#in this book it was like. there's a bubbly quirky girl and the author's attempts at making her so made me cringe

[kikuism]

i finished five broken blades

[ninja-muse]

i’m trying to branch out and read outside my genre (fantasy) do you have any book recs for someone whose heart is in fantasy but needs to see what else is out there?

Hi anon! Thanks for the ask! Fantasy’s such a wide genre, and this is such an open ask, that I’m mostly going to be recommending books with similar feels or themes from other genres, to push you a little outside the fantasy bubble and introducing you to different genres and types of storytelling. If you have a favourite subgenre or trope or author, I can maybe get a little more specific or offer read-alikes.

Also, I don’t know if you knew this before asking, but fantasy is my favourite genre too, so some of these recs are books that pushed me out of the genre as well, or that I found familiar-but-different.

And this is getting long, so I’m going to throw it under a cut to save everyone scrolling.

Science fiction

the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold - This is space opera, which means it’ll have fairly familiar plots except with science-y things instead of magic. There’s an heir with something to prove, heists, cons, and mysteries, attempted coups and assassinations, long-suffering sidekicks, and a homeworld that’s basically turn-of-the-century Russia but with fewer serfs. It was one of the first adult sci-fi books I read and genuinely liked.

The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey - I finished this recently, and the second book of the trilogy just came out. This is post-apocalyptic sci-fi, but not grim or particularly complex. (Some SF gets really into the nuts and bolts of the science elements; this isn’t that.) Basically, Koli’s a teenager who wants more than his quasi-medieval life’s given him, and finds himself in conflict with his village (and then exile) because of it. I could see where the story was going pretty much from the start, but I loved the journey anyway.

The Martian by Andy Weir - This doesn’t have much in common with fantasy, but it’s my go-to rec for anyone who’s never read science fiction before, because it’s funny, explains the science well, and has a hero and a plot you get behind right away. In case you haven’t heard of it (or the film), it’s about an astronaut stranded on Mars, trying to survive long enough to be rescued.

Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh - This is an alien first contact story, about a colony of humans in permanent quarantine on an alien planet. The MC is the sole social liaison and translator, explaining his culture to the aliens and the aliens to the human, and working to keep the peace—until politics and assassins get involved. It’s been over a decade since I read this, so my memory’s blurred, but I remember the same sort of political intrigue vibes as the Daevabad trilogy, just with fewer POVs.

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor - One from my TBR. It looks like dark fiction about women, outcasts, and revenge, which sounds very fantastic and the MC can apparently do magic—but it’s post-apocalyptic Africa.

Speaking of political intrigue and sweeping epic plots, the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey has both in spades. Rebellions, alien technology, corrupt businesses, heroes doing good things and getting bad consequences, all that good stuff. It takes the science fairly seriously, without getting very dense with it, and will probably register as “more sci-fi” than my recs in the genre so far.

Oh, and Dune by Frank Herbert is such a classic chosen-one epic that it barely registers as science fiction at all.

Graphic novels

It’s technically fantasy, but assuming you’ve never picked up a graphic novel before, you should read Monstress by Marjorie Liu. Asian-inspired, with steampunk aesthetics, and rebellions and quests and so many female characters. It’s an absolutely fantastic graphic novel, if you want a taste of what those can do.

I’d highly recommend Saga by Brian K. Vaughan. It’s an epic science fiction story about a family caught between sides of a centuries-long war. (Dad’s from one side, Mom’s from the other, everyone wants to capture them, their kid is narrating.) It’s a blast to read, exciting and tense, with hard questions and gorgeous tender moments, and the world-building somehow manages to include weaponized magic, spaceship trees, ghosts, half-spider assassins, and all-important pulp romance novels without anything feeling out of place.

Historical fiction

Hild by Nicola Griffith - Very rich and detailed novel following a girl growing up in an early medieval English court. It’s very fantasy-esque, with battles and politics and changes of religion, and Hild gets positioned early on to be the king’s seer, so there’s “magic” of a sort as well.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry - A widow goes to the Victorian seaside to heal and reawaken her interest in biology. Slow, gentle, lovely writing and atmosphere, interesting characters and turns of plot. Doesn’t actually deliver on the sea monster, but still has a lot to recommend it to fantasy readers, I think.

Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin - The late-medieval Jewish pirate adventure you didn’t know you wanted. It’s funny and literary, full of tropes and set pieces like “small-town kid in the big city” and “jail break”, and features the Spanish Inquisition, Columbus, the Fountain of Youth, and talking parrots, among other things.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - A thousand pages about the building of a cathedral in England, mostly focusing on the master builder, the monk who spearheads the project, and a noblewoman who’s been kicked off her family’s land, but has several other plots going on, including a deacon with political ambitions, a war, and a boy who’s trying so hard to fit in and do right.

Sharon Kay Penman - This is an author on my TBR, who comes highly recommended for her novels about the War of the Roses and the Plantagenets. Should appeal to you if you liked Game of Thrones. I’m planning to start with The Sunne in Splendour.

Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson - Either a Robin Hood retelling that’s also a romance, or a romance that’s also a Robin Hood retelling.

Hamnet & Judith by Maggie O’Farrell - A novel of the Shakespeare family, mostly focused on his wife and son. Lovely writing and a very gentle feel though it heads into dark and complex subjects fairly often. A good portrait of Early Modern family life.

Mystery

There’s not a lot of mystery that reads like high, epic, or even contemporary fantasy, but if you’re a fan of urban fantasy, which is basically mystery with magic in, then I’d rec:

Cozy mysteries as a general subgenre, especially if you like the Sookie Stackhouse end of urban fantasy, which has romance and quirky plots; there are plenty of series where the detective’s a witch or the sidekick’s a ghost but they’re solving non-magical mysteries, and the genre in general full of heroines who are good at solving crimes without formal training, and the plots feel very similar but with slightly lower stakes. Cozies have become one of my comfort-reading genres (along with UF) the last few years. My intros were the Royal Spyness novels by Rhys Bowen and the Fairy Tale Fatale books by Maia Chance.

If you like your urban fantasy darker and more serious, and your heroines more complicated, try Kathy Reichs and her Temperance Brennan novels. Brennan’s a forensic anthropologist, strong and complicated in the same ways of my fave UF heroines, and the mysteries are already interesting, with a good dash of thriller and a smidge of romance.

Two other recs:

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart - The first of four books about a forensic anthropologist in Ireland, who’s called in when the Garda find bodies in the peat bogs and need to know how long they’ve been there. They’re very atmospheric—I can almost smell the bog—and give great portraits of rural Ireland and small-town secrets, and since not all the bodies found in each book are recent, they also bring interesting slices of the past to life as well.

A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger - This is essentially a medieval thriller about a seditious book that’s turned up in London. I liked the mystery in it and that it’s much more focused on the lives of average people than the rich and famous (for all that recognizable people also show up).

Classics

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift - I swear this is actually one of the first fantasy novels but few people ever really class it as such. Basically, Gulliver’s a ship’s doctor who keeps getting shipwrecked—in a country of tiny people, a country of giants, a country of mad scientists, a country of talking horses, etc. It’s social satire and a spoof of travelogues from Swift’s time, but it’s easily enough read without that context.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - Another, slightly later, fantasy and satire! Even more amusing situations than in Gulliver’s Travels and, while it’s been a while* since I read it, I think it’ll be a decent read-alike for authors like Jasper Fforde, Genevieve Cogman, and that brand of light British comic fantasy.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare - Also technically a fantasy! I mean, there are fairies and enchantments, for all it’s a romantic comedy written entirely in old-fashioned poetry. It’s a pretty good play to start you off on Shakespeare, if you’re interested in going that direction.

On the subject of Shakespeare, I would also recommend Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, and King Lear, the first because it’s my favourite comedy, the others because they’re fantasy read-alikes imo as well (witches! coups! drama!).

the Arthurian mythos. Le Morte D’arthur, Crétien de Troyes, The Once and Future King by T.H. White, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain, etc. - I’ve read bits and pieces of the first two, am about 80% sure I read the third as a kid (or at least The Sword in the Stone), and have the last on my TBR. Basically, these stories are going to give you an exaggeratedly medieval setting, knights, quests, wizards, fairies, high drama, romantic entanglements, and monsters, and the medieval ones especially have different kinds of plots than you’ll be used to (and maybe open the door to more medieval lit?) **

Beowulf and/or The Odyssey - Two epics that inspired a lot of fiction that came later. (There’s an especial connection between Beowulf and Tolkien.) They’re not the easiest of reads because they’re in poetry and non-linear narratives, but both have a hero facing off against a series of monsters and/or magical creatures as their core story.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - The first real science fiction novel. It’s about the ethics of science and the consequences of one’s actions, and I loved seeing the Creature find himself and Frankenstein descend into … that. It’s also full of sweeping, gothic scenes and tension and doom and drama.

* 25 years, give or take

** There are plenty of more recent people using King Arthur and associated characters too, if this "subgenre” interests you.

Other fiction

Vicious by V.E. Schwab - I don’t know if you classify superheroes as science fiction or fantasy or its own genre (for me it depends on the day) but this is an excellent take on the subject, full of moral greyness and revenge.

David Mitchell - A literary fiction writer who has both a sense of humour and an interest in the fantastic and science fictional. He writes ordinary people and average lives marvelously well, keeps me turning pages, plays with form and timelines, and reliably throws in either recurring, possibly-immortal characters, good-vs-evil psychic battles, or other SF/F-y elements. I’d start with either Slade House, a ghost story, or Utopia Avenue, about a ‘60s rock band. Or possible The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which I fully admit to not having read yet.

Devolution by Max Brooks - A horror movie in book form, full of tension and desperation and jump scares and the problems with relying on modern technology. The monsters are Bigfeet. Reccing this one in the same way I’m reccing The Martian—it’s an accessible intro to its genre.

Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson - Contemporary fiction with a slight literary bent, that doesn’t pull its punches about Indigenous life but also has a sense of humour about the same. Follows a teen dealing with poverty and a bad home life and drugs and hormones—and the fact that his bio-dad might actually be the trickster Raven. Also features witches, magic, and other spirit-beings, so I generally pitch this as magic realism.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - Another Indigenous rec, this time a horror novel about ghosts and racism and trying to do the right thing. This’ll give you a taste of the more psychological end of the horror spectrum.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia - A good example of contemporary YA and how it handles the complexities of life, love, and growing up. Follows the writer of a fantasy webcomic who makes a friend who turns out to write fic of her story and who suddenly has to really balance online and offline life, among other pressures. Realistic portrait of mental health problems.

Non-fiction

The Book of Margery Kempe - The first English-language autobiography. Margery was very devout but also very badass, in a medieval sort of way. She went on pilgrimages to Jerusalem, was possibly epileptic, frequently “saw” Christ and Mary and demons, basically became a nun in middle age while staying married to her husband, and wound up on trial for heresy, before talking a monk into writing down her life story. It’s a fascinating window into the time period.

The Hammer and the Cross by Robert Ferguson - A history of medieval Norse people and how their explorations and trade shaped both their culture and the world.

A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor - Travel writing that was recommended to me by someone who raved about the prose and was totally right. Fermor’s looking back, with the aid of journals, on a walking trip he took across Europe in the 1930s. It’s a fascinating look at the era and an old way of life, and pretty much every “entry” has something of interest in it. He met all sorts of people.

Tim Severin and/or Thor Heyerdahl - More travel writing, this time by people recreating historical voyages (or what they believe to be historical voyages, ymmv) in period ships. Severin focuses on mythology (I’ve read The Ulysses Voyage and The Jason Voyage) and Heyerdahl’s known for Kon-Tiki, which is him “proving” that Polynesians made contact with South America. They both go into the history of the sailing and areas they’re travelling through, while also describing their surroundings and daily life, and, yes, running into storms and things.

Hope this helps you!

[parsippanylibrarykids]

By: Miss Jen, Miss Katy, & Miss Melissa

Picture Books 

Barnett, Mac. The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse. ​(Grades K-2)  This clever picture book begins with a mouse that is quickly gobbled up by a wolf. Fortunately his new accomodations AKA the wolf’s stomach include a duck with kitchenware and jam. The duck states “I may have been swallowed but I have no intention of being eaten.” Award winning illustrator Jon Klassen’s artwork add to the charm of this folkloric tale. 

Colleen, Marcie. Love, Triangle.​ ​ (Grades K-2) Square and Circle have been best friends since they were first created. Triangle arrives on the scene and brings new ideas. Both Square and Circle want to be friends with Triangle which causes a split between the two buddies. This common friendship problem is resolved at the end of this geometric story.

 Daywalt, Drew. The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors. ​(Grades K-3) The origins of the classic schoolyard game are explained in hilarious detail. Will Rock, Paper, or Scissors be victorious? Rock is searching for a worthy opponent. Paper leaves the Empire of Mom’s Home Office after conquering the Computer Printer while Scissors defeats Dinosaur-Shaped Chicken Nuggets. Wacky inanimate objects come to life under the expertise of illustrator Adam Rex. Fans of Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Quit will be equally as charmed by this book. 

Denos, Julia. Windows. ​(PreS-1) In this story, a boy of color dons a read hoodie, leashes his dog and ventures out into the twilight, where the windows are “blinking awake as the lights turn on a neighborhood of paper lanterns”. The reader gets to peer in at the small figures dancing, making dinner or throwing a party and watch as the color of the sky changes. The compositions are rendered in ink, watercolor, letterpress and digital collage. The narrative ends with a story shared and a snuggle. Readers will want to revisit this story over and over. Everyday routine turned to wonder on an evening walk filled with discovery. 

Dykman, Ame. Read the Book, Lemmings!​ (PreS-2) Another delightful collaboration by the team behind Wolfie the Bunny and Horrible Bear! Lemmings don’t jump off cliffs. It says so in the book that Foxy is reading. However, the three lemmings on the boat have not read the book and keep jumping into the water. After trying unsuccessfully to get the lemmings to read the book, Foxy realizes he is going to have to actually teach the lemmings to read before he can stop them. A funny read aloud! Children will love this book at storytime and at home. 

Jory, John and Benji Davies. Come Home Already!​ (PreS-3) The third hysterical picture book about Duck and Bear, unlikely pals. In this book, an excited Duck wants to hang out with Bear but Bear has left to go fishing for a whole week on his own. Bear is relieved to have some time alone. What will Duck do while Bear is gone? How will he survive without his best friend? 

Lamothe, Matt. ​This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World. ​(Grades K-3) Seven children from Italy, Japan, Uganda, Russia, India, Iran, and Peru describe one day in their lives as they eat, play, and learn. An author’s note, a glossary, a map, and photographs of the families are included at the end of the book. This is an informational picture book that could be used in a social studies unit. 

Shannon, David. Bizzy Mizz Lizzie​. (Grades 1-3)  Lizzie is the busiest, buzziest bee in Hivetown. She longs to impress the Queen by winning a spelling bee contest, but she studies to the point of exhaustion on top of trying to juggle all of her other activities. When she dozes off in the middle of the competition, the only solution is rest. Lizzie finally learns to stop and smell the flowers. A book with a good message and wonderful illustrations will appeal to young readers. 

Tsurumi, Andrea. Accident! ​(PreS-2) When a little armadillo named Lola knocks a jug of red juice all over her family’s white sofa, she flees to the library to hide. But as Lola run through town, she is joined by many others who have also made a mess and want to hide at the library too, avoiding conflict. Fun and colorful illustrations are found throughout the book and children will be drawn to the intricate details. This book teaches that a mistake can happen due to thoughtlessness, carelessness or bad luck and that it is ok to call it an accident but also necessary to “make it better” and “own up to it.” 

Easy Readers 

LaReau, Kara. The Infamous Ratsos are Not Afraid. ​(Grades 1-2) Brothers Louie and Ralphie Ratso plan to clear out an abandoned lot in their neighborhood and create an arcade. The problem is that the house next to the vacant lot might be haunted. ​This is the second book in the series that began with the Geisel Honor Book, The Infamous Ratsos. 

Shea, Bob. Ballet Cat: What’s Your Favorite Favorite? ​(Grades 1-3) Ballet Cat and her cousin Goat are preparing a show for grandma and both want to prove that they are the best. Ballet Cat will come up with a fancy dance routine and Goat will perform tricks at his magic show. Which one will be her FAVORITE favorite? Terrifically fun third entry in this series. 

Snyder, Laurel. Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy. ​ (Grades K-1) This picture book/easy reader hybrid is the sequel to Charlie and Mouse. Charlie and Mouse are brothers who are spending time with their grandfather AKA Grumpy. In four short chapters, the trio discuss what it means to be “medium”, enjoy a special night while the boys’ parents go out, and choose the proper goodnight song. 

Yoon, Salina. That’s My Book! and Other Stories. ​(Grades K-1) Big Duck, Little Duck, and Porcupine are a sweet trio of friends that find the best use for books, plan a talent show, and dress like a pirate. The latest addition to the Duck, Duck, Porcupine series contains three short chapters with bold text in large speech bubbles. 

Juvenile Fiction 

Bartok, Mira. The Wonderling. ​(Grades 4-6) Number 13 is a groundling (half human/half animal) who lives in an orphanage run by Ms. Carbunkle. He is named Arthur by a fellow groundling when he saves her. The pair of new friends escape the “Home” and set off on an adventure full of danger, magic, and mystery. Fans of Erin Hunter’s Warriors series will enjoy this lengthy fantasy novel. 

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. The War I Finally Won. ​(Grades 4-6)  Picking up right after 2015’s Newbery Honor book The War That Saved My Life, this very worthy sequel continues the story of Ada, her brother Jamie, and their guardian Susan. Set against the backdrop of World War II (which is felt much more immediately in this novel), Ada struggles to deal with the aftermath of years of abuse by her mother. An emotional, yet rewarding book for fans of the first book or for readers who love excellent historical fiction. 

Broach, Elise. Trouble at School for Marvin & James. ​(Grades 1-2) This is the third book in the Masterpiece Adventures series featuring best friends, James and Marvin. James is a human and Marvin is a small black beetle. James decides to bring Marvin to school so he can experience James’ art class taught by beloved teacher, Mr. Chang. Mr. Change has blue hair and often quotes, “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.” Marvin enjoys school until a sneeze separates him from James. This book is an excellent choice for new chapter-book readers. 

Clements, Andrew. The Losers Club.​ (Grades 3-6) Alec loves to read -- so much so that it gets him in trouble at school and at home. Even the head of the afterschool program at his school says he can’t just sit around by himself and read; he has to join a club. So Alec comes up with a plan to create his own reading club, which he names The Losers Club to deter other kids from joining. His bright idea backfires when it turns out to be the most popular club at school. There are tons of great books referenced throughout, and there’s a helpful list at the back of the book for bookworms who want to read them all! 

DeStefano, Lauren. The Girl with the Ghost Machine.​ (Grades 4-6) Emmaline Beaumont was 10 years old when her mother died; two years later, her father remains so consumed with grief that it’s almost as if Emmaline has lost both parents. In a desperate attempt to bring his wife back, Monsieur Beaumont tinkers with his “ghost machine” night and day. When Emmaline’s attempt to destroy the machine doesn’t go as planned, she and readers are left wondering if precious memories of loved ones are worth trading for the chance to interact with them one more time. Emmaline’s twin best friends, Oliver and Gully, represent the push and pull between hope and logic that plagues Emmaline and offers her new ways of understanding grief. Readers should be prepared for heaviness and sadness throughout. A story of loss, friendship, and resilience. 

Farrer, Maria. Me and Mister P.​ (Grades 2-5) Arthur is tired of his younger brother Liam’s behavior. He can’t even watch television with volume since it upsets his brother. Arthur decides to run away from home but he meets a friendly polar bear named Mister P. who alters his plans. Mister P. helps Arthur accept his brother’s differences. This quirky story is bibliotherapy for siblings of children with autism as well as a good read for children who like fantastical animal stories. 

Krishnaswami, Uma. Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh. ​(Grades 3-5) Maria Singh lives with her family in Yuba City, California during WWII. Most of the community members are adha-adha (half and half) with fathers from India and mothers from Mexico. Maria’s teacher forms a softball team which Maria wants to join but she is not sure if her father will let her. Maria and her family struggle against discrimination from kids and adults. 

Middleton, Dana. Open If You Dare. ​(Grades 4-6) For Birdie and her best friends, Ally and Rose, the joy of finishing elementary school is overshadowed by their dread of summer’s end. With Rose unwillingly moving back to England, and Ally and Birdie attending different middle schools, their long, close friendship is coming to an end. In the meantime, Ally deals with problems on and off the pitcher’s mound, while Birdie follows the trail of mystery, and Rose rebels against her parents in a creative, yet destructive way. The story is set in Atlanta with well-drawn individuals from different generations. Tween issues are addressed from first crush to first steps toward independence. A rewarding chapter book. 

Morris, Chad. Mustaches for Maddie.​ (Grades 4-6) Maddie is a 12 year old girl who has a big imagination. When she is diagnosed with a brain tumor, she faces surgery and possible negative outcomes from the operation. She also faces middle school friendships and even jealous classmates with humor and bravery. Maddies loves fake mustaches so her supporters wear them. This book is based on the authors’ daughter and will appeal to readers who liked Wonder by R.J. Palacio. 

Pennypacker, Sara. Waylon! Even More Awesome​. (Grades 2-4) A Clementine series spin off which features another likeable kid. Waylon and Baxter are classmates who have to share a dog who lives in a shelter. The two boys can not be more different. While Waylon loves everything about science and following rules, Baxter is always in trouble and close to being a juvenile delinquent. When their dog, Dumpster Eddy, is going to be thrown out of the shelter he is living in, the boys come up with a plan to save him. A book about friendship, family, perseverance and hard work make this a wonderful book for reluctant readers. 

Schlitz, Laura. Princess Cora and the Crocodile. ​(Grades 1-3) Princess Cora never has a moment to play or relax as her parents, the King and Queen, are constantly training her to be perfect. She writes a desperate letter to her fairy godmother asking for help. A pet crocodile arrives the next day and he impersonates Cora so she can have a day off. Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca’s illustrations add to the humor of this story. 

Swanson, Matthew. ​The Real McCoys. ​(Grades 3-5) Moxie McCoy is a fourth grade detective who faces her biggest challenge yet in this fun chapter book. When someone kidnaps beloved school mascot Eddie the Owl, Moxie is on the case-but she is forced to solve this new mystery on her own since her best friend, and fellow detective, has moved away. Moxie finds clues and points fingers but she needs help to find the owl mascot. Enter Milton, Moxie’s smart little brother. Can the real McCoys solve the crime of the century? 

Wilson, Amy. ​The Lost Frost Girl​. (Grades 4-6) A modern day fairy tale about a girl who discovers that she is Jack Frost’s daughter. Owl is a twelve year old girl with a quirky mom, a dad she has never met, a cool best friend named Mallory and a boy who gives her weird looks at school. When she finds out that Jack Frost is her father, she is determined to meet him and delves into Jack’s wonderful and wild world of winter. She realizes she is part human/part fay and has special powers of her own. A tale of family, friendship and magic and embracing who you are meant to be. 

Zemke, Deborah. The Curse of Einstein’s Pencil. ​(Grades 2-3) This second story about Bea Garcia will appeal to fans of Judy Moody. Bea is initially excited when the smartest girl in school, Judith Einstein asks her to be a partner in the geography contest. Then Bea wonders if the secret to Judith’s intelligence is her pencil. Bea takes Judith’s pencil when it rolls on the floor but the effect on her life and friendship is not what she expected. 

Graphic Novels 

Hale, Shannon and Pham, LeUyen. Real Friends​.​ (Grades 3-6) Shannon Hale, author of the bestselling Princess in Black series, debuts her first graphic novel: a memoir of her childhood friendships from kindergarten through sixth grade. Friends, rivals, and frenemies drift in and out of Shannon’s life, but her mean older sister remains a constant menacing presence. Readers will find much to relate to: neighborhood friends who move away; the dread of finding out that all of your friends have been assigned to another teacher. Hale as an adult narrates the story with a welcome perspective, acknowledging when she herself was a bad friend or seeing the dynamics of a situation more clearly in hindsight. Fans of Raina Telgemeier will love this. 

Jamieson, Victoria. All’s Faire in Middle School​.​ (Grades 4-8) From Victoria Jamieson, who won a Newbery Honor for Roller Girl, comes another middle grade graphic novel. Imogen has been homeschooled her whole life; her world revolves around the local Renaissance Faire where her parents work. But now she’s ready for her biggest challenge: middle school. Imogen’s unconventional background makes it difficult for her to fit in, but is she willing to do what it takes to conform? Recommend to fans of Raina Telgemeier. 

Siegel, Mark. The Sand Warrior. ​ (Grades 3-5) The Five Worlds is a galaxy of five planets filled with different species. Oona Lee teams up with An Tzu, a boy from the poorest slums, and Jax Amboy, a lonely star athlete. They discover that they may be able to light five ancient beacons and save the Five Worlds. Hand this fantasy story to fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Amulet series. 

Biography 

Guglielmo, Amy and Tourville, Jacqueline. Pocket Full of Colors.​ ​(Grades K-4). Mary Blair is remembered today as one of the greatest and most influential Disney animators, but at the time, her use of color was considered “too vivid, too wild.” When her all-male colleagues at Disney reject her ideas, she strikes out on her own, where she finds huge success as an illustrator and set designer following her own vision. Finally, Walt Disney himself asks her to come back; she’s the only one he will trust to design the now-classic ride It’s a Small World. Gorgeous brightly-colored illustrations evoke Blair’s distinctive style. An author’s note is included at the end of the book. 

Meltzer, Brad. I am Sacagawea. ​(Grades 1-3) Sacagawea’s story is the latest addition to the Ordinary People Change the World​ best-selling biography series. Sacagawea was the only Native American to join Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Children will learn about the traits that made Sacagawea a trailblazer and the significant contributions she made to the world. A timeline and photos are included at the back of the book. Christopher Eliopoulos’ illustrations reflect his origins in the comic industry. He recreates lively scenes from Sacagawea’s life. 

Rosenstock, Barb. Vincent Can’t Sleep. ​(Grades K-2) This picture book biography of Vincent Van Gogh explores his life especially his troubles with insomnia. He had trouble sleeping as a child, an adolescent, and as an adult in the hospital. The text is short but lyrical while the illustrations in acrylic, pen, and watercolor reflect the night sky and his iconic work, The Starry Night. An author’s note and sources are included at the end of the book. 

Nonfiction 

Burcaw, Shane. Not So Different. ​(Grades 1-3). Shane was born with a degenerative muscle disease, and he’s never been able to walk. People always seem to ask him the same ten questions, like “How do you eat?” or “Why is your head so big?” Answers to these and more are accompanied by funny photographs. Through Shane’s funny and frank stories--he once broke his expensive motorized wheelchair by using it to lift his brother to dunk a basketball--readers will learn that they’re not so different from him after all. A nice introduction to disability for younger kids. 

Burns, Loree Griffin. Life on Surtsey: Iceland’s Upstart Island​. ​(Grades 4-7) In 1963, an underwater volcano off the coast of Iceland erupted, creating a new island formed from rock and ash. Scientists realized they could use this new island to study how life takes hold in a new environment. What are the first plants to grow on the bare rock? When and how do birds, insects, and other animals arrive? The book follows a team of scientists who return to the island every year to study the changes; full-color photographs document their journey and the changing island landscape. It’s a great introduction to how scientists really work, full of details that kids will love. (On a deserted island, how do you go to the bathroom?) A glossary and bibliography are included at the end of the book. 

Chin, Jason. Grand Canyon.​ (Grades 3-5) Some may think of the Grand Canyon as just a “big hole in the ground,” but through gorgeous and detailed illustrations, Chin reveals the complex ecosystem it hosts and what it tells us about our geological past. As a father and daughter hike through the canyon, the reader learns more about what makes each level of the canyon unique. Die-cuts reveal fossils in the modern-day, and when readers turn the page, they are transported back millions of years, to what the landscape looked like when each fossil was formed. Further scientific information, an author’s note, and sources are included at the end of the book. 

Eggers, Dave. ​Her Right Foot. ​(Grades 3 and up) A beautifully illustrated book about the history of the iconic statue along with humor and interesting trivia during the first part of the book. The second part of the book talks about the statue’s feet and how the back of her right foot is actually lifted as if she is going somewhere. No one ever seems to talk about the fact that the statue of liberty is walking; she is on the move. If the statue of liberty is a symbol of freedom, if the statue of liberty has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States, then how can she stand still? 

Harris, Chris. I’m Just No Good At Rhyming.​ (Grades 3-8) Fans of Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash, or Jack Prelutsky will enjoy this volume of humorous poetry for kids. Lane Smith’s hilarious illustrations add to the fun.

Rose, Deborah Lee. Beauty and the Beak. ​(Grades 3-5) An Alaskan bald eagle lost most of her beak after a poacher shot her. She was unable to eat, drink, or preen without her beak. The eagle later named Beauty was sent to the care of biologist Veltkamp at a raptor center in Idaho. Since Beauty’s beak did not regenerate, Veltkamp enlisted the help of a dentist and an engineer. Together they fashioned a beak for Beauty using a 3-D printer. This nonfiction animal rescue story has similaries to stories by the Hatkoffs including Winter’s Tail. 

Roy, Katherine. How To Be An Elephant. ​(Grades 3-6) A stunning look at how a newborn elephant matures into a capable member of the herd. This book emphasizes how an infant elephant learns through her family herd an array of skills that are necessary to keep up; from learning to walk and swim right away, projecting her voice, using her nose to eat and smell and keeping cool with her large ears. Large illustrations of calves with their herd are interspersed with captivating diagrams and smaller images work well together. A carefully researched book and a must have for all elementary school collections.  

[themindfulword]

FOUR VERY DIFFERENT BOOKS: The True American, News of the World, Love Warrior, The Idiot [book reviews]

The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas

Anand Giridharadas

I saw Anand Giridharadas on a CNN panel one evening several months ago. I marvelled at how articulate he was! I was between books at the time, and when a sign flashed on the screen saying that he was the author of a book called The True American, I went to my computer and ordered  it from my local library. The True American is the story of Rais, a young Bangladeshi immigrant who worked at a convenience store in Dallas, Texas at the time of 9/11. His life was upended and nearly ended in the month after that disaster took place, by a ne’er-do-well American shit-kicker named Mark Stroman. Mr. Stroman, who also killed two Asian men he also mistakenly believed to be “Arabs,” thought of himself as an avenger of the wrong that had been done to America. The non-fiction story developed into an obvious gold mine for the right author. Giridharadas researched the material meticulously, and for the most part, does a fine job of reporting. He goes into great detail, with background on both major figures: Rais, who practices “American” values such as resiliency and self-sufficiency, and makes a life for himself after the near-fatal shooting; and Mark, who ends up on death row, where it’s possible (but not certain) that he finally begins to realize the gravity of what he’s done and feel remorse. Stroman’s life had veered off the rails and into the Texas juvenile correction system during his teens. The wealth of information from its files that documented new beginnings, hopeful observations, and then more acting-out and criminal behaviour will lead many readers into deep contemplation about “nature and nurture.” One of my other main takeaways from the book came from reading the transcript of Stroman’s initial statement before trial. This twisted document of self-justification displays, for all time, how easily a person can delude himself to the point of insanity. The statement ends: “I, Mark Anthony Stroman, felt a need to extract some measure of equality and fairness for the thousands of victims of September 11, 2001, for the United States of America.” What makes The True American particularly unusual is that Rais makes a vow just after being shot. He vows that if God allows him to survive, he’ll give his life to the service of others. His service takes the form, finally, of forgiving Mark and trying to prevent his execution. The author follows the story, beyond Rais’ attempts to save Mark, into his later effort to make a difference with Mark’s children, who are living rather at-risk lives themselves. This last third of the book simply doesn’t have the striking impact of the first two-thirds. But those first two-thirds of The True American amount to a powerful read.  

News of the World

Paulette Jiles

News of the World, the book I discovered via an Audible.com prompt immediately after completing The True American, is as different from that one as a book can be. It’s a short historical novel, a period piece about Texas in 1870 during the aftermath of the Civil War, and before “Indian Territory” has been rendered completely safe for whites. The Kiowa and Comanche are liable to raid any party travelling across the state. The protagonist of the book is a 70-year-old man named Captain Kidd. After several years in military service as a young man, Kidd became a printer. When the economics of the Civil War led to the closing of his shop, he morphed into a sort of performer. At the time in which the novel is set, he travels across Texas giving little “Chautauqua” events, during which he reads excerpts from American and European newspapers to audiences in small theatres and meeting rooms. The captain is a good man who has seen a lot. His depth of character is one source of the book’s charm. Another is a 10-year-old girl he calls “Johanna,” who was kidnapped when she was four by the Kiowa, and is being returned to a surviving family member, given that her parents were killed in the raid that led to her abduction. Johanna has lived with the Kiowa for four years and remembers nothing at all about her early life. She’s terrified of the white man, and identifies totally as an Indian. An acquaintance of Captain Kidd, who’s been transporting the girl to the home of an aunt and uncle, but has other commitments he needs to attend to, asks the Captain to take her the rest of the way. The journey entails travelling several hundred miles, from Wichita Falls (near the Texas panhandle) to a small town south of San Antonio, in a small horse-drawn wagon. The narrative of the dangerous trip and the events that occur after the girl is delivered act as a window into an America that doesn’t often get such skilful literary treatment. In the end, that warms a reader’s heart, too.  

Love Warrior: A Memoir

Glennon Doyle

Glennon Doyle is a popular motivational speaker, partly because of the impact of this memoir. Several years ago, during some of the hard times that the book describes, she discovered the personal benefits of telling her truth via the written word. When her blog describing her travails went viral, she began receiving offers from publishers. This led to Love Warrior. The young woman whom we find at the end of the memoir, however, has come a long, long way from her 10-year-old bulimic counterpart and her alcohol-and-sex-soaked adolescence and young adulthood. She begins realizing, after an abortion followed by another pregnancy, when her loving, doting parents begin threatening to leave her to her self-destructive fate, that she has to change. The step-by-step story of how she finds her way, starting from a life nearly devoid of positive behavioural patterns, is compelling. Doyle possesses an almost uncanny capacity to bring the reader into the living present that her words conjure. The joy of her account of the birth of her first child, and the moment she and her husband first hear and see their baby laugh, are priceless! We take Chase for a walk and stop the stroller in front of a bush with a bird in it. The bird chirps, right at Chase’s eye level, and Chase laughs for the first time. Craig and I are stunned. We look at each other with wide, wet eyes. Chase’s laughter sounds like a waterfall of crystal bubbles. ... Before this moment, Craig and I have not truly understood Chase as a whole person, separate from us, capable of being delighted by the world around him. Similarly, Doyle’s accounts of new travail that emerges, after this Heaven has been reached, bring the reader right there with her. Love Warrior is an intense and discomfiting book, but it has a lot to impart to anyone who picks it up.  

The Idiot

Elif Batuman

The word “quirky” could’ve been coined to describe this 423-page novel by a young Turkish-American woman who works for The New Yorker magazine. It begins with an account of the protagonist’s first year at Harvard University. The world, as Batuman describes it, is a place of non sequitur and humorous juxtapositions. It’s also amazingly counter-intuitive and often very disappointing. The reader sees directly and clearly through the eyes of young Selin, and what he/she sees is pretty absurd at every step of the way. It resonates with the world I see going on around me, and it does with many others, too, judging from the book’s popularity. In Batuman’s creation, every paragraph is like a new world. Although I wouldn’t call the book “magical realism,” every ordinary happening becomes extraordinary through the author’s and character’s eyes—sometimes just extraordinarily dull or foolish, but always extraordinary. The author’s powers of observation are keen, and often include details others might not notice. There’s no possibility of imagining where things will go next in the story. The unusual quality of the book also comes, in part, from the author’s keen sense of some of the absurdities of language, or at least the ways people use it. Harvard and its curriculum seem completely absurd. All the courses that Selin interviews for—apparently, at Harvard, freshmen have to interview for courses before being allowed to take them—are somehow removed from real life. The author manages to convey the impression that nearly every course at the university is about some irrelevant aspect of life, or some intellectual wrinkle on history, society or literature. It was hard to decide on a literature course. Everything the professors said seemed to be somehow beside the point. You wanted to know why Anna had to die, and instead they told you that 19th century Russian landowners felt conflicted about whether they were really a part of Europe. The implication was that it was somehow naive to want to talk about anything interesting, or to think that you would ever know anything important. There are, however, some interesting characters, people the protagonist befriends. They manage to transcend the existential vacuum and have real lives that a reader comes to care about. The second half of The Idiot takes place in Europe. Selin takes a job teaching English in a Hungarian village, in order to follow a love interest who’s going home to his family in Budapest for the summer. On the way, she stops for several days in Paris with her friend and frequent opposite, Svetlana, whose presence in the book generates quite a few lively conversations. Europe is perhaps not quite as absurd as Harvard, but Selin’s unlikely adventures continue to unfold, bringing Don Quixote to my mind more than once. The book is almost an Alice in Wonderland of realistic or semi-realistic literature. I recommend it highly! «RELATED READ» HEARTFELT HISTORY: How novels put the individual at the centre of the same stories textbooks tell» image 1: Pixabay Read the full article

[themindfulword]

FOUR VERY DIFFERENT BOOKS: The True American, News of the World, Love Warrior, The Idiot [book reviews]

The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas

Anand Giridharadas

I saw Anand Giridharadas on a CNN panel one evening several months ago. I marvelled at how articulate he was! I was between books at the time, and when a sign flashed on the screen saying that he was the author of a book called The True American, I went to my computer and ordered  it from my local library. The True American is the story of Rais, a young Bangladeshi immigrant who worked at a convenience store in Dallas, Texas at the time of 9/11. His life was upended and nearly ended in the month after that disaster took place, by a ne’er-do-well American shit-kicker named Mark Stroman. Mr. Stroman, who also killed two Asian men he also mistakenly believed to be “Arabs,” thought of himself as an avenger of the wrong that had been done to America. The non-fiction story developed into an obvious gold mine for the right author. Giridharadas researched the material meticulously, and for the most part, does a fine job of reporting. He goes into great detail, with background on both major figures: Rais, who practices “American” values such as resiliency and self-sufficiency, and makes a life for himself after the near-fatal shooting; and Mark, who ends up on death row, where it’s possible (but not certain) that he finally begins to realize the gravity of what he’s done and feel remorse. Stroman’s life had veered off the rails and into the Texas juvenile correction system during his teens. The wealth of information from its files that documented new beginnings, hopeful observations, and then more acting-out and criminal behaviour will lead many readers into deep contemplation about “nature and nurture.” One of my other main takeaways from the book came from reading the transcript of Stroman’s initial statement before trial. This twisted document of self-justification displays, for all time, how easily a person can delude himself to the point of insanity. The statement ends: “I, Mark Anthony Stroman, felt a need to extract some measure of equality and fairness for the thousands of victims of September 11, 2001, for the United States of America.” What makes The True American particularly unusual is that Rais makes a vow just after being shot. He vows that if God allows him to survive, he’ll give his life to the service of others. His service takes the form, finally, of forgiving Mark and trying to prevent his execution. The author follows the story, beyond Rais’ attempts to save Mark, into his later effort to make a difference with Mark’s children, who are living rather at-risk lives themselves. This last third of the book simply doesn’t have the striking impact of the first two-thirds. But those first two-thirds of The True American amount to a powerful read.  

News of the World

Paulette Jiles

News of the World, the book I discovered via an Audible.com prompt immediately after completing The True American, is as different from that one as a book can be. It’s a short historical novel, a period piece about Texas in 1870 during the aftermath of the Civil War, and before “Indian Territory” has been rendered completely safe for whites. The Kiowa and Comanche are liable to raid any party travelling across the state. The protagonist of the book is a 70-year-old man named Captain Kidd. After several years in military service as a young man, Kidd became a printer. When the economics of the Civil War led to the closing of his shop, he morphed into a sort of performer. At the time in which the novel is set, he travels across Texas giving little “Chautauqua” events, during which he reads excerpts from American and European newspapers to audiences in small theatres and meeting rooms. The captain is a good man who has seen a lot. His depth of character is one source of the book’s charm. Another is a 10-year-old girl he calls “Johanna,” who was kidnapped when she was four by the Kiowa, and is being returned to a surviving family member, given that her parents were killed in the raid that led to her abduction. Johanna has lived with the Kiowa for four years and remembers nothing at all about her early life. She’s terrified of the white man, and identifies totally as an Indian. An acquaintance of Captain Kidd, who’s been transporting the girl to the home of an aunt and uncle, but has other commitments he needs to attend to, asks the Captain to take her the rest of the way. The journey entails travelling several hundred miles, from Wichita Falls (near the Texas panhandle) to a small town south of San Antonio, in a small horse-drawn wagon. The narrative of the dangerous trip and the events that occur after the girl is delivered act as a window into an America that doesn’t often get such skilful literary treatment. In the end, that warms a reader’s heart, too.  

Love Warrior: A Memoir

Glennon Doyle

Glennon Doyle is a popular motivational speaker, partly because of the impact of this memoir. Several years ago, during some of the hard times that the book describes, she discovered the personal benefits of telling her truth via the written word. When her blog describing her travails went viral, she began receiving offers from publishers. This led to Love Warrior. The young woman whom we find at the end of the memoir, however, has come a long, long way from her 10-year-old bulimic counterpart and her alcohol-and-sex-soaked adolescence and young adulthood. She begins realizing, after an abortion followed by another pregnancy, when her loving, doting parents begin threatening to leave her to her self-destructive fate, that she has to change. The step-by-step story of how she finds her way, starting from a life nearly devoid of positive behavioural patterns, is compelling. Doyle possesses an almost uncanny capacity to bring the reader into the living present that her words conjure. The joy of her account of the birth of her first child, and the moment she and her husband first hear and see their baby laugh, are priceless! We take Chase for a walk and stop the stroller in front of a bush with a bird in it. The bird chirps, right at Chase’s eye level, and Chase laughs for the first time. Craig and I are stunned. We look at each other with wide, wet eyes. Chase’s laughter sounds like a waterfall of crystal bubbles. ... Before this moment, Craig and I have not truly understood Chase as a whole person, separate from us, capable of being delighted by the world around him. Similarly, Doyle’s accounts of new travail that emerges, after this Heaven has been reached, bring the reader right there with her. Love Warrior is an intense and discomfiting book, but it has a lot to impart to anyone who picks it up.  

The Idiot

Elif Batuman

The word “quirky” could’ve been coined to describe this 423-page novel by a young Turkish-American woman who works for The New Yorker magazine. It begins with an account of the protagonist’s first year at Harvard University. The world, as Batuman describes it, is a place of non sequitur and humorous juxtapositions. It’s also amazingly counter-intuitive and often very disappointing. The reader sees directly and clearly through the eyes of young Selin, and what he/she sees is pretty absurd at every step of the way. It resonates with the world I see going on around me, and it does with many others, too, judging from the book’s popularity. In Batuman’s creation, every paragraph is like a new world. Although I wouldn’t call the book “magical realism,” every ordinary happening becomes extraordinary through the author’s and character’s eyes—sometimes just extraordinarily dull or foolish, but always extraordinary. The author’s powers of observation are keen, and often include details others might not notice. There’s no possibility of imagining where things will go next in the story. The unusual quality of the book also comes, in part, from the author’s keen sense of some of the absurdities of language, or at least the ways people use it. Harvard and its curriculum seem completely absurd. All the courses that Selin interviews for—apparently, at Harvard, freshmen have to interview for courses before being allowed to take them—are somehow removed from real life. The author manages to convey the impression that nearly every course at the university is about some irrelevant aspect of life, or some intellectual wrinkle on history, society or literature. It was hard to decide on a literature course. Everything the professors said seemed to be somehow beside the point. You wanted to know why Anna had to die, and instead they told you that 19th century Russian landowners felt conflicted about whether they were really a part of Europe. The implication was that it was somehow naive to want to talk about anything interesting, or to think that you would ever know anything important. There are, however, some interesting characters, people the protagonist befriends. They manage to transcend the existential vacuum and have real lives that a reader comes to care about. The second half of The Idiot takes place in Europe. Selin takes a job teaching English in a Hungarian village, in order to follow a love interest who’s going home to his family in Budapest for the summer. On the way, she stops for several days in Paris with her friend and frequent opposite, Svetlana, whose presence in the book generates quite a few lively conversations. Europe is perhaps not quite as absurd as Harvard, but Selin’s unlikely adventures continue to unfold, bringing Don Quixote to my mind more than once. The book is almost an Alice in Wonderland of realistic or semi-realistic literature. I recommend it highly! «RELATED READ» HEARTFELT HISTORY: How novels put the individual at the centre of the same stories textbooks tell» image 1: Pixabay Read the full article

[themindfulword]

FOUR VERY DIFFERENT BOOKS: The True American, News of the World, Love Warrior, The Idiot [book reviews]

The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas

Anand Giridharadas

I saw Anand Giridharadas on a CNN panel one evening several months ago. I marvelled at how articulate he was! I was between books at the time, and when a sign flashed on the screen saying that he was the author of a book called The True American, I went to my computer and ordered  it from my local library. The True American is the story of Rais, a young Bangladeshi immigrant who worked at a convenience store in Dallas, Texas at the time of 9/11. His life was upended and nearly ended in the month after that disaster took place, by a ne’er-do-well American shit-kicker named Mark Stroman. Mr. Stroman, who also killed two Asian men he also mistakenly believed to be “Arabs,” thought of himself as an avenger of the wrong that had been done to America. The non-fiction story developed into an obvious gold mine for the right author. Giridharadas researched the material meticulously, and for the most part, does a fine job of reporting. He goes into great detail, with background on both major figures: Rais, who practices “American” values such as resiliency and self-sufficiency, and makes a life for himself after the near-fatal shooting; and Mark, who ends up on death row, where it’s possible (but not certain) that he finally begins to realize the gravity of what he’s done and feel remorse. Stroman’s life had veered off the rails and into the Texas juvenile correction system during his teens. The wealth of information from its files that documented new beginnings, hopeful observations, and then more acting-out and criminal behaviour will lead many readers into deep contemplation about “nature and nurture.” One of my other main takeaways from the book came from reading the transcript of Stroman’s initial statement before trial. This twisted document of self-justification displays, for all time, how easily a person can delude himself to the point of insanity. The statement ends: “I, Mark Anthony Stroman, felt a need to extract some measure of equality and fairness for the thousands of victims of September 11, 2001, for the United States of America.” What makes The True American particularly unusual is that Rais makes a vow just after being shot. He vows that if God allows him to survive, he’ll give his life to the service of others. His service takes the form, finally, of forgiving Mark and trying to prevent his execution. The author follows the story, beyond Rais’ attempts to save Mark, into his later effort to make a difference with Mark’s children, who are living rather at-risk lives themselves. This last third of the book simply doesn’t have the striking impact of the first two-thirds. But those first two-thirds of The True American amount to a powerful read.  

News of the World

Paulette Jiles

News of the World, the book I discovered via an Audible.com prompt immediately after completing The True American, is as different from that one as a book can be. It’s a short historical novel, a period piece about Texas in 1870 during the aftermath of the Civil War, and before “Indian Territory” has been rendered completely safe for whites. The Kiowa and Comanche are liable to raid any party travelling across the state. The protagonist of the book is a 70-year-old man named Captain Kidd. After several years in military service as a young man, Kidd became a printer. When the economics of the Civil War led to the closing of his shop, he morphed into a sort of performer. At the time in which the novel is set, he travels across Texas giving little “Chautauqua” events, during which he reads excerpts from American and European newspapers to audiences in small theatres and meeting rooms. The captain is a good man who has seen a lot. His depth of character is one source of the book’s charm. Another is a 10-year-old girl he calls “Johanna,” who was kidnapped when she was four by the Kiowa, and is being returned to a surviving family member, given that her parents were killed in the raid that led to her abduction. Johanna has lived with the Kiowa for four years and remembers nothing at all about her early life. She’s terrified of the white man, and identifies totally as an Indian. An acquaintance of Captain Kidd, who’s been transporting the girl to the home of an aunt and uncle, but has other commitments he needs to attend to, asks the Captain to take her the rest of the way. The journey entails travelling several hundred miles, from Wichita Falls (near the Texas panhandle) to a small town south of San Antonio, in a small horse-drawn wagon. The narrative of the dangerous trip and the events that occur after the girl is delivered act as a window into an America that doesn’t often get such skilful literary treatment. In the end, that warms a reader’s heart, too.  

Love Warrior: A Memoir

Glennon Doyle

Glennon Doyle is a popular motivational speaker, partly because of the impact of this memoir. Several years ago, during some of the hard times that the book describes, she discovered the personal benefits of telling her truth via the written word. When her blog describing her travails went viral, she began receiving offers from publishers. This led to Love Warrior. The young woman whom we find at the end of the memoir, however, has come a long, long way from her 10-year-old bulimic counterpart and her alcohol-and-sex-soaked adolescence and young adulthood. She begins realizing, after an abortion followed by another pregnancy, when her loving, doting parents begin threatening to leave her to her self-destructive fate, that she has to change. The step-by-step story of how she finds her way, starting from a life nearly devoid of positive behavioural patterns, is compelling. Doyle possesses an almost uncanny capacity to bring the reader into the living present that her words conjure. The joy of her account of the birth of her first child, and the moment she and her husband first hear and see their baby laugh, are priceless! We take Chase for a walk and stop the stroller in front of a bush with a bird in it. The bird chirps, right at Chase’s eye level, and Chase laughs for the first time. Craig and I are stunned. We look at each other with wide, wet eyes. Chase’s laughter sounds like a waterfall of crystal bubbles. ... Before this moment, Craig and I have not truly understood Chase as a whole person, separate from us, capable of being delighted by the world around him. Similarly, Doyle’s accounts of new travail that emerges, after this Heaven has been reached, bring the reader right there with her. Love Warrior is an intense and discomfiting book, but it has a lot to impart to anyone who picks it up.  

The Idiot

Elif Batuman

The word “quirky” could’ve been coined to describe this 423-page novel by a young Turkish-American woman who works for The New Yorker magazine. It begins with an account of the protagonist’s first year at Harvard University. The world, as Batuman describes it, is a place of non sequitur and humorous juxtapositions. It’s also amazingly counter-intuitive and often very disappointing. The reader sees directly and clearly through the eyes of young Selin, and what he/she sees is pretty absurd at every step of the way. It resonates with the world I see going on around me, and it does with many others, too, judging from the book’s popularity. In Batuman’s creation, every paragraph is like a new world. Although I wouldn’t call the book “magical realism,” every ordinary happening becomes extraordinary through the author’s and character’s eyes—sometimes just extraordinarily dull or foolish, but always extraordinary. The author’s powers of observation are keen, and often include details others might not notice. There’s no possibility of imagining where things will go next in the story. The unusual quality of the book also comes, in part, from the author’s keen sense of some of the absurdities of language, or at least the ways people use it. Harvard and its curriculum seem completely absurd. All the courses that Selin interviews for—apparently, at Harvard, freshmen have to interview for courses before being allowed to take them—are somehow removed from real life. The author manages to convey the impression that nearly every course at the university is about some irrelevant aspect of life, or some intellectual wrinkle on history, society or literature. It was hard to decide on a literature course. Everything the professors said seemed to be somehow beside the point. You wanted to know why Anna had to die, and instead they told you that 19th century Russian landowners felt conflicted about whether they were really a part of Europe. The implication was that it was somehow naive to want to talk about anything interesting, or to think that you would ever know anything important. There are, however, some interesting characters, people the protagonist befriends. They manage to transcend the existential vacuum and have real lives that a reader comes to care about. The second half of The Idiot takes place in Europe. Selin takes a job teaching English in a Hungarian village, in order to follow a love interest who’s going home to his family in Budapest for the summer. On the way, she stops for several days in Paris with her friend and frequent opposite, Svetlana, whose presence in the book generates quite a few lively conversations. Europe is perhaps not quite as absurd as Harvard, but Selin’s unlikely adventures continue to unfold, bringing Don Quixote to my mind more than once. The book is almost an Alice in Wonderland of realistic or semi-realistic literature. I recommend it highly! «RELATED READ» HEARTFELT HISTORY: How novels put the individual at the centre of the same stories textbooks tell» image 1: Pixabay Read the full article