A question from one of the ARC contest winners,
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stephanieburgis:
I'd love to read about your favorite books (because I am a total book geek).Here's my current top ten list, which is shockingly lacking in YA titles. Most of these books have been on this list for years before I started writing/reading YA.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby: My all-time favorite book, which I actually read for my first literature class in college. I know it's allegedly a "guy book," but I strongly identify with Rob and I think everything about this novel is spot on perfect.
Perfect. I loved the movie version too (hello, Joan Cusack). I read every new Hornby novel with great anticipation but so far none of his other books have hit me so intensely.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg: My favorite non-fiction book on writing. My high school literary arts teacher was quite fond of this book and liked to use it during class, so I became quite fond of it too. I like to open to a random chapter whenever I'm in a rut.
The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen: Picked at random to read for my summer reading assignment in AP 12th grade English, and it was the basis for my senior thesis on innocence vs experience in British literature. Every character in this novel is so vivid and tragic, and it has one of my favorite closing paragraphs ever.
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien: I wouldn't have thought I would love a book of war stories, but O'Brien's writing is so amazing. The last chapter broke my heart. I read this in bed with my current boyfriend while he watched
Saving Private Ryan, which I refused to watch because...I don't like war movies.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: Read during the Dark Days of 2007, this unconventional love story really got me. Even though the details of their relationship are pretty extraordinary, it all felt very real.
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst: Another book from the Dark Days. It was so sad and dark, and it fit into a little place in my heart.
The Stand by Stephen King: I was a Stephen King
fiend at age 11, and this remained my favorite book for years. It's also one of the few books to make my cry. Someone once said that Stephen King is too popular and prolific to be taken seriously in his lifetime, and I completely agree. He's a brilliant writer.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera: Another of those "right book at the right time" sort of experiences, read back in '03 or '04 when I was in a sad codependent relationship.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges: The cast of characters was incredible, and I loved the small town setting. Pretty much hated the movie, though.
(I'm tragically bumping Hemingway off the list to make room for one YA)
The Possibility of Fireflies by Dominique Paul: The ending was a little too neat for me, but otherwise I loved loved loved this book about a young teen girl growing up in the 80s with divorced parents, a wild older sister, and a mysteriously alluring neighbor boy.
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