Everyday Planet: books

Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Saturday, April 12, 2014

4 Young Adult Books for Travellers

When I was growing up, I was always looking for kids in books who knew airports & passports & travel as well as I did. But there was a dearth of kid travellers, unless you count Laura Ingalls Wilder, who I guess technically traveled all the time.

I found a few, & I loved them. Now there seems to be a trip-to-Europe trend in YA novels, which is kind of great. Just One Day, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, & The Fault in Our Stars all feature a teenage protaganist (or two) that fly off to Europe at some point.

Here are 4 of my favourite YA novels for travellers.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith

I found The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight last summer, & I loved it more than I really expected to because: travel! teenage protaganist! airplane to London! This kind of book did not exist when I was a teenage protagonist traveling on airplanes to London, & I would have loved it.

Bloomability
by Sharon Creech

Bloomability is about a girl named Dinnie who lives with her "semi-nomadic family*" & whose dad is "transiently employed.*" I feel you, Dinnie. Also, she ends up at an awesome boarding school in Switzerland, a country that I love.

Betsy & the Great World
by Maud Hart Lovelace

I have read Betsy & the Great World nearly every year since I discovered it in high school. Betsy sails away on a ship to Europe after graduating & ends up discovering Venice, Munich, London, & even an exotic island in the middle of the Atlantic. It's a simple story, but one of my favourites of all time.

Anna & the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

Anna moves, against her will, to a boarding school in Paris, where her world is expanded & she falls in love with a great British boy. The end.

Bonus Young Adult Book for Travelers:
The Impossible Knife of Memory
by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Impossible Knife of Memory doesn't fit this jet-off-to-Europe list BUT it's a great book for teenagers who travel a lot. Hayley is an army kid & this book really deals with some of the crazy ways that affects her & her family.

*Thank you for that, Wikipedia.

those books in that suitcase came from here

Friday, April 11, 2014

Fiction by Fictional Authors

Remember that time Anne Shirley wrote a story that won the Rollings Reliable Baking Powder contest? Don't you kind of want to read that story?

There is something so tantalizing, yet frustrating, about a book that is referred to in a novel or film... but doesn't actually exist. Your favourite characters keep talking about it & you just really want to read it. But you can't! Because it doesn't exist! Discord & frustration.

Here are a few books that I really want to read but can't, because both they & their authors are fictional.

An Imperial Affliction

from
The Fault in Our Stars

Yeah, this one tops the list. I've read The Fault in Our Stars twice already, but no matter how many times I read it, I'll never quite know what happens in Hazel's favourite book. For that matter, I'll also never get to live inside the endless fiction of The Price of Dawn, based on Augustus's favourite video game.

Of the many pleasant miseries afforded by reading John Green, not getting to read Van Houten's fictional fiction is just one of them. I really want to read Augustus & Hazel's favourite books. I also want to listen to The Hectic Glow. I also want everyone to live forever. Alas.

Hogwarts: A History

from
Harry Potter

Here's a question: do the characters in Harry Potter read fiction? They read a lot - especially Hermione, obviously - but it seems to be all textbooks & Flying with the Cannons & Rita Skeeter's scandalous Dumbledore biography & Gilderoy Lockhart's made up memoirs. Do Harry, Ron & Hermione ever read novels?

Every time I read or watch Harry Potter, I find myself really wanting to get my hands on Hogwarts: a History. What wonders might be revealed if this book actually existed? Maybe J.K. Rowling should get on that. I bet half of it is already floating around in her head.

In the meantime, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, & Quidditch Through the Ages all do really exist & can be read.

An Unkindness of Ravens

from
One Tree Hill

I recently became obsessed with One Tree Hill, & have been binge-watching it on Netflix. I'll spare you the details; suffice it to say, I really want to read Lucas's books.

Although there is something that bugs me; An Unkindness of Ravens is confusingly referred to as fiction, even though it seems to be an exact retelling of Lucas's high school experience, without even any name changes. It's kind of like when TV show characters say they want a Mocha Latte. It drives me crazy. Because that's not a thing!

The Simon Snow series

from
Fangirl

Simon Snow is a Harry Potter-esque series in the book Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. There are clips of it scattered throughout the book & to be honest, it seems pretty gripping. If it was real, I would read it. I wouldn't mind reading a bit of the main character Cath's fanfiction, while I'm at it.

The Subsect

from
Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls was full of amazing references to real live books, but there was also one that was fictional. Remember when Rory was languishing away at her grandparents house, skipping school & being all un-Rory-like, & in the meantime Jess wrote a book? Yeah, don't you kind of want to read that book?

The Nikki Heat series

from
Castle

I'll polish off the list with this: fiction, by a fictional author, that also really exist in the real world & you can buy it & read it & it's awesome.

I love the show Castle, where the main character is an mystery writer that also helps the NYPD solve crimes. And this time we're in luck; Richard Castle's books really exist, in the real world. No one quite knows who writes them, but they are actual New York Times bestsellers.

It's all so meta.

Any that I'm missing?

Do you have any favourite fake books that you can't actually read?

Let's share the agony.

picture of Hazel reading in The Fault in Our Stars from Entertainment Weekly

Monday, April 7, 2014

Postcards to Authors

Postcards to Authors started when I got a box of 100 Penguin postcards for my birthday & decided to use them to write to my favourite authors, literary agents & other bookish types, just to say thanks for making great books.

It's kind of fun & it turns out I really like Tumblr. Check it out, if excessive bookishness happens to be your kind of thing.

Postcards to Authors

Friday, February 21, 2014

5 British Picture Books

Our childhood visits to England left us with a deep, crazy love for British books.
No wonder, when we grew up reading books like this.

Here are 5 of our favourite British picture books for kids.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

"Once there was a little girl called Sophie, & she was having tea with her mummy in the kitchen. Suddenly there was a ring at the door."

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

by Judith Kerr

Peepo

"Here's a little baby

One, two, three

Stands in his cot

What does he see?"

Peepo

by Janet & Allen Ahlberg

Five Minutes Peace

"The children were having breakfast.

This was not a pleasant sight."

Five Minutes Peace

by Jill Murphy

Paddington

"Mr. & Mrs. Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform."

Paddington

by Michael Bond

Alfie Gives a Hand

"One day Alfie came home from Nursery School with a card in an envelope.

His best friend, Bernard, had given it to him."

Alfie Gives a Hand

by Shirley Hughes

footnote:

In case you where wondering...

If I could only get one of these, it would be The Tiger Who Came to Tea, no question.
Kids love that book. Because it's awesome.

5 British Picture Books: The Tiger Who Came to Tea, & cover, Peepo, Five Minutes Peace, Paddington, Alfie Gives a Hand

Friday, January 17, 2014

Inspiration from Castle: Richard Castle's Office

My obsession with the TV show Castle continues.

It's just so good. Seriously.

Of course Richard Castle has an awesome New York apartment.

He is a rich, successful mystery writer, after all.

My favourite room is his office; not least because of these super epic bookcase walls...

...complete with typewriter, & lots & lots of books.

Books, books, books.

The view from the desk.

Castle's office leads into his bedroom with more bookshelves, which is awesome.

More books, & a little Hamlet moment.

And of course; SWORDS.

Castle's office is amazing.

Can I move in here & write?

Castle's Office pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Dusting Off the Kindle

Confession: I read a book on the Kindle this weekend.

Every time someone new comes to visit our apartment, they take one look at our bookshelves (6 + tall bookcases), and say “Guys, have you ever heard of the Kindle?” (This is followed closely by: “There’s no way you can move all these books.” Au contraire. I have moved them multiple times between three states.)

My response is usually: “We have a Kindle!....somewhere.” (it’s covered in dust). Because, let's be honest, there’s just nothing like holding & reading a real book.

This weekend though, I was looking for a few books on my library’s website, and one of the books (The 100 Thing Challenge) was only available as an e-book. And it was available immediately. I went into the room we’re turning into a nursery, and found under a pile of papers: the dusty Kindle (much more dusty than any of our books). I downloaded the book, and just finished reading it yesterday. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty into it (the book & the Kindle.)

This week in Chicago, the weather has been brutally cold (like frostbite on our feet from being outside for 10 minutes cold.) Plus I’m seven months pregnant, and as much as I love our library, I was kind of excited about the possibility of instant access to a bunch of new books, without leaving my home or my pajamas.

I’m not anywhere near ‘switching’ to the Kindle, but I am wondering if I should take it with me on our vacation in two weeks (solving some of the ‘I’m almost at the end of this novel, but I’ll be gone for a week and need a few reading options on vacation but don’t want a suitcase that weighs a million pounds’ problem.)

The jury’s out on that one. For now, I’ll settle for having a little less dust on our electronic books.

Girl reading on a Kindle picture

Monday, December 30, 2013

Top Five I-Will-Read-Anything-They-Write Authors

The very first blog post I ever wrote, way back in 2005, was

Top Five I-Will-Read-Anything-They-Write Authors.

I had a blog called "There's Beauty in the Breakdown."

Jenny had a blog too: it was a Xanga, remember Xanga?

So here, for your enjoyment, is my first ever blog post, in it's entirety.

Top Five I-Will-Read-Anything-They-Write Authors

Lauren Winner:

I'm a little surprised even myself that I put Lauren Winner as #1 on this list. Can you really make a list where a new author, any new author, trumps C.S. Lewis?? But I've read every book she's written so far (Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, & of course, Real Sex), articles by her, her blog... plus actually, I want to BE Lauren Winner.

C. S. Lewis:

A shoe-in. This one will keep me busy for awhile. Besides all the obvious reasons for putting him on a list like this, (reasons like: he's brilliant; one of the top thinkers of our time; Narnia), I'm also happy to read anyone who sat in his house in England reading, writing, & drinking tea, & managed to impact the world. It's my dream job.

Jane Austen:

I just read Sense & Sensibility for the first time ever & I can't believe I'd never read it before. I grew up on the movie, my sister has read the book more times then she can count, so I finally started it & I couldn't put it down. I want to read it all over again already. I was already a solid Austen fan from Pride & Prejudice, of course, so I'll slowly make my way through the rest.

Sharon Creech:

This is a children's author who I'd never read until a few years ago, but something about the way she looks at life just does it for me. My favourites so far are Bloomability, Walk Two Moons, & The Wanderer. She almost always has some kind of travel in her books & connects the physical trip with the general journey of life. I love that.

Nick Hornby:

My sister was quick to point out that I suddenly started saying I would read anything Nick Hornby wrote when, in fact, I have yet to finish any book by him. Hmm. So maybe this shouldn't count? But I'm half-way through How to Be Good & I fully intend to follow that up with Songbook, High Fidelity, About a Boy, & the rest, so I'll risk making him #5. Come back in a few months & we'll see if I'm right on this one or if he's just another author I happen to be excited about at the moment.

By the way, seeing as I'm such a fan of books, (& lists. & the British.) I decided, with my sister, to read through BBC's Top 100 Novels. A few years ago, BBC searched for "the nation's #1 novel" & in the process came up with lists of the top 21, top 100, & top 200, including everything from 1984 to David Copperfield to Harry Potter.

Check it out.

Top 5 Author pictures: Lauren Winner, CS Lewis, Jane Austen, Sharon Creech, & Nick Hornby.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Idiosyncratic Good Books Gift Guide

My grandma used to say that it always gets really quiet at the Childers house after we've opened our Christmas presents... because we're all sat reading our new books.

I think good books make the best presents. So here's a random, idiosyncratic guide to books that I think would make good gifts...

for SUPERHEROES

First of all, give superhero-lovers whatever COMIC BOOK or Avengers film that they don't have yet.

Second of all, this awesome Superman ornament.

Third of all, SUPERMAN by Larry Tye. I got this for Christmas last year & I'd read it by New Years. (This MARVEL book also looks really good, but I haven't read it yet.)

for NARNIA FANS

This is my favourite C.S. LEWIS biography. I also loved J.R.R. TOLKIEN by Humphrey Carpenter (for Lord of the Rings fans) & his book on the INKLINGS.

for SPORTSY TYPES

I think the fact that I just used the word "sportsy" tells you that I am not a typical sports fan. However, I do love reading sports books & OPEN by Andre Agassi (TENNIS) is my very favourite. I highly recommend it even if you don't watch/play tennis. It's well-written & just a fascinating story.

FEVER PITCH by Nick Hornby (FOOTBALL/SOCCER) is also great. And I'm going to go ahead & mention two books I've never read but have heard such great things about: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS by H.G. Bissinger (American FOOTBALL) & MONEYBALL by Michael Lewis (BASEBALL.) Both are on my To Be Read list. Ooh, another good baseball book is CALICO JOE by John Grisham.

for FOODIES

We just made Shauna Niequist's Bacon Wrapped Dates for Thanksgiving. They were bizarre & delicious. BREAD & WINE was the first Shauna Niequist book I'd read, & I loved it. My mom has already read it twice.

RELISH by Lucy Knisley is awesome - a graphic memoir filled with unpretentious food love, & illustrated recipes.

for DOWNTON ABBEY FANS

LADY CATHERINE, THE EARL, & THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY takes the residents of Highclere Castle through to World War II. If you like history & especially if you like Downton, you'll like this one.

I also can't stop talking about TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD, which is the book, written in the 80's, that inspired Julian Fellowes to create the character of Cora for Downton Abbey. If you have any history lovers/Downton fans on your gift list, give them this book. But then be prepared for a barrage of random historical facts at your next dinner party.

---

BTW, I seriously love getting book recommendations from you guys. I've read several books this year that were recommended in Everyday Planet comments, & I'm always looking for more. So, if you want, please do tell me what you've been reading this year!

Also: If you buy these books from these links, we get a little commission & also you support a real live bookstore. But even if you buy them somewhere else (or just get them for yourself at the library) we hope you really like them.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Good Books: C.S. Lewis, A Life

C. S. Lewis was an odd & complex guy.

Alistair McGrath's C.S. Lewis: A Life is my favourite biography of him because it doesn't try to skim over the oddness.

He doesn't sensationalize but he doesn't try to perfect the story or turn Lewis into an impeccable hero. So you're left with the real story; & while the real story can get messy, I love it. It shows how God took a rough, atheistic young Englishmen named Jack & turned him into the C.S. Lewis we all love.

C.S. Lewis was fascinating, imperfect, funny, kind of screwed up... & a totally brilliant thinker.

This book tells that story.

Read it with a very large cup of tea.

C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath pictures 1, 2

Monday, November 4, 2013

Minneapolis Places: Wild Rumpus

Wild Rumpus is a fabulous children's bookstore in Minneapolis. The name of the bookstore is based on the classic kid's book, Where The Wild Things Are & this unique bookstore lives up to it's name.

Besides having an amazing selection of children's books, Wild Rumpus is home to a menagerie of animals. From birds & chinchillas in cages around the store, to cats & even a chicken wandering among the books, there is plenty of entertainment at Wild Rumpus.

The staff here obviously know their kid's books, & stock excellent books for babies up to teens.

This bookstore is in one of my favourite Minneapolis neighborhoods, Linden Hills, and it is just around the corner from Great Harvest Bread Co. While we were in the neighborhood last, we stopped in to check out the newest children's books & to visit the pet chicken!

Wild Rumpus is one of the most unique & fun bookstores I've been to, & is definitely worth a visit next time you're in Minneapolis!

Friday, October 25, 2013

2 Books for Downton Abbey Fans

If you are one of the millions who have become strangely gripped by the drama of the Crawley family, & you've found yourself suddenly fascinated by WWI & the class system in England, these 2 books are for you.

Lady Almina & the Real Downton Abbey
by the Countess of Carnarvon

Who wouldn't want to read a book written by "The Countess"? I picked this book up expecting it to be just thrown together to cater to the Downton craze. But it turns out to be a good story, well told.

It tells the real story of Highclere Castle (where Downton is filmed) & the eccentric aristocrats who lived there during the same time period as Downton Abbey. Lord Carnarvon happens to be one of the guys who discovered King Tuts tomb. And Lady Almina really did start a hospital at Highclere during WWI.

The World of Downton Abbey
by Jessica Fellowes

I found The World of Downton Abbey in the book aisle at Tesco & I couldn't resist. It shamelessly caters to it's demographic (Rivalry & Romance Revealed!)... & I am it's demographic. Also it's written by Julian Fellowes niece, Jessica Fellowes, so it's the real deal. Pictures, behind the scenes, historical details; I'm a sucker for all of this.

And who knows, reading these books might help you remember how much you love Downton... even if you are still a little mad at Julian Fellowes.

Downton Abbey book pictures from 1, goodreads

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Emma Approved

Have you seen The Lizzie Bennett Diaries? It's a modern adaptation of Pride & Prejudice done as a video diary. I usually get a little twitchy with all the crazy Jane Austen adaptations & spinoffs (although I do kind of want to read Death Comes to Pemberley) but I got pretty hooked on Lizzie Bennett.

Now the creators of The Lizzie Bennett Diaries have launched a new series based on another Austen classic. The first video of Emma Approved went up last week, with the "handsome, clever, & rich" Emma Woodhouse (& a quick Mr. Knightley sighting.)

I only recently realized that Hank Green (brother of John Green, author of The Fault in our Stars) is the co-creator, with Bernie Su. They actually won an Emmy for The Lizzie Bennett Diaries.

The Emma Approved characters have their own Twitter accounts & sometimes even Pinterest boards. This time there is also a blog where you can find links to the clothes worn in the videos, like the "E" monogrammed necklace worn by Emma & available on Etsy. A couple new short videos go up every week.

The whole thing is so clever &, I'll be honest, totally addicting.

What do you think? Will you be watching Emma Approved? Do you like all the Jane Austen spin-offs or is it a little too much?

Emma Approved picture

Monday, October 7, 2013

The BBC Top 100 Books

We like books. A lot.

And we like lists.

And we like all things British.

So a few years ago, when the BBC did a "search for the nation's best-loved novel" & released their Top 100 list, Jenny & I decided to have a go at reading them all.

So far I've made it to 30, with 70 to go.

I'm a little nervous about War & Peace. (#20) That book is long.

I've been wanting to read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (#4) ever since I watched Julie & Julia. Julie's husband quotes from it: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

I read Matilda (#74) about 8 million times when I was a kid. My favourite part was in the beginning when it lists all the books she's been reading from the library.

Every Summer I make great plans to read Gone with the Wind. (#21) Sadly it hasn't happened yet.

Every Fall I make great plans to read The Lord of the Rings. (#1) Tragically it hasn't happened yet.

Jane Eyre (#10) & Little Women (#18) get more then their fair share of my reading attention. I would happily re-read both books every year.

My dad read The Hobbit (#25) out loud to us when we were kids. We still regularly say things like "We wants it, my precious" & "Nasty little hobbitses."

Ok now, without further ado, here it is:

The BBC Top 100

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

5. Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

7. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

8. 1984 by George Orwell

9. The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte