World Book Night: The Third Batch

Five more down, another eighteen to go! Let's get on with the show.

Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia was a reread for me, but I haven't read it since the fifth grade so it felt pretty new. I absolutely hated this book as an elementary schooler; for the life of me, I cannot remember why. Adult me really enjoyed it. I was thisclose to crying by the end, which is really saying something when you consider my frozen, icy heart.


The Lighthouse Road by Peter Geye feels like the literary pick thus far. I feel like every year the committee picks a literary novel that has a strong sense of place (somewhere in America) and each year I've been a little bored by them. This book isn't bad at all and it was a quick, entertaining read - it just felt a little meh...


I am so happy that the WBN choosers chose a graphic novel this year! Make this a thing that happens every year! I hearts and flowers love literary graphic novel especially autobiographical (or semi-autobiographical) ones and Same Difference by Derek Kirk Kim is no different (ugh, sorry). Great novel about being young and stupid and how we learn and grow.

Another thing I hope World Book Night includes every year - poetry collections! Philip Smith edited this year's collection of the 100 Best-Loved Poems. You can't go wrong with a best-loved edition; even if it is missing some of my favorites like Poe's "The Bells" (my all time favorite poem). A memory for you: my mom used to read that poem to us as kids. It was pure perfection and I wish I had a recording to imbed here. I just remember thinking how cool the poem was and how awesome my mom was. So, I don't really hold it against Smith for not including this poem, but he should meet my mom.
 

I didn't really love Pride and Prejudice so it is no surprise that I didn't love Sharon Lathan's Miss Darcy Falls in Love. It's a good regency romance, just not my thing (and holy copy editing errors, Batman!). The plot revolves around Mr. Darcy's younger sister, Georgiana, and her love triangle. And there's music...and sex. I did not need to read about Georgiana Darcy having sex. But that's just me. However, there was a slow burn to this romance that was fun to read considering so many romance stories revolve around characters who have just met but will now die without each other. This love is based in a great friendship and partnership - and that's awesome.

World Book Night - Those I've Read

I was so excited to get next year’s World Book Night picks! This will be my third year as a WBN giver and my third year to read through all of the picks from January to April 23^rd. This year there are thirty-five picks, five more than in previous years. I better get started! I am excited to be filling more gaps in my reading life (Agatha Christie! Joseph Heller!) as well as being introduced to books that were not previously on my radar. Reading these picks has absolutely helped me out as a bookseller. I used to believe that I was a broad reader and to some extent I have been, but I rarely approach genre fiction out of a lack of knowledge. World Book Night is giving me a mini crash course in genre fiction (especially mystery and romance) and I am loving it.

There are only three books on this list that I have read previously this time around.

I read Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia in the fifth grade. And I absolutely loathed it! I think twenty years is enough time between us and I will definitely be rereading this one to discover my feelings about it as an adult.

I was in high school the first time I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. And the second time, third time, fourth time. I’m no longer sure how many times I read this brilliant epistolary tale of a young man lost in the world and finding himself through words and friends. I reread Chbosky’s book for the first time as an adult when the film version was released in 2012. It still resonated with me even as it struck me in different places in my head and my heart than it did when I was a teen. I wrote about my reread here.

It was college when I read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. Specifically, it was the summer of 2008 while I was on a three month long road trip to Alaska with my grandparents. Kitchen Confidential was my companion as we travelled up through the Badlands. I regaled my driving companions with (slightly cleaned up) stories of Bourdain’s wild adventures. I shared with my grandfather his rants against vegetarians (I was one at the time) and celebrity chefs (Food Network is a favorite of my grandmother’s). It was a perfect travel book. An interesting World Book Night pick; it will definitely keep new readers interested.

And that’s it! I’ve got thirty-two great looking books ahead of me and I cannot wait to read and write about them.