>A Walk Across America</em> – Peter Jenkins<br />
<em>The Walk West</em> - Peter & Barbara Jenkins<br />
<em>Into the Wild</em> – Jon Krakauer<br />
<em>You Can Get Arrested for That</em> – Rich Smith<br />
<em>Travels with Charley</em> – John Steinbeck<br />
<em>The Call of the Weird</em> – Louis Theroux<br />
<br />
<strong>EUROPE</strong><br />
<em>Neither Here Nor There</em> - Bill Bryson<br />
<em>Notes From a Small Island</em> [England] - Bill Bryson<br />
<em>A Year in Provence</em> [France] - Peter Mayle<br />
<em>Toujours Provence</em> [France] - Peter Mayle<br />
<em>Without Reservations</em> [France, England, Italy] – Alice Steinbach <br />
<em>The Kingdom By the Sea</em> [Great Britain] – Paul Theroux<br />
<em>A Motor-flight Through France</em> – Edith Wharton<br />
<br />
<strong>ASIA</strong><br />
<em>Wrong About Japan</em> - Peter Carey<br />
<em>Child of the Jungle</em> [Indonesia] – Sabine Kuegler<br />
<em>Letters Home</em> [Japan] – Todd Jay Leonard<br />
<em>Chinese Cinderella</em> - Adeline Yen Mah<br />
<em>Three Cups of Tea</em> [Pakistan] – Greg Mortenson<br />
<em>Japanland</em><em> - </em>Karin Muller<br />
<em>The Valley of the Assassins and Other Persian Tales</em> [Iraq/Iran] - Freya Stark<br />
<br />
<strong>AUSTRALIA</strong><br />
<em>In a Sunburned Country</em> - Bill Bryson<br />
<em>The Road from Coorain</em> (memoir) - Jill Ker Conway <br />
<em>The Sex Lives of Cannibals</em> [South Pacific island] - J. Maarten Troost <br />
<br />
<strong>AFRICA</strong><br />
<em>Don't Look Behind You</em> - Peter Allison<br />
<em>Whatever You Do, Don’t Run</em> [Botswana] – Peter Allison<br />
<em>Bill Bryson's African Diary</em> [Kenya] - Bill Bryson<br />
<em>In Morocco</em> – Edith Wharton<br />
<br />
<strong>SOUTH AMERICA</strong><br />
<em>Road Fever</em> - Tim Cahill<br />
<em>The Enchanted Isles </em>[Galapagos Islands] - Herman Melville<br />
<em>Nothing to Declare</em> – Mary Morris<br />
<em>Through the Brazilian Wilderness</em> – Theodore Roosevelt<br />
<br />
<strong>WORLD TRAVEL</strong><br />
<em>Last Chance to See - </em>Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine<br />
<em>Pecked to Death by Ducks</em> – Tim Cahill <br />
<i>Around the World in 80 Dates </i>- Jennifer Cox<br />
<em>Where the Hell Is Matt?</em> - Matt Harding<br />
<em>The Ridiculous Race</em> - Steve Hely & Vali Chandrasekaran <br />
<em>101 Places Not to See Before You Die</em> - Catherine Price<br />
<em>Mark Twain on Travel</em> – Mark Twain, Terry Mort, ed.<br />
<br />
<strong>ESSAY COLLECTIONS</strong> <br />
<em>Not So Funny When It Happened</em> – Tim Cahill, ed.<br />
<em>The Risks of Sunbathing Topless</em> - Kate Chynoweth, ed.<br />
<em>Bad Trips</em> - Keath Fraser, ed.<br />
<em>By the Seat of My Pants</em> – Don George, ed. <br />
<em>The Conde Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys</em> - Klara Glowczewska, ed.<br />
<em>Sand in My Bra </em>- Jennifer L. Leo, ed.<br />
<em>The Gift of Travel</em> - Habegger, O'Reilly & O'Reilly, eds.<br />
<em>The Blessings of a Good Thick Skirt</em> - Mary Russell<br />
<br />
<strong>ANNUAL COLLECTIONS</strong><br />
The Best Travel Writing<br />
The Best American Travel Writing<br />
The Best Women’s Travel WritingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-2860415015062026442010-01-03T18:37:00.000-08:002010-01-03T18:37:07.750-08:00Reading Lists: Young Adult Fiction (Introduction)<strong>INTRODUCTION</strong><br />
Below are reading lists of popular and award-winning young adult books. I've sorted them by category, then listed books alphabetically first by author, then by title. I've also included the year of first publication. You'll note classic and contemporary novels are mixed together, with some classics listed under historical, though the period they were set in was contemporary at the time they were written. As a source I used my general knowledge, and selected books from the Newberry Medalists, top 100 YA titles on GoodReads.com, top 100 bestselling teen books on Amazon.com, and the top 100 bestselling children's books on BN.com as of January 3, 2010. <br />
<br />
Interestingly, the majority of popular novels fall into the fantasy and science fiction, contemporary, or historical genres. There weren't many mystery or suspense novels which were more popular when I was a young adult (Christopher Pike, R.L. Stein, etc.) The science fiction/fantasy category was so overwhelming, that I broke it into sub categories: fantasy novels take place primarily in an alternate world, supernatural novels are set in our world but feature characters with supernatural powers (vampires, witches, werewolves), and science fiction novels are set in the future or in an alternate world inspired by science/technology. For series of four or more books, I generally just listed the series and not all the titles. Because the list became unwieldy and for easier reference, I’ve posted the categories separately. <br />
<br />
If you note any errors or glaring omissions, please let me know.<br />
<br />
*Newberry Medal recipientUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-30350356886942233012010-01-03T18:34:00.000-08:002010-01-13T19:21:25.557-08:00Reading List: Young Adult Short Stories & Fairy Tales<strong>FAIRY TALES, FABLES and SHORT STORIES</strong><br />
<em>Fairy Tales</em> (1835) - Hans Christian Andersen<br />
<em>Aesop's Fables</em> (1484) - Annonymous<br />
<em>One Thousand and One Nights</em> (1706) - Annonymous<br />
<em>Grimm's Fairy Tales</em> (1812) - Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm<br />
<em>The Jungle Book</em> (1894) / <em>The Second Jungle Book</em> (1895) - Rudyard Kipling<br />
<em>Just So Stories</em> (1902) - Rudyard Kipling<br />
<em>Winnie-the-Pooh</em> (1926) / <em>The House at Pooh Corner </em>(1928) - A.A. Milne<br />
<em>Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals</em> (1697) - Charles Perrault<br />
<em>New Arabian Nights</em> (1882) / <em>More New Arabian Nights</em> (1885) - Robert Louis Stevenson<br />
<em>Book of Enchantments</em> (1996) - Patricia C. WredeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-23527944934473540302010-01-03T18:32:00.000-08:002010-02-25T19:33:22.943-08:00Reading List: Young Adult Mystery & Suspense<strong>MYSTERY</strong><br />
The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series (190 books, 1927 - 2005) - Franklin W. Dixon (pseudonym for multiple ghost authors)<br />
<em>Harriet the Spy</em> (1964) - Louise Fitzhugh <br />
<em>Paper Towns</em> (2008) - John Green<br />
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series (175 boos, 1930 - 2003) - Carolyn Keene (pseudonymn for multiple ghost authors)<br />
A Series of Unfortunate Events series (13 books, 1999 - 2006) - Lemony Snicket<br />
Encyclopedia Brown series (26 books, 1963 - 2009) - Donald J. Sobol<br />
<br />
<strong>SUSPENSE</strong><br />
<em>I Know What You Did Last Summer</em> (1973) - Lois Lowry<br />
<em>Killing Mr. Griffin</em> (1978) - Lois Lowry<br />
<em>Summer of Fear</em> (1976) - Lois Lowry<br />
<em>Remember Me</em> (1989) - Christopher Pike<br />
Fear Street series (117 books, 1989 - 2005) - R.L. SteinUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-15082878316844040192010-01-03T18:25:00.001-08:002010-02-25T19:33:54.417-08:00Reading List: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction<strong>CONTEMPORARY NOVELS (Set after 1959)</strong><br />
<em>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</em> (2007) - Sherman Alexie<br />
<em>Speak </em>(2001) - Laurie Halse Anderson<br />
<em>Burger Wuss </em>(1999) - M.T. Anderson<br />
<em>Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret</em> (1970) - Judy Blume<br />
<em>Forever </em>(1976) - Judy Blume<br />
<em>Superfudge </em>(1980) - Judy Blume<br />
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (4 books, 2001 - 2007) - Ann Brashares<br />
<em>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</em> (1999) - Stephen Chbosky<br />
<em>The House on Mango Street</em> (1984) - Sandra Cisneros<br />
*The Ramona series (1955-1999) - Beverly Cleary<br />
*<em>Walk Two Moons</em> (1995) - Sharon Creech<br />
<em>Just Listen</em> (2006) - Sarah Dessen<br />
*<em>My Side of the Mountain</em> (1960) - Jean Craighead George<br />
<em>Looking for Alaska</em> (2005) - John Green<br />
<em>The Outsiders</em> (1967) - S.E. Hinton<br />
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (4+ books, 2007 - ?) - Jeff Kinney<br />
*<em>From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler</em> (1968) - E.L. Konigsburg<br />
<em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> (1960) - Harper Lee<br />
Monster (1999) - Walter Dean Myers<br />
*<em>The Black Pearl</em> (1968) - Scott O'Dell<br />
<em>Bridge to Terabithia</em> (1978) - Katherine Paterson<br />
*<em>The Great Gilly Hopkins</em> (1979) - Katherine Paterson<br />
*<em>Jacob Have I Loved</em> (1980) - Katherine Paterson<br />
*<em>Hatchett</em> (1988) - Gary Paulsen<br />
*<em>The Westing Game</em> (1978) - Ellen Raskin<br />
<em>Where the Red Fern Grows</em> (1961) - Wilson Rawls<br />
*<em>Holes </em>(1999) - Louis Sachar<br />
<em>Maniac McGee</em> (1990) - Jerry Spinelli<br />
<em>Stargirl</em> (2000) - Jerry Spinelli<br />
*<em>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</em> (1976) / <em>Let the Circle Be Unbroken</em> (1981) - Mildred D. Taylor<br />
<em>Homecoming </em>(1981) / *<em>Dicey's Song</em> (1982) / <em>A Solitary Blue</em> (1983) - Cynthia Voigt<br />
<em>Izzy, Willy-Nilly</em> (1986) - Cynthia Voigt<br />
<em>The Book Thief</em> (2006) - Marcus ZusackUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-5748237797638951122010-01-03T18:23:00.000-08:002010-04-04T18:59:43.102-07:00Reading Lists: Young Adult Historical Fiction<strong>HISTORICAL NOVELS (Set prior to 1959)</strong><br />
<em>Little Women</em> (1868) / <em>Little Men</em> (1871) / <em>Jo's Boys</em> (1886) - Louisa May Alcott<br />
<em>The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation</em> (2006 - 2009) - M.T. Anderson<br />
*<em>The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle</em> (1992) - Avi<br />
<em>A Great and Terrible Beauty</em> (2003) / <em>Rebel Angels</em> (2006) / <em>The Sweet Far Thing</em> (2007) - Libby Bray<br />
*<em>Caddie Woodlawn</em> (1936) - Carol Ryrie Brink<br />
<em>A Little Princess</em> (1905) - Frances Hodgson Burnett<br />
<em>The Secret Garden</em> (1911) - Frances Hodgson Burnett<br />
*<em>My Brother Sam Is Dead</em> (1975) - James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier<br />
What Katy Did series (5 books, 1872 - 1890) - Susan Coolidge<br />
*<em>Lord of the Flies</em> (1954) - William Golding<br />
<em>Captain's Corageous</em> (1897) – Rudyard Kipling<br />
<em>Kim</em> (1901) - Rudyard Kipling<br />
<em>A Separate Peace</em> (1959) - John Knowles<br />
<em>Pippi Longstocking</em> (1945) / <em>Pippi Goes on Board</em> (1946) / <em>Pippi in the South Seas</em> (1948) - Astrid Lindgren<br />
*<em>Sarah, Plain and Tall</em> (1985) / <em>Skylark </em>(1994) / <em>Caleb's Story</em> (2001) - Patricia MacLachlan<br />
<em>The Children of the New Forest</em> (1847) - Frederick Marryat<br />
Bloody Jack series (7 books, 2002 - 2009) - L.A. Meyer<br />
The Anne of Green Gables Novels (8 books, 1908 - 1921) - L.M. Montgomery<br />
<em>Pollyanna </em>(1913) / <em>Pollyanna Grows Up</em> (1915) - Eleanor H. Porter<br />
<em>Fire from Heaven</em> (1969) / <em>The Persian Boy</em> (1972) - Mary Renault<br />
<em>The King Must Die</em> (1958) / <em>The Bull from the Sea</em> (1962) - Mary Renault<br />
<em>Catcher in the Rye</em> (1951) - JD Salinger<br />
<em>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</em> (1943) – Betty Smith<br />
*<em>The Bronze Bow</em> (1962) - Elizabeth Speare<br />
*<em>The Witch of Blackbird Pond</em> (1958) - Elizabeth George Speare<br />
<em>Kidnapped </em>(1886) - Robert Louis Stevenson<br />
<em>Treasure Island</em> (1883) – Robert Louis Stevenson<br />
<em>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</em> (1876) / <em>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</em> (1884) / <em>Tom Sawyer Abroad</em> (1894) / <em>Tom Sawyer, Detective</em> (1896) – Mark Twain<br />
<em>A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court</em> (1889) - Mark Twain<br />
<em>The Prince and the Pauper</em> (1882) - Mark Twain<br />
The Boxcar Children series (19 books, 1924 - 1974) - Gertrude Chandler Warner<br />
*Little House series (11 books, 1932 - 1974) – Laura Ingalls WilderUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-67462159233665647312010-01-03T18:21:00.000-08:002010-01-13T19:35:27.774-08:00Reading List: Young Adult Animal Novels<strong>ANIMAL NOVELS</strong><br />
<em>Watership Down</em> (1972) - Richard Adams <br />
*<em>Sounder</em> (1970) - William H. Armstrong<br />
*<em>Mr. Popper's Penguins</em> (1939) - Richard and Florence Atwater<br />
Paddington Bear series (1958 - 2008) - Michael Bond<br />
<em>The Mouse and the Motorcycle</em> (1965) - Beverly Cleary<br />
*<em>Because of Winn-Dixie</em> (2001) - Kate DiCamillo <br />
<em>The Magician's Elephant</em> (2009) - Kate DiCamillo<br />
<em>The Tale of Desperaux</em> (2003) - Kate DiCamillo<br />
<em>The Tiger Rising</em> (2001) - Kate DiCamillo<br />
*<em>Old Yeller</em> (1957) - Fred Gipson<br />
<em>The Wind in the Willows</em> (1908) - Kenneth Grahame<br />
Redwall series (20+ books, 1987 - ?) - Brian Jacques<br />
*<em>Hoot</em> (2003) - Carl Hiaasen<br />
*<em>Rabbit Hill</em> (1945) - Robert Lawson<br />
*The Dr. Dolittle books (12 books, 1920-1952) - Hugh Lofting<br />
<em>The Call of the Wild</em> (1903) - Jack London<br />
<em>White Fang</em> (1906) – Jack London<br />
*<em>Shiloh </em>(1992) - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor <br />
*<em>Rascal </em>(1964) - Sterling North<br />
*<em>Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH</em> (1972) - Robert C. O'Brien<br />
*<em>Island of the Blue Dolphins</em> (1960) - Scott O'Dell<br />
<em>My Friend Flicka</em> (1941) / <em>Thunderhead </em>(1943) / <em>Green Grass of Wyoming</em> (1946) - Mary O'Hara<br />
*<em>The Cricket in Times Square</em> (1961) - George Selden<br />
<em>Black Beauty</em> (1877) - Anna Sewell<br />
*<em>Charlotte’s Web</em> (1953) - E.B. White<br />
<em>Stuart Little</em> (1945) - E.B. White<br />
<em>Trumpet of the Swan</em> (1970) - E.B. WhiteUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-25857810272418538672010-01-03T18:17:00.000-08:002010-09-29T21:12:48.420-07:00Reading List: Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy<strong>FANTASY NOVELS</strong> <br />
The Chronicles of Prydain (5 books, 1964-1973) - Lloyd Alexander<br />
The Oz Books (14 books, 1900 - 1920) – L. Frank Baum<br />
<em>The Enchanted Wood</em> (1939) / <em>The Magic Faraway Tree</em> (1943) / <em>The Folk of the Faraway Tree</em> (1946) - Enid Blyton<br />
<em>The Adventures of the Wishing Chair</em> (1937) / <em>The Wishing Chair Again</em> (1950) / <em>More Wishing Chair</em> <em>Tales</em> (1997) - Enid Blyton<br />
<em>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</em> (1865) / <em>Through the Looking Glass</em> (1871) - Lewis Carroll<br />
Artemis Fowl series (6+ books, 2001 - ?) - Eoin Colfer<br />
*The Dark Is Rising Sequence (5 books, 1966-1977) - Susan Cooper<br />
<em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em> (1964) / <em>Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator</em> (1972) - Roald Dahl<br />
<em>The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane</em> (2006) - Kate DiCamillo<br />
Ranger's Apprentice series (9+ books, 2004 - ?) - John Flanagan<br />
The Inkworld Trilogy: <em>Inkheart</em> (2003) / <em>Inkspell </em>(2005) / <em>Inkdeath</em> (2008) - Cornelia Funke<br />
<em>Coraline</em> (2002) - Neil Gaiman<br />
*<em>The Graveyard Book</em> (2008) - Neil Gaiman<br />
<em>The Princess Bride </em>(1973) - William Goldman<br />
<em>The Goose Girl</em> (2003) - Shannon Hale<br />
*<em>Princess Academy</em> (2005) - Shannon Hale<br />
<em>Howl's Moving Castle</em> (1986) / <em>Castle in the Air</em> (1990) / <em>House of Many Ways</em> (2008) - Diana Wynne Jones<br />
<em>The Phantom Tollbooth</em> (1961) - Norton Juster<br />
*<em>Ella Enchanted</em> (1998) - Gail Carson Levine <br />
The Chronicles of Narnia (7 books, 1950 - 1956) - C.S. Lewis<br />
*<em>Afternoon of the Elves</em> (1990) - Janet Taylor Lisle <br />
The Abhorsen series (4 books, 1995 - 2006) - Garth Nix<br />
The Borrowers series (4 books, 1952 - 1961) - Mary Norton<br />
The Song of the Lioness series (4 books, 1983 - 1988) - Tamora Pierce<br />
Inheritance Cycle: <em>Eragon</em> (2002) / <em>Eldest </em>(2005) / <em>Brisingr</em> (2008) - Christopher Paolini<br />
His Dark Materials: <em>The Golden Compass</em> (1995) / <em>The Subtle Knife</em> (1997) / <em>The Amber Spyglass</em> (2000) - Phillip Pullman<br />
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series (5+ books, 2005 - ?) - Rick Riordan<br />
Harry Potter series (7 books, 1997-2007) - J.K. Rowling<br />
<em>The Little Prince</em> (1943) - Antoine De Saint-Exupery<br />
<em>Everlost </em>(2009)<em> - </em>Neal Shusterman<br />
The Mysterious Benedict Society series (3+ books, 2007 - ?) - Trenton Lee Stewart<br />
<em>The Hobbit</em> (1937) - J.R.R. Tolkein<br />
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (4 books, 1985 - 1990) - Patricia C. Wrede<br />
<br />
<strong>SUPERNATURAL NOVELS</strong><br />
<em>Thirsty </em>(1998) - M.T. Anderson<br />
<em>Tuck Everlasting</em> (1975) - Natalie Babbit<br />
House of Night Series (6 books, 2007 - ?) - P.C. Cast<br />
The Mortal Instruments: <em>City of Bones</em> (2007) / <em>City of Ashes</em> (2008) / <em>City of Glass </em>(2009) - Cassandra Clare<br />
<em>Twilight </em>(2005) / <em>New Moon</em> (2006) / <em>Eclipse </em>(2007) /<em> Breaking Dawn</em> (2008) - Stephenie Meyer<br />
<em>Matilda</em> (1988) - Roald Dahl<br />
Vampire Academy series (4+ books, 2007 - ?) - Richelle Mead<br />
<em>Shiver </em>(2009) - Maggie Stiefvater<br />
<em>Beautiful Creatures</em> (2009) - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl<br />
<em>Peeps </em>(2005) / <em>The Last Days</em> (2006) - Scott Westerfeld<br />
<br />
<strong>SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS</strong><br />
<em>Feed </em>(2002) - M.T. Anderson<br />
<em>Ender's Game</em> (1985) - Orson Scott Card<br />
The Hunger Games Trilogy:<em> The Hunger Games</em> (2008) / <em>Catching Fire</em> (2009) / Mockingjay (2010) - Suzanne Collins<br />
<em>The City of Ember</em> (2003) - Jeanne DuPrau<br />
*<em>House of the Scorpion</em> (2002) - Nancy Farmer <br />
*A Wrinkle in Time series (5 books, 1962 - 1989) - Madeleine L'Engle<br />
*<em>The Giver</em> (1993) / <em>Gathering Blue</em> (2000) / <em>The Messenger</em> (2004) - Lois Lowry<br />
Maximum Ride series (5+ books, 2005 - ?) - James Patterson<br />
<em>House of Stairs</em> (1991) - William Sleator<br />
<em>When You Reach Me</em> (2009) - Rebecca Stead<br />
<em>Uglies </em>(2005) / <em>Pretties </em>(2005) / <em>Specials </em>(2006) / <em>Extras</em> (2007) - Scott WesterfeldUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-79424566205930337632010-01-02T15:50:00.000-08:002010-01-02T15:50:24.730-08:0052 Books a Year ChallengeOVERVIEW<br />
The title pretty much says it all--your goal is to read a book a week, or 52 books in a year. This is something I've done the last few years myself.<br />
<br />
WHAT TO DO<br />
Finish 52 books this year. I found it easier to aim for four books per month than a book a week, and usually was reading two or three books at a time. You might want to alternate fiction and nonfiction, focus on a specific genre each month, or try to read four different types of books each month (for instance a mystery, a classic, a memoir, and a humor book). If there's a genre you've never read, ask a friend who loves that genre for recommendations (for instance, if you've never read science fiction/fantasy, ask a friend who loves those books which author they recommend). If you start a book and don't like it, put it aside and try something else. Don't force yourself to finish a book you don't enjoy. <br />
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Find a regular time to read that works for you. If you work, it may be during your lunch hour. If you commute, try audio books (they count). I have a colleague who picks a book he loves to read only while walking on the treadmill--it makes his workout fly by and motivates him to exercise. If you have kids, it may be a chapter during naptime, or before you go to sleep after the kids are in bed. You could choose an appropriate novel to read to your kids, a chapter each night. If your kids are older, you may even want to implement a family reading hour where each member of the family reads their own book. <br />
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Keep a notebook or a spreadsheet to track your progress listing the author, title, the date you finished, a brief note on what you thought, and your personal rating. You may also want to include copyright year, ISBN, and genre. You'll be surprised by how much you can read when you make a conscious effort, and you'll probably cut back on TV (especially when you find a book you can't put down).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-58014805302312443762009-12-27T13:25:00.000-08:002010-01-02T15:51:09.365-08:00Bookshelf Purge ChallengeOVERVIEW<br />
If you're an avid reader, you may find you have more books than shelves. There are the books you've read and loved, but most of your shelves are likely filled with books you haven't read--gifts, recommendations, books that seemed interesting, books you want to read but haven't had time. If you find you acquire books far faster than you read, this challenge will help you clear out your shelves and make room for more books!<br />
<br />
WHAT TO DO<br />
The method is how book editors evaluate fiction submissions. You read the first 50 pages. If the book holds your attention and you're invested in the story and characters, keep reading. Give yourself permission to not finish a book if you lose interest at any time. In some cases, you may not even make it to 50 pages, or you may be willing to give it more of a chance to interest you. But generally, if a book hasn't hooked you by page 50, it's not going to. If you want to find out what happens without reading the whole book, read a few pages in the middle, and the end. If you want to skim, read the first few words of every paragraph to get the gist of it.<br />
<br />
Set yourself a goal of a book a week. Those books that don't hold your interest can go in a box to get rid of. You can also use those environmentally friendly shopping bags which are large and generally sturdy enough to carry a lot of books. You can find them for about $1 at most grocery stores and big box retailers (WalMart, Target, etc.) When you've filled a box or bag, you can donate them to a local shelter or charity like Goodwill (http://locator.goodwill.org/), or to your library (libraries often sell book donations to raise funds for new acquisitions). A local school may be interested in children's, young adult, or classic books--call ahead to find out if the school takes donations and what kind.<br />
<br />
You can also search on line for local used bookstores, where you can sell or more often trade books in for store credit. You may want to call ahead as some stores have specific hours for when you can bring books in, or may not be acquiring certain kinds of books. Granted, this means refilling the shelves, but you'll walk out with fewer books than you brought in if you limit yourself to only using the store credit.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-54767475408915055092009-12-19T23:39:00.000-08:002011-05-02T19:44:47.022-07:00The Classics ChallengeOVERVIEW<br />
This is one of the challenges I'm doing for 2010, along with some of my friends and family. Below is a list of 150 novels, novellas, short story collections, epic poems, and plays. All of these works are considered classics and were published about 50 years ago or more. There is only one book listed per author, so feel free to substitute a different book by the same author, or even add an author you believe should have been included. I'm aware that a few of these books are controversial, some books are classics within a genre, others have cultural relevance. It's up to you to decide what books suit you best.<br />
<br />
WHAT TO DO<br />
Copy or print this list and mark which books you've read. Then choose ten books you haven't read to read this year. If you think 10 books is unrealistic for you (or not challenging enough) feel free to adjust the number and time period (one book from this list in the next three months, for instance).<br />
<br />
If you have any friends or family members who want to join you, I'd suggest marking any books you'd be open to reading, then comparing lists to see which you have in common. There are quite a few children's classics if you want to try this with your kids. You also might choose to only read a few books together instead of all ten, and then read the rest individually. <br />
<br />
THE LIST<br />
1. <em>Aesop’s Fables</em><br />
2. <em>Things Fall Apart</em> - Chinua Achebe<br />
3. <em>A Death in the Family - </em>James Agee<br />
4. <em>Little Women</em> - Louisa May Alcott<br />
5. <em>Fairy Tales </em>- Hans Christian Andersen<br />
6. <em>Winesburg, Ohio</em> – Sherwood Anderson<br />
7. <em>Foundation</em> – Isaac Asimov<br />
8. <em>Pride and Prejudice</em> - Jane Austen<br />
9. <em>Go Tell It on the Mountain</em> – James Baldwin<br />
10. <em>The Black Sheep</em> - Honore De Balzac<br />
11. <em>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz</em> – L. Frank Baum<br />
12. <em>The Adventures of Augie March</em> – Saul Bellow<br />
13. <em>The Mandarins</em> - Simone de Beauvoir<br />
14. <em>Waiting for Godot</em> - Samuel Beckett<br />
15. <em>Beowulf</em><br />
16. <em>Jane Eyre</em> - Charlotte Bronte<br />
17. <em>Wuthering Heights</em> - Emily Bronte <br />
18. <em>Fahrenheit 451</em> – Ray Bradbury<br />
19. <em>The Good Earth</em> – Pearl S. Buck<br />
20. <em>Pilgrim's Progress</em> - John Bunyan<br />
21. <em>The Secret Garden</em> - Frances Hodgson Burnett<br />
22. <em>Tarzan of the Apes</em> – Edgar Rice Burroughs<br />
23. <em>Breakfast at Tiffany’s</em> – Truman Capote<br />
24. <em>The Spy Who Came in from the Cold</em> – John le Carre<br />
25. <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> - Lewis Carroll<br />
26. <em>My Antonia</em> – Willa Cather<br />
27. <em>Don Quixote</em> – Miguel de Cervantes<br />
28. <em>The Big Sleep</em> – Raymond Chandler<br />
29. <em>The Canterbury Tales</em> – Geoffrey Chaucer<br />
30. <em>The Seagull - </em>Anton Chekhov<br />
31. <em>The Awakening</em> – Kate Chopin <br />
32. <em>Murder on the Orient Express</em> – Agatha Christie <br />
33. <em>The Woman in White</em> - Wilkie Collins <br />
34. <em>Heart of Darkness</em> - Joseph Conrad <br />
35. <em>The Last of the Mohicans</em> – James Fenimore Cooper<br />
36. <em>The Red Badge of Courage</em> – Stephen Crane<br />
37. <em>The Enormous Room</em> – e. e. cummings<br />
38. <em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em> - Roald Dahl<br />
39. <em>Inferno</em> - Dante <br />
40. <em>Robinson Crusoe</em> – Daniel Defoe <br />
41. <em>The Man in the High Castle</em> – Philip K. Dick <br />
42. <em>Tale of Two Cities</em> - Charles Dickens<br />
43. <em>Crime and Punishment</em> - Fyodor Dostoyevsky<br />
44. <em>Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</em> - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle <br />
45. <em>Rebecca</em> - Daphne Du Maurier <br />
46. <em>The Count of Monte Cristo</em> - Alexandre Dumas <br />
47. <em>Camille</em> – Alexander Dumas fils.<br />
48. <em>Middlemarch </em>- George Eliot <br />
49. <em>Invisible Man</em> – Ralph Ellison <br />
50. <em>Medea - </em>Euripedes<br />
51. <em>The Sound and the Fury</em> – William Faulkner<br />
52. <em>Tom Jones</em> - Henry Fielding<br />
53. <em>The Great Gatsby</em> - F Scott Fitzgerald <br />
54. <em>Madame Bovary</em> - Gustave Flaubert<br />
55.<em> The Good Soldier</em> – Ford Maddox Ford<br />
56. <em>A Passage to India</em> – E.M. Forster<br />
57. <em>Cranford - </em>Elizabeth Gaskell<br />
58. <em>Cold Comfort Farm</em> - Stella Gibbons <br />
59. <em>Lord of the Flies</em> - William Golding<br />
60. <em>The Wind in the Willows</em> - Kenneth Grahame<br />
61. <em>Riders of the Purple Range</em> – Zane Grey<br />
62. <em>Grimm's Fairy Tales - </em>Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm<br />
63. <em>She</em> – H. Rider Haggard<br />
64. <em>The Glass Key</em> – Dashiell Hammett <br />
65. <em>A Raisin in the Sun</em> - Lorraine Hansberry<br />
66. <em>Far From The Madding Crowd</em> - Thomas Hardy<br />
67. <em>Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings - </em>Joel Chandler Harris<br />
68. <em>The Scarlet Letter</em> - Nathaniel Hawthorne<br />
69. <em>Catch-22</em> - Joseph Heller<br />
70. <em>The Old Man and the Sea</em> – Ernest Hemingway<br />
71. <em>Cabbages and Kings</em> - O. Henry<br />
72. <em>The Odyssey</em> – Homer<br />
73. <em>Les Miserables</em> - Victor Hugo<br />
74. <em>Their Eyes Were Watching God</em> – Zora Neale Hurston<br />
75. <em>Brave New World</em> - Aldous Huxley<br />
76. <em>A Doll's House - </em>Henrik Ibsen<br />
77. <em>Daisy Miller</em> – Henry James<br />
78.<em> From Here to Eternity</em> – James Jones<br />
79. <em>Ulysses</em> - James Joyce<br />
80. <em>The Metamorphosis</em> – Franz Kafka<br />
81. <em>Just So Stories</em> – Rudyard Kipling<br />
82. <em>Lady Chatterley’s Lover</em> – D.H. Lawrence<br />
83. <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> - Harper Lee<br />
84. <em>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</em> - C.S. Lewis<br />
85. <em>Babbitt</em> – Sinclair Lewis<br />
86. <em>The Call of the Wild</em> – Jack London<br />
87. <em>The Naked and the Dead</em> – Norman Mailer<br />
88. <em>Le Morte d'Arthur </em>- Thomas Malory<br />
89. <em>The Magic Mountain</em> – Thomas Mann<br />
90. <em>Doctor Faustus - </em>Christopher Marlowe<br />
91. <em>Of Human Bondage</em> - W. Somerset Maugham<br />
92. <em>Selected Short Stories</em> - Guy de Maupassant<br />
93. <em>One Hundred Years of Solitude</em> - Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />
94. <em>The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter</em> - Carson McCullers<br />
95. <em>The Last Picture Show - </em>Larry McMurtry<br />
96. <em>Moby Dick</em> - Herman Melville<br />
97. <em>Tales of the South Pacific</em> - James Michener<br />
98. <em>Death of a Salesman -</em> Arthur Miller<br />
99. <em>Winnie the Pooh</em> - AA Milne<br />
100. <em>Gone With the Wind</em> - Margaret Mitchell<br />
101. <em>Tartuffe</em> - Molière<br />
102. <em>Anne of Green Gables</em> - LM Montgomery<br />
103. <em>Lolita</em> - Vladimir Nabokov<br />
104. <em>A Good Man Is Hard to Find</em> – Flannery O’Connor<br />
105. <em>Mourning Becomes Electra - </em>Eugene O'Neill<br />
106. <em>One Thousand and One Nights </em>(a.k.a. <em>Arabian Nights</em>)<br />
107. <em>The Scarlet Pimpernel</em> – Baroness Orczy<br />
108. <em>Animal Farm</em> - George Orwell<br />
109. <em>Selected Short Stories</em> - Edgar Allan Poe<br />
110. <em>The Collected Short Stories of Katherine Anne Porter </em>- Katherine Anne Porter<br />
111. <em>Atlas Shrugged</em> - Ayn Rand<br />
112. <em>All Quiet on the Western Front</em> - Erich Maria Remarque<br />
113. <em>Clarissa</em> - Samuel Richardson<br />
114. <em>Catcher in the Rye</em> - JD Salinger<br />
115. <em>The Little Prince</em> - Antoine De Saint-Exupery<br />
116. <em>Ivanhoe</em> – Sir Walter Scott<br />
117. <em>Hamlet </em>- William Shakespeare<br />
118. <em>Pygmalion - </em>George Bernard Shaw<br />
119. <em>Frankenstein</em> – Mary Shelley<br />
120. <em>A Town Like Alice</em> - Nevil Shute<br />
121. <em>The Jungle</em> – Upton Sinclair<br />
122. <em>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</em> – Betty Smith<br />
123. <em>Oedipus Rex - </em>Sophocles<br />
124. <em>The Faerie Queene</em> - Edmund Spenser<br />
125. <em>Grapes of Wrath</em> - John Steinbeck<br />
126. <em>Kidnapped</em> – Robert Louis Stevenson<br />
127. <em>Dracula</em> - Bram Stoker<br />
128. <em>Uncle Tom’s Cabin</em> – Harriet Beecher Stowe<br />
129. <em>Gulliver’s Travels –</em> Jonathan Swift<br />
130. <em>Vanity Fair</em> - William Makepeace Thackeray<br />
131. <em>War and Peace</em> - Leo Tolstoy<br />
132. <em>The Hobbit</em> - JRR Tolkien<br />
133. <em>Lady Anna</em> - Anthony Trollope<br />
134. <em>Huckleberry Finn</em> – Mark Twain<br />
135. <em>Rabbit, Run</em> – John Updike<br />
136. <em>The City and the Pillar</em> – Gore Vidal <br />
137. <em>Candide</em> - Voltaire<br />
138. <em>Cat's Cradle </em>- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.<br />
139. <em>All the King’s Men</em> - Robert Penn Warren<br />
140. <em>Brideshead Revisited</em> - Evelyn Waugh<br />
141. <em>The Time Machine</em> – H.G. Wells<br />
142. <em>A Curtain of Green - </em>Eudora Welty<br />
143. <em>The House of Mirth</em> – Edith Wharton<br />
144. <em>Charlotte’s Web</em> - E.B. White<br />
145. <em>The Picture of Dorian Gray</em> – Oscar Wilde<br />
146. <em>Little House on the Prairie</em> – Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
147. <em>Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - </em>Tennessee Williams<br />
148. <em>To the Lighthouse</em> – Virginia Woolf <br />
149. <em>Native Son - </em>Richard Wright<br />
150. <em>Germinal </em>- Emile ZolaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775394378178839472.post-66642522930135887052009-12-19T21:09:00.000-08:002009-12-19T21:11:35.222-08:00IntroductionI wanted to create a place to encourage people to read more books, and share their passion for reading. As a book editor for over ten years, I see every day how an idea can become a proposal, a manuscript, a finished book, and ultimately change a reader's life. Books have the ability to meaningfully impact us in a way other media generally doesn't. Most books can't be finished in two hours like a movie--you have to take more time and absorb them. Without a set and actors, you customize your own vision of what the characters look like, you make them personal to you. My authors sometimes forward me letters from readers who identify with the characters in a way that gives them solace, are inspired by a memoir to change their own lives, or manage to reach a personal goal through the author's guidance and advice. A good genre novel can help you wind down and escape for a few hours each night, and a travel narrative can take you to a place you've never been. <br />
This blog isn't about me. It's about reading, but I will share some of ways I motivated myself to spend more time reading, finally getting around to the classics I'd never read in school, exploring genres I'd never tried, discovering new favorite authors, or just making room on my shelves for new books by reading (and donating) the ones I had. If you have a passion for reading, some of these motivations may sound familiar. For me, it helps to have a clearly defined goal to work toward (I can't tell you how many business/motivation/self-help books I've seen that have setting a goal as the foundation for achievement). I'm going to post reading challenges here that I've tried, or would like to try. I'll also offer reading lists that may inspire you.<br />
Remember, this is about you. While I'm making suggestions, set your own goal that will be a good challenge for <em>you</em>. If you feel like it's too hard or too easy, or you lose interest in the challenge, don't give up--think what adjustments you need to make it work. You might want to invite friends or family to join you (the interest of my own friends and family is what inspired this blog), or to select a challenge of their own. <br />
My goal is to create a community space for those who like to read. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to participate here. If you think I've left a book off a list, add a comment. If you want to share your progress toward whatever goal you choose, do so regularly. If you have a variation or a new challenge you want to try, by all means share it--it may inspire others to try. If you discovered a new author you love, found a classic surprisingly easy to read (or way too hard), or are looking for recommendations, let us know. The act of reading may be solitary, but the passion for reading is something we share (I know this, because if you didn't care about reading, you wouldn't have read this far.) And now, let's get to the books!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0