Here are some famous and not so famous first lines of fiction. Makes me want to read some I haven't yet tried. How about you? Was your favorite on this list?
The 10 featured authors include Charlotte Bronte (left) and Mark Twain (right).
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White is 60 years old this year. Whether you came upon this book as a child or as a grown up reading to a child, you might enjoy an appreciative piece from last week's NY Times Book Review. Michael Sims focuses not on the characters so much as on the setting--White's own barn where he observed the wildlife that would become the stars of his book. And everyone agrees that it was 'Some Book'. Sims, incidentally, wrote The Story of Charlotte's Web, a book about White and the writing of his most famous book.
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
I've noticed a number of books published recently about 'somebody's daughter'. Now The Millions, an 'online magazine offering coverage on books, arts, and culture since 2003', has caught on and done a piece on this very topic. Be sure to scroll down to see the graphs and charts that the author created. She breaks down the authors of the books by sex (I bet you can guess the results of that) and the daughters by their parents' occupations. The site as a whole could prove interesting to browse.
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
Mad Men fans take note: Not only can you obsess about the clothes and the hair, now you can also obsess about the books. The website Flavorwire has put together a list of the books seen on the shows as well as others emblematic of the era. The first book on the list, The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe, is a favorite of mine. The movie is even more deliciously melodramatic, but, of course, doesn't have the depth of the book. But it does have the clothes.
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
I always knew that reading fiction was good for the brain, but I didn't know what parts of the brain were affected. 'Your Brain on Fiction', a piece in last Sunday's New York Times, describes how not only are the language processing centers stimulated but also the sensory receptors. I love to read complex language with lots of metaphors and descriptive phrases--it's more important to me than a satisfactory plot--and now I know why. Here's a quote from the article: "Metaphors like “The singer had a velvet voice” and “He had leathery hands” roused the sensory cortex, while phrases matched for meaning, like “The singer had a pleasing voice” and “He had strong hands,” did not." Three cheers for the sensory cortex!
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
Mystery readers, take note: the Edgar Awards for 2012 will be presented on April 26th. Here's your chance to see if you've read any of the nominees or to find one that appeals to you. The categories include best novel, best first novel, best true crime, and best juvenile and young adult novels. There are also nominees for best television episode. Martha Grimes, the author of the Richard Jury novels, among others, has been named the Grand Master for this year.
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
Lots of adults lately have been reading YA novels, but not so many dip into children's books. This year's Newbery winner, Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, which I enjoyed this weekend, is one that has lots of appeal for us grownups. Gantos has been a favorite of mine since I first read his autobiographical novels for upper elementary kids about 'Jack' and his family in Florida. These, along with his more famous series about Joey Pigza, are funny as well as poignant. His latest, also starring 'Jack', is a little meatier than the others he's written, but it's still got the humor and quirky writing. I could relate the plot, but read this one for memorable characters and wacky episodes.
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
In celebration of National Library Week, April 8-14, here are some picks that feature libraries or librarians in some way or another. Of course we are truly unbiased and we think there are some real winners here! Yes we know that National Library Week is still a month out but you can start reading one of these now to get you thinking about how much you love libraries!
Adult Titles:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom
The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson
Young Adult Titles:
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
Libyrinth by Pearl North
Kids Titles:
Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
Richard Wright and the Library Card by William Miller
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
The Babies are Coming! by Amy Hest
Hot City by Barbara Joosse
Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Glancing through the most recent Auntie's Newsletter, I noticed that the author of one of my favorite books from last year will be at their store on February 25th. Jonathan Evison is the author of West of Here (which I mentioned here almost a year ago), a panoramic story of Port Bonita (think Port Angeles) and the Olympic Peninsula. The novel is filled with quirky characters who inhabit both the historic and the present day of this gritty town. My impression is of dark nights, rainy gray days and people who have lost their way, both actually and metaphorically. Evison, I found out from Auntie's Notes, was a founder and front man for the punk band March of Crimes.
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
I've been a fan of Stewart O'Nan's fiction for a number of years, although I'd only recommend him to someone who can take a bit of bleakness along with interesting characters and great writing. His latest, The Odds, however, is almost cheerful and upbeat. A middle-aged couple who have both lost their jobs during the recent recession go to a casino at Niagara Falls for Valentine's Day to try to win enough money to fend off disaster, or to rekindle their love for each other, or...? In addition to the story of their weekend, each chapter begins with a heading of some kind of odds: for instance, 'the odds of a US tourist visiting Niagara Falls is 1 in 195'. This is not a sappy romance, but it is a love story--if you can take a touch of reality.
--Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library's "Fiction Queen"
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