Actual second semester starts next week, which I Do Not Want. At all. I think grades are also coming out soon, which I want Even Less. But in the meantime, at least I've been being good about writing. 2,500 words today! I've also been reading more than usual. My goal for this year is 50 books. That's about a book a week. Which is pretty ambitious for me, but I'm assuming I'll do a lot of catching up over the summer as I'll probably lag during the semester. I've already read five in the new year, so I'm on track. I'll do a recap, probably, when I get to ten.
Oh, and if there are any really great debut novels out there, I'd love to hear about it. Especially contemporary, but any genre is okay. I feel like I've been sticking pretty tightly to known authors recently, and I like new discoveries.
I read a really good quote from Please Ignore Vera Dietz today, and it made me think about some of my favorite quotes from novels. Obviously, there are a lot of great lines out there, and I have the misfortune of only having a limited number of books with me in Massachusetts. But here are five that I love and that I have on digital post-its on my laptop to remind me of how wonderful language is. (None of these are spoilers, by the way. I don't think they give away anything that isn't self-evident in the first ten pages of the book.)
"They skipped over me like a space between words." -- Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." -- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
"I die, Jane. The world grows more gorgeous every day. I am only forty-six — that may seem old to you now but a day will come (and sooner than you think) when forty-six seems very young indeed. I am only forty-six and it would seem tragic but for one thing. In you, I found infinity; in you, I was reborn." -- Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin
"It is just that she was fifteen once for the first time, and Peter walked across her heart and left his footprints there." -- Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
And maybe most importantly:
"Tell them stories." -- The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Happy reading! (And writing, if you are.)
{from elysium} ... unorganized observations of an aspiring author
Love the quotes, and oh, wasn't Tiger Lily lovely?
ReplyDeleteI think this was a debut last year, but I really liked Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, which is mostly a contemporary and a reflection on small town life, but it's also a little bit of a murder mystery. It's short too, so if you're pressed for time, it might be a good choice. The MG book Wonder was also reaaaally good.
I don't read that many Contemps, so here's a few other books I enjoyed that weren't fantasy or dystopian.
For YA historicals, I love Michelle Cooper's Montmaray Journals trilogy, which just ended last year. They're very slice-of-life, written in diary form, look into the life of a fictional royal family during World War II. Also, last year's Code Name Verity was fantastic if you haven't read it yet. It was my favorite YA book read last year and would have been my favorite book of 2012 if it weren't for The Song of Achilles - which is about Achilles and Patroclus' romance and coming-of-age and also it's a retelling of the Iliad. It made me cry tears, and I almost never do that with books. I think it's like maybe the 2nd or 3rd book that's ever made me cry.
Anyway, good luck with your semester!
I loved Tiger Lily like crazy. So good.
DeleteAmelia Anne sounds awesome. I keep hearing about Code Name Verity and Song of Achilles and I've just put off reading them, but I will add them to my list because you haven't steered me wrong yet. Thanks!