So lately I have been reading some really good books. Books that I believe dear readers you should run over to your nearest and dearest indie book store and buy. And like a lot of life where random coincidences seem to occur (say you hear a song that reminds you of your eighth grade dance, then you go to a friends house and they are singing the same song without having heard it in your presence, and then later on that same day you run into your eighth grade teacher), it seems like a lot of my reading has been "themed." But of course this is not intentional.
Lately it seems like all of the good books surround one very young character but are written by people who don't necessarily come from the same slice of life. As odd as this may sound they have all been very very good books! Books that I would love for you to read dear reader and share with others too! So in no particular order...
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (click to order)
written by Alan Bradley
(Not Published until April 2009)
This book is written by an almost octogenarian Canadian man in the first person voice of a 11 year old English girl. I know seems impossible that anyone could get inside the head of a precocious tween but Bradley does so with some rather delightful results. It is quite simply an irresistible read! It is as delicious as the title would suggest and believe me dear reader you will be gobbling up this mystery featuring Flavia de Luce and a cast of characters amidst an old English manor and village! Truly a fantastic read whether or not you read mysteries!
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet (click to order)
Written (quite masterfully I might add) by Reif Larsen
(Not Published until May 2009)
This book written by an MFA grad student about a child prodigy follows his journey across the country to accept a prestigious science award from the Smithsonian museum, with out his parent's knowledge. On another level this book travels across the massive landscape of their home and a family dealing with loss. Told in the first person, you will fall in love with T.S., and his story.
The Good Thief (click to order)
By Hannah Tinti
This book was such a nice fireside read. It has been out for a while now but in the vein of an author writing about a character that is outside of their own person, Tinti does this really well with a 12 year old orphaned boy (Ren) in 19th century New England. It chronicles Ren's mishaps and adventures after he is "re-adopted" by his long lost brother Benjamin Nab (a character so shady, mischievous and wonderful the great Charles Dickens would have been glad to call him his own. A great read!
Written (quite masterfully I might add) by Reif Larsen
(Not Published until May 2009)
This book written by an MFA grad student about a child prodigy follows his journey across the country to accept a prestigious science award from the Smithsonian museum, with out his parent's knowledge. On another level this book travels across the massive landscape of their home and a family dealing with loss. Told in the first person, you will fall in love with T.S., and his story.
The Good Thief (click to order)
By Hannah Tinti
This book was such a nice fireside read. It has been out for a while now but in the vein of an author writing about a character that is outside of their own person, Tinti does this really well with a 12 year old orphaned boy (Ren) in 19th century New England. It chronicles Ren's mishaps and adventures after he is "re-adopted" by his long lost brother Benjamin Nab (a character so shady, mischievous and wonderful the great Charles Dickens would have been glad to call him his own. A great read!
Also published late last year, this book features four young characters all from the same family line, and all of them when they are six years old. Huston, a French writer, does this well her characters are not only young but they live primarily in an American landscape. As you go through each generation traveling backwards in time you see the way each child is motivated to become the person Huston has created them to be. Whether the child is precocious or an evil genius, Huston does this with a clairvoyant voice that is both wonderful and haunting.
