#booksthatmademe

[colored-in-chaos]

WHO BANS BOOKS?!

I might be a little late to the game. But, I’m just now reading about this.... Why are the books that essentially shaped multiple generations getting banned? They wonder why kids now are so dense and self centered. Such a shame. I devoured Animal Farm, 1984, Cather in the Rye, and so many others on that list more than several times. I read most of these for the first time at a really young age and had a college age reading level by 6th grade. If pretty much every book that was required to be read as I was going up, basically banned at this point, what are they even reading?! What's even left?!

[rj-anderson]

Have you ever been totally obsessed with a book? Ever been part of a book fandom — or even helped start one yourself? . Trust me, those questions are very relevant — because we’re back with another instalment of the #booksthatmademe as a reader and author. Today it’s Laurie R. King’s 1993 historical mystery novel THE BEEKEEPER’S APPRENTICE! . When I first read BEEK, I was deep in the throes of a massive Sherlock Holmes obsession. I’d read through all the canonical stories, and read numerous collections of essays and pastiches. But though I yearned for a post-Conan Doyle novel that captured the essence of how I felt about Holmes as a character, the modern pastiches I’d read just weren’t cutting it for me. But then I heard of a new book that sounded like it might fit the bill — in which the retired (but not yet elderly) Holmes encounters a precocious young woman who becomes his apprentice and partner in detective work. . I took it out from my library. I read it from cover to cover. I clutched it to my heart and squealed like a little girl (reader, I was 23). I read it a second time, less than 24 hours later. Then I sat down and composed a wildly effusive fan letter to Laurie R. King — the first letter I’d ever written to an author. I didn’t really expect a reply, but I wanted her to know how happy she’d made me. . To my astonishment, though, she did reply, and very graciously too. That confirmed me as her devoted fan. Within a few weeks I’d created the first webpage for the Mary Russell books, and a discussion list called RUSS-L to go with it. . A few months later, a mysterious package arrived for me with an Advance Reading Copy of the sequel, A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN. Reader, I nearly lost my mind with excitement. It was one of the happiest surprises of my life. . I could tell you many more lovely things Laurie did for me and other early fans, but suffice it to say she was an author who made her readers truly feel heard, valued and appreciated. So when I became a published author myself, I resolved to follow her example as much as I could. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAl2FPaA8oU/?igshid=rptb3vf9qum

[lgbt-ya]

Days of Grace by Catherine Hall

Published by Granta books on 1st Dec 2010

Genres: World War II, evacuees, coming of age, death, war, family, adopted families

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones | Book Depository | Foyles | Barnes & Noble

Blurb: When WWII breaks out, Nora is evacuated to the safety of rural Kent and quickly comes to love her new life with the Rivers family - in particular with their daughter Grace. But soon the brittle surface of the Rivers' marriage begins to crack and the girls' close friendship suddenly becomes a lot more intense.

Review: Described as Sarah Waters meets Daphne de Maurier, I was hooked on this book from the blurb alone. This is a beautifully written story stretching decades. Told in alternating timelines, it follows Nora, age 13, as she is evacuated to the countryside during the war, and becomes friends with a girl called Grace. 

It also follows Nora, old and alone, as she realises she is going to die. For the beginning, we’re aware that however idyllic Nora’s new life and blossoming love in the country looks, this isn’t a story with a happy ending. 

Nora’s feelings for Grace as very realistically drawn, and a true torment of unrequited feelings.

While this a very tragic read, with sad endings for almost all of the characters, it’s so gorgeously written that I can forgive the use of the bury your gays trope. I felt truly immersed in the world, and really enjoyed the happier sections of the book. The scenes by the lake were especially lovely. 

Hall has clearly done her research into wartime life, and the experiences of an isolated, lonely woman really broke my heart. 

I cried, a lot. If you’re looking for a book that will make you cry, then I recommend giving this a try. I would say that it’s suitable for older YA readers. There are no graphic sex scenes but scenes of emotional maturity throughout.

For fans of Goodnight, Mister Tom, The Night Watch or Silhouette of a Sparrow.

4 stars

[dreamalottie]

Huge thank you to @grantabooks for sending me copies of #PaulinaAndFran, #GutSymmetries & #TheProofOfLove as part of the #LGBTLit campaign. As you can see, many of the #booksthatmademe are Young Adult titles, and it's been a joy to research, read and fall for these amazing array of fictional queer women. Sarah Waters' #TippingTheVelvet will always be the first book I think of when someone asks what LGBT book was a formative read. Sarah visiting Kent Uni when I was a student there to talk about having studied there herself and discovering lesbian history in the archives meant the world to me. I'm very excited to read more adult LGBT literature. A special shout out to @tanyabyrne's story 'Hackney Moon' in #ChangeBook which features Esther as she recovers from a broken heart and finds a new connection: I can't wait for everyone to meet her!

[aniketosomina]

Revisiting a childhood favourite. A deliciously creepy tale that did much to inform my reading tastes from then on (Armada ghost books, Usborne's books on the supernatural, George MacDonald, Walter de la Mare and Arthur Conan Doyle also take a bow). The cold, the desolate places, the sense of lurking other and forces outside of time and beyond the control of man. Guardians and buried treasure. I wasn't familiar then with MR James (who undoubtedly influenced this), but my tastes haven't really changed. #thegiantunderthesnow #johngordon #anthonymaitland #eastanglia #folklore #greenman #snow #darkness #ancienttreasure #desolatelandscapes #buriedsecrets #puffinbooks #vintagechildrensbooks #winter #books #bibliophilia #bookstagram #childhoodfavourites #booksthatmademe

[wheatpsalm]

Taking a leaf out of @rj-anderson‘s book with her #booksthatmademe series to start a small series of my own: #poetsthatmademe. 

First up: Jack Prelutsky.

I distinctly remember my dog-eared copies of Something Big Has Been Here and The Dragons Are Singing Tonight (now both long lost, unfortunately.) Some of the first “poems” I ever wrote myself - somewhere between 7 and 9 years old, judging by my memories of the computers and printers I used to “publish” them - were happy, blissfully-unaware-of-what-plagiarism-is imitations of his poems “So You Don’t Believe in Dragons” and “A Pizza the Size of the Sun.”

I’ve been reading Prelutsky’s books again recently, introducing my own children to these classics, and they really hold up. His inventive use of rhyme, rollicking rhythms - satisfying, not deadening - and impressive vocabulary were enthralling to me as a kid and are a genuine read-aloud delight now. “Delight” is the key word - he’s an enchanter who genuinely delights and excites readers young and old, and that is a terrific achievement.

My absolute favorite of his books has always been The Dragons Are Singing Tonight.

In this one little book of poems Prelutsky captured more mystery, excitement, longing, whimsy, and nostalgia for a never-firsthand-experienced magical world for young-me than most fantasy writers did in big novels. Those were exactly the qualities that pulled me into fantasy to begin with, and he did it in a way few other writers achieved (until, years later, I discovered Tolkien!) 

So hats off to Jack Prelutsky, an icon and a formative influence on my life as a reader, and a poet.

[rj-anderson]

In my last entry for the #booksthatmademe, I mentioned that Pamela was one of two authors who served as online mentors for me when I was a fledgling writer. The other was Patricia C. Wrede, the author of the delightful MG fantasy series known as the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. . Pat’s highly sensible, practical approach to writing was a great help to me as I floundered around trying to figure out how to write for publication. She was gracious enough to read the full draft of my first, embarrassingly derivative and overwrought fantasy novel, and wrote me a kind and thoughtful letter suggesting ways in which it might be improved by paying attention to little things like, you know, actual worldbuilding and meaningful descriptions, instead of just moving the characters through various bits of two-dimensional scenery with no real history or currency or culture or sensory details behind any of them. (BTW, the list of fantasy worldbuilding questions she sent me by mail is now available online via the SFWA website: it’s worth looking up, if you’re struggling in that area!) . At the time we met on the FidoNet WRITING echo, Patricia was still working on the Enchanted Forest books, having started with the last one (chronologically) in the series, then going back to fill in the backstory with Books 1-3. I wish now I’d paid more attention to her updates then, because it would be a fascinating look at her process! But I didn’t end up actually reading those books until a few years later, when I bought the whole set — and loved them. . Cimorene is a wonderful dynamic misfit heroine, the dragon society is great fun, and Wrede keeps introducing more and more quirky, delightfully individual characters as the books go on. Even Morwen the witch’s ever-growing and changing roster of resident cats have distinct personalities, and the plots include many sensible down-to-earth solutions to conflicts that in another author’s hands would surely turn into unnecessary angst. In short, these books are light, smart, funny and eminently re-readable, and if you haven’t discovered them yet, you’re in for a treat! . If you have read them, though, what lines or characters stood out for you? https://www.instagram.com/p/B_sxS7jAG33/?igshid=l8239kq63t38

[rj-anderson]

Continuing on with my series of #booksthatmademe as a writer and reader, here’s two more: Edward Eager’s HALF MAGIC and SEVEN-DAY MAGIC. I grew up on epic high fantasy and portal fantasy, but it was these books that first convinced me of the pleasure of “low” fantasy — that is, magical creatures and adventures coming into the modern, mundane world. . It’s impossible to talk about Eager without giving due respect to his British predecessor E. Nesbit, whose books I also read and loved as a child, and who was — by his own frank admission — Eager’s chief influence. But although his plots were often borrowed from Nesbit’s, Eager has a light touch and a sparkling sense of humour that is quintessentially his own, as well as a reflection of both his American background and the decade of the 1950’s in which he wrote. . There’s something irresistibly sunny and optimistic about Eager’s books, even though his child characters are by no means idealized — they can be stubborn, fearful and prone to squabbling as any normal group of children. But although the kids inevitably get themselves into disaster by playing with the magical artifacts they encounter — like a coin that grants only half of what you wish for, or a library book that offers you a new magical adventure every day for a week — the solution to their problems is usually only a few good deeds away. . And even the disasters are usually hilarious. It always makes me smile to read the “Chickadee tidbit, chickadee tidbit, skedaddle skedaddle pow!” episode in SEVEN-DAY MAGIC, and especially the chapter in HALF MAGIC when Martha tries to cure Carrie the cat of half-talking (“Sick!” said Carrie the cat. “Sick sick sick sick sick.”). . Have you read any of Eager’s books? What scenes and characters stood out for you? . . . . #bookstagram #bookish #BookRecommendations #kidsbooks #childrensliterature #kidlit #MGlit #MGbooks #middlegrademarch #enesbit #edwardeager #sevendaymagic #halfmagic https://www.instagram.com/p/B-F_fHWgOji/?igshid=1l2697uqylm0d

[rj-anderson]

Starting a new series of posts I’m going to call THE BOOKS THAT MADE ME, to share some of the books I read as a child and teen that had the biggest influence on me as a reader and writer. . Let’s take C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as a given — I won’t go into them here, because their influence is huge and there’s been plenty written about both. But less well known is an author who came before and strongly inspired both of them, GEORGE MACDONALD. . These four books pictured were a boxed set I received one Christmas as a child, and I’ve re-read all of them many times since. THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN and THE PRINCESS AND CURDIE especially were a big influence on my understanding of fantasy in general and Christian fantasy in particular, and while their style is flowery and old-fashioned, the characters are charming and the spiritual imagery in the books is fantastic. . Who could forget Irene’s magic thread, or the strange “doggy” Lina, or the old queen’s fire of burning roses? Not me, that’s for sure. But neither can I forget the hard lessons taught by the Wise Woman of THE LOST PRINCESS, or the airy fishes of THE GOLDEN KEY. . MacDonald had a phenomenal imagination, as well as a keen appreciation and respect for the value of women (in fact nearly all the spiritual mentors and Christ-like figures in his books are female, which was extraordinary for his time) that still resonates powerfully with me as a reader today. . If you haven’t read these books, I recommend them! . . . . . #bookstagram #bookish #BookRecommendations #books #reading #booksthatmademe #writinginspirations #rjandersonwriter #georgemacdonald #theprincessandthegoblin #theprincessandcurdie #thelostprincess #thegoldenkeyandothershortstories https://www.instagram.com/p/B9dSD7vAOO9/?igshid=9i8fezn18de4

[rj-anderson]

What can I say about the Lord Peter Wimsey series that hasn’t been said, eloquently and at length, by other lovers of Golden Age mystery fiction, 20th century British literature, sparkling wit, and smart, character-driven romance? But they are high up on the list of the #booksthatmademe, so I’m going to try. . Despite being fond of mysteries in general and historical British mysteries in particular, I didn’t know these books existed until I was in my early twenties. But once I’d read the series, and particularly the four Wimsey/Vane books beginning with STRONG POISON and continuing on through HAVE HIS CARCASE, GAUDY NIGHT and BUSMAN’S HONEYMOON, Dorothy L. Sayers instantly became one of my all-time favourite authors, and a huge and lasting influence on me as a writer. . It’s not that Sayers is flawless, or that every aspect of her stories captivates me equally. But what she absolutely nailed, for me, was creating two main characters who were fascinatingly complex, delightfully clever, and lovable despite (and sometimes because of) their brokenness. Both Peter and Harriet have been wounded in different ways, and both wear different armour to hide it. Peter is breezy and glib-tongued, while Harriet is guarded and prickly. But they’re constantly challenged and gradually disarmed by one another as they work to solve the mysteries presented to them, and I never get tired of seeing those walls gradually come down. . I don’t make a secret of the fact that A POCKET FULL OF MURDER and A LITTLE TASTE OF POISON owe a lot to these books. Nobody else would write me the YA Peter and Harriet-inspired book I kept asking for, so I ended up writing it as MG instead. The Uncommon Magic duology is peppered with allusions to the Wimsey novels, it takes place in a similar time period, and while Quiz and Isaveth are not the same characters as Peter and Harriet, they never would have existed without them. . If you like mysteries even a little bit and you haven’t read the Wimsey books, you should. . . . #bookstagram #bookish #BookRecommendations #mysteries #dorothylsayers #lordpeterwimsey #harrietvane #classicmysteries #britishmystery #goldenagemystery #writinginspirations https://www.instagram.com/p/B_EKwkZgwQl/?igshid=1s39m4je49yts

[rj-anderson]

Have you ever been so exhausted you can’t think straight? Or so confused you had no idea what you were doing? . Either one of those things would be stressful in real life, but Connie Willis puts her beleaguered young hero Ned through both at once — plus a generous dash of time travel, budding romance and British eccentricity — and the results are hilarious. Which is how her 1997 SF novel TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, a loving riff on Jerome K. Jerome’s 1889 book THREE MEN IN A BOAT (TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG) and a spin-off of Willis’s own far darker and grimmer novel DOOMSDAY BOOK, ended up becoming one of my favourite books of all time. . I hardly know how to describe why this is one of the #booksthatmademe without spoilers, and the story’s twists are best discovered firsthand. So I’ll only tell you that it’s quirky and clever and full of surprises; stocked with characters and animals who can be maddening, loveable and sometimes both at once; that the dialogue sparkles and the descriptions make you feel like you’re wandering through a Victorian country estate or punting down the Thames on a summer afternoon; and that I will never forget Lady Schrapnell, the split-tailed nacreous ryunkin, or the Bishop’s bird stump either. . There’s also, despite the book’s levity, a reminder of current issues in the character of T.J., an Oxford undergraduate who ends up working all by himself to bring some order to all the chaos on the modern side, because all the eras and locations that his time-travelling white colleagues are frantically researching are a ten (ie. deemed most dangerous) for blacks. This was one of the first SF books I remember reading that acknowledged the historical mistreatment of black people and the danger to their lives posed by white colonialism instead of trying to minimize or ignore it, and it left me thinking even though it’s only a small part of the story. . Anyway, if you like the Victorian era, historical fiction, screwball comedy, time travel, light romance, exotic fish, dogs, cats or just a fun read, you should enjoy TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG as much as I did. At the very least, you’ll be glad that you aren’t poor Ned! https://www.instagram.com/p/CBMpvCXg27N/?igshid=1195omdyot4lq

[rj-anderson]

Continuing on with my #booksthatmademe series, here’s the first book I ever read by an author who ended up being a huge influence on me: BEAUTY, by Robin McKinley. . I first discovered this book in my middle school library, and since “Beauty and the Beast” had always been one of my favorite fairy tales, I figured I’d give it a try. But I was unprepared for the magic McKinley wove over me, not only with her gorgeous writing style but by taking a story I thought I knew inside and out, and telling it back to me in a whole new way. . BEAUTY was the first fairy tale retelling I ever read that didn’t just expand on the old story but dared to alter and add to it in some surprisingly radical ways. Beauty not actually being beautiful or elegant, but a plain bookworm? Her sisters being loving and generous instead of selfish and vain? Subplots involving brand-new characters interacting with the old ones? Who knew you could change so much about “Beauty and the Beast” while still preserving and respecting all the things I’d loved most about the story in the first place? . The next McKinley book to make a big impression on me was THE DOOR IN THE HEDGE, her collection of short stories. Again, I was entranced by her lovely turns of phrase, her liberal use of semicolons (a habit I picked up immediately in my own writing, even though it took me a while to learn how to use them the right way), and her rich fantastical imagination. She was one of the first authors who made me think about my own writing style and what I wanted it to be like — and for most of my teens and well into my twenties, my answer was emphatically, “I want to write like HER.” . Q: Of all the authors you’ve read, whose writing style do you enjoy most? If you’re a writer, which authors had the biggest influence on your own prose style? . . . #beautyandthebeast #fairytaleretelling #robinmckinley #bookstagram #books #bibliophile #igreads #bookish #booklover #booknerd #reading #readingaddict #yabooks #booksofinsta #mybookfeatures #alwaysreading #ilovereading #booksofinstagram #writinginfluences https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Sd7PdgRhs/?igshid=6m2xd97n7ctq

[rj-anderson]

Continuing my series on #booksthatmademe as a writer and reader... . Even as an nine (and eleven) year old kid reading these books straight out of my Christmas stocking, I thought John White’s first two Geburah stories were fairly transparent copies of Tolkien, Lewis and other fantasy authors I’d already read, as well as a bit heavy-handed with the allegory. Nevertheless, THE TOWER OF GEBURAH and THE IRON SCEPTER were the first Christian fantasy books I ever read that were contemporary instead of twenty or thirty (or fifty) years old, plus they were Canadian (!!!) and there were some truly great bits of story in both books that have stuck with me. . The kids turning on the TVs in Uncle John’s attic. Lisa ordering crêpes suzette in the dungeon (the illustration was wonderful as well!). The terrifying qadar. The wisdom of Chocma and the lively grace of the Princess Sunedesis. The way King Kardia is freed from enchantment in SCEPTER (which comes from the priestly consecration rite in Exodus, so I shamelessly borrowed the idea when writing SWIFT as well). And Lisa’s dress! I wanted that so badly as a kid. . Anyway, my thanks to John White for being the first to show me that it was possible to write fantasy with strong Christian elements, set in the modern day, and get it published. . Have you read any of this series? What did you think of it? . . . . #bookstagram #bookish #BookRecommendations #books #reading #speculativefiction #christianfantasy #johnwhite #thetowerofgeburah #theironscepter #archivesofanthropos #writinginspirations https://www.instagram.com/p/B9hfiLPg0pe/?igshid=1952q8p1o8b31

[rj-anderson]

When I think about the #booksthatmademe as a fantasy author, Patricia McKillip’s Riddle-Master trilogy is always near the top of the list. I discovered it in my high school library at thirteen, and I’ve come back to it countless times since. . McKillip has a singular and inimitable writing style that’s as much poetry as prose, and can make her stories hard to parse, especially for a young speed-reader like I was. So the first time I read The Riddle-Master of Hed, I wasn’t 100% sure at first who was who and what was going on. Still, it didn’t take me long to realize that I loved the premise, the world and the characters, especially the harpist Deth. So when I got to the end of the book (which I still consider one of the biggest cliffhangers I’ve ever read), my world turned upside-down. I was shocked. I was shaken. I HAD to know what happened next. . But the next book surprised me in a whole new way. Instead of carrying on with the hero where we’d left off, it took up the POV of a character who in the first book had been barely mentioned, and brought her to vivid life as the heroine of her own transformative and challenging quest. Heir of Sea and Fire not only had the best cover of the trilogy (indeed probably one of the best covers Darrell K. Sweet ever did) but a dynamic cast of interesting female characters all working together as friends and allies — something I’d never seen in the epic fantasy novels I’d read before. Raederle, Lyra, the Morgol, and Tristan of Hed made a colossal impact on my understanding of how female characters could act and relate to one another in fantasy, one that still echoes in my own writing to this day. . Patricia McKillip was, even more than Robin McKinley, the single biggest influence on my writing style and aspirations as a fantasy-loving teen. I knew even then that I could never write like her and that it would probably be a mistake to try, but I learned a lot from the things she did with language, worldbuilding and character in the Riddle-Master books, and I still love and admire them more than three decades later. . Q: Have you read any of these books, or any others by Patricia McKillip? Did you enjoy them? https://www.instagram.com/p/B-avZlbAmBc/?igshid=1hlugjlog1z2k

[rj-anderson]

What was the first urban fantasy book you ever read? For me it was this one — Emma Bull’s weird, haunting, Minneapolis rock-and-roll-with-faeries novel WAR FOR THE OAKS. . As a child and teen I’d read plenty of portal fantasy and epic high fantasy, and even a bit of space fantasy (Patricia Kennealy’s KELTIAD). But the idea of combining fantastical creatures and faery folk with a modern American cityscape, not in a humorous fish-out-of-water way but as beings who’ve already learned to live and thrive in the human world, was new to me. So new, in fact, that I wasn’t sure at first whether I liked it. . What I definitely did like, though, was Emma Bull’s vivid, evocative writing style, as well as the charming and mischievous character of the Phouka (even though physically he’s a dead ringer for Prince, right down to the paisley-print jeans — it was written in 1987, after all). And I certainly found the idea of an epic battle between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts taking place in downtown Minneapolis, without most humans even being aware of it, fascinating. I devoured the book in a matter of hours, and have re-read it a couple of times since. . I’m still hit-and-miss on the idea of urban fantasy in general. I’ve read a fair number that were just *too* focused on the urban, gritty element for my taste — fey folk wearing leather jackets and hanging about in nightclubs isn’t what I really crave when I’m reading fantasy, and part of me always wants to get out of the city and back to fairyland (or at least a land that seems more suited to fairies) as soon as possible. Still, there’s no question that WAR FOR THE OAKS featured a number of ideas and elements that have since become staples of modern fairy fantasy, and had a powerful influence on later authors including Holly Black, Melissa Marr, and myself. And that’s why it’s one of the #booksthatmademe. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAJpg2gAi6B/?igshid=14x53meipah8h

[rj-anderson]

Do you remember your first crush? I was fifteen, and utterly smitten by an American boy I’d met at summer camp. He was nineteen and probably just trying to be nice to the weird Canadian girl who kept hanging around, but in my dreams we were soulmates. I got hold of his address at the end of the week and immediately wrote him a long rambling letter talking about all my favorite books. And to my delight, he wrote back to recommend one of his: G.K. Chesterton’s THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY. . Reader, I hunted it down and read it immediately. It was the strangest thing I’d read since Lewis Carroll and I wasn’t at all sure I understood it, but its unique blend of philosophical seriousness, bizarre humour and madcap quasi-allegorical adventure entranced me. Suffice it to say that the book far outlasted our rather one-sided relationship, because I’ve read it several times since and now consider it one of the #booksthatmademe. . I still don’t know that I understand it. I love it anyway. Here’s one of my favorite bits, which is probably best enjoyed in context but I can’t resist sharing anyway: "God bless my soul!" said the Professor with the elderly manner that he could never disconnect from his bleached beard and parchment face. "God bless my soul! I seemed to fancy that something fell on the top of my hat!" He put up a trembling hand and took from that shelf a piece of twisted paper, which he opened absently only to find it inscribed with a true lover's knot and, the words:-- "Your beauty has not left me indifferent.--From LITTLE SNOWDROP." Have you read any G.K Chesterton? Which book of his is your favorite? . . . #themanwhowasthursday #gkchesterton #bookstagram #bookish #bookworm #booknerd #booklover #bookgram #igreads #bookishfeatures #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #classicfiction #detectivefiction #spynovel #thrillers #mysterynovels #classicmystery https://www.instagram.com/p/B_3dc1QAhZW/?igshid=11wjodks6f7aw