Letting Go

When we moved into our house I finally had space to take some of my old things still residing at my parents' house. I particularly looked forward to acquiring my extensive L.M. Montgomery collection. I imagined lining them up on our bookshelves and admiring them.

But the reality is that we don't have the space and the books sat in a box for a year and a half. This week I let myself admit the hard truth: I can't keep them here anymore. Okay, I am keeping the first few Anne books, but the rest need to be released.

Other than space, the pressing issue is that this is Florida. Stuff gets funky. Paper stuff gets really funky. I was such a good librarian-in-training 25 years ago that even though they have age issues (discoloration, odor) they hardly have any creases or dents. I treasured them. So before the whole collection spoils and is useful to no one, I am going to donate them to my library's book sale. Maybe the book sale won't want them but I can't think like that! I am going to cling to the thought that the books will get to the sale and some wonderful person will be thrilled to her fingertips. The books deserve to be out and about and not just admired once a year or whenever I get around to cleaning out the closet. I am a hopeless romantic...which you probably figured out since I have a zillion Anne books.

From 7th grade through high school I scoured book stores and libraries for titles. I checked the book list in the front of each Bantam Books edition for new titles. Among the Shadows? What is this?! I fortunately began my obsession during the resurgence of Anne due to the TV series. (See well loved AoGG in above picture.) Older and obscure L. M. Montgomery stories were collected and republished and it just fed my fascination. It was a perfect storm of swooning nerdy teenage awesomeness.

Thanks for being my friends, dear beloved books. I hope you encounter another kindred spirit and bring some light into her life.

Your obedient servant,
joanna

Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside
Emily of New Moon,  Emily Climbs, Emily's Quest
Pat of Silver Bush, Mistress Pat
The Blue Castle
Magic for Marigold
Jane of Lantern Hill
The Story Girl, The Golden Road
A Tangled Web
Kilmeny of the Orchard
Chronicles of Avonlea, Further Chronicles of Avonlea
After Many Days
Akin to Anne
Among the Shadows
The Road to Yesterday
Along the Shore
At the Altar
The Doctor's Sweetheart and Other Stories
Maud: the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Harry Bruce

(See also : Top 10 YA, and prequel review.)

Happy Birthday, Sloppy Firsts!

Ten years ago next week (8/28) Megan McCafferty unleashed the irresistible Jessica Darling into the literary world. And the world became a better place.

Please, take a moment and reflect on its awesomeness.

 And if you haven't read it, now is the perfect time. While I love Patti for many, many things, she nagged me for at least 3 years to read it. Thanks, Patti.

Reflect with Megan & other fans on twitter : #sloppyfirsts10th

See Bumped, Kerry's Marcus Post,  Perfect Fifths and Fourth Comings,

Top 100 YA Novels

A while ago Patti and I came up with our Top 10 YA Novels. Here is the first half of the grand list complied by Adele at the always interesting Persnickety Snark.

100-96

95-91

90-86

85-81

80-76

75-71

70-66

65-61

60-56

55-51

Top Ten Favorite YA Books, part 2

I just submitted my list to Persnickety Snark for the Top YA Titles Poll. I'll admit that this took me forever. I started off fine, but hit a snag around book 5 and then didn't look at the list again until this week when I realized I was running out of time. Patti's list is here.

First of all, I'm indecisive. Compiling a best list is a tough task for me. Another part of my delay is the problem of not having read/reread a lot of older YA. I read YA as a teen, but I can't really say I remember too much. I remember loving Dicey's Song, but dang if I can tell you much about it now. I also couldn't pick one Judy Blume. Tiger Eyes? or Forever? Argh! There's so much missing from this list so I'm hoping that some of my just missed titles were not passed over by others. (e lockhart, WD Myers, Louis Sachar, Polly Horvath, Angela Johnson, MT Anderson, JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, Suzanne Collins, Marcus Zusak, Terry Pratchett...)

So with that rambling, here's my contribution.

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
I am a huge Anne fan. Like when I meet Annes-with-an-E I wonder if it is because of Miss Shirley. My mom gave me a copy of this book when I was in 7^th grade which coincided with the time that I was really developing into a voracious reader. Middle school mostly sucked. I know, shocking. Like Anne, I was trying to figure stuff out and usually remarkably lousy at it. Smarter is better than being pretty, it is … but couldn’t I just be a little bit pretty? Couldn’t I be a little more popular and have nicer clothes and hair? I loved that Anne wrestled with this and wasn’t a saint. She is mouthy and angry and also loyal and loving. She reached out to me, across time and culture, to be my kindred spirit when I really needed it. And she got the hot, good guy in the end. Hello! I know people recommend Anne to younger readers, but I think middle schoolers are a better choice.

Weetzie-Bat by Francesca Lia Block
The YA book that I read as a real young adult – my freshman year in college. Sassy Magazine gave a short, enthusiastic review of it and somehow I got myself to a bookstore to purchase it. Rocked. My. World. In a time when I was reading “serious college literature” (even earlier in high school) this book jumped in to shove it in my face that the book that will change your world isn’t a classic written by a dead person. It may just have a hot pink cover and be about an LA pixie punk you would love to cruise around town with and look for plastic palm tree wallets.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Anderson has a way of making the problem novel literary. An important book for being about date rape and one of the groudbreakers for the golden age of YA.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
I think This Lullaby is the first book of Sarah’s that was the most fully realized. Her books since all follow a rather reliable narrative and to me This Lullaby was the turning point in her career with the smart-girl voice and the boy with a heart stories. Sarah is one of the most reliable writers out there for contemporary YA. When I read her books, I know what to expect (pretty much) and that is exactly what I want.

how i live now by Meg Rosoff
Another book that completely knocked me off my rocker. Achingly beautiful. Completely different from everything that came before.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
John changed YA with the publication of Looking for Alaska. Practically a YA when he wrote it, Looking for Alaska was full of literary geek love that equally appealed to both sexes. Katherines appeals to me more because I am not a fan of "girl who changed my life then dies" stories. Alaska is great, but Katherines is more fun. When the world was all about Harry Potter, John brought back brainy contemporary realistic fiction. He dares the reader with mathematics and obscure history, and also introduces one of the greatest literary BFFs ever.

Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner.
My favorite of the four because I just love Attolia. She is a fascinating character, equaled only by Gen, and thus their ridiculous joining was the best. pairing. ever.

Make Lemonade by Virigina Euwer Wolff
As I was combing my stacks for favorites, I noticed this book. It's one of the grimiest books in my collection so it really stands out (my library got a completely new collection 3 yrs ago). One of the first YA I read as a new teen librarian and my very first novel in verse. Love it.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I debated this one, but in the end I love a funny book.

Sabriel by Garth Nix
As you can see, my list is heavily realistic fiction. I was never a fantasy or scifi reader and Sabriel was probably one of my first ventures. So beautiful in all its horror and it scared me silly.

Top Ten Favorite YA Books

So Persnickity Snark is compiling everyone's top ten YA books of all time ala Fuse #8. You have until April 30th, I fully expect you to play and to post yours too so we can all discuss!

I luckily have lists of everything I've read for the past several years. The early ones are color coded, lately I've relaxed some and they are just in a spreadsheet alphabetical by author. I thought pretty hard, although I didn't spend all afternoon on it, but I did weigh out my thoughts on why I wanted to put certain books on my list.

I tried to pick things that I had read more than once – although there are a few on there that I haven’t. I picked those because even if I haven’t re-read them, I’ve thought about the books over the years, I figured if I think about them then they probably stuck with me for a reason. If the book was in a series, I decided I had to have read all the other books in a series – there are plenty of first books that I’ve loved, but not enough, apparently to keep reading the rest of them as they are published. And occasionally if I loved the other books published by the same author, I just picked the one that made me cry more, or made me laugh more.

After I had compiled it I wondered what my list says about me. This is what I found: I like fantasy and science fiction the best and I also like to laugh, especially if the humor is dark. One might also see that I have a major soft spot for books set in Winnipeg. I like books with strong female characters. I like books where the guys are insecure and sarcastic, but come into their own (and smoke lots of...stuff…apparently). I like violence – but only violence that is right vs. wrong. And as always I like it when characters die. I really don't think there is anything too out of left field except maybe my #10 pick.

So without further ado, here is my list:


1. How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff. 2004.
2. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart. 2008.
3. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness. 2009.
4. The Year of Secret Assignments - Jaclyn Moriarty. 2004.
5. Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve. 2001.
6. Rats Saw God - Rob Thomas. 1996.
7. Sabriel - Garth Nix. 1995.
8. The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak. 2006.
9. King Dork - Frank Portman. 2008.
10. True Confessions of a Heartless Girl - Martha Brooks. 2003.

Runners up:

The Thief – Megan Whalen Turner. I would have put this on there, but I thought it might be considered Middle Grade. I waffled. If I hadn’t over thought it? It would have been #1 or #2.

An Abundance of Katherines – John Green. Almost on there. Hassan is one of my favorite characters of all time. I picked King Dork instead.

Dairy Queen – Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Oh D. J., your voice is one of the all time best voices in teen lit. But I haven't read the third book yet, despite it being on my library's shelf.

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jack” Faber, Ship’s Boy – LA Meyer. What I wrote about D.J. goes the same for you Ms. Jack.

Feed – M.T. Anderson.

Skin Hunger – Kathleen Duey. I live in anticipation of the third book.

Godless – Pete Hautman. Just completely amazing in every way.

Luna – Julie Ann Peters

Far From Xanadu – Julie Ann Peters. I identified so much with Mike. That sibling relationship was so amazingly written.

If you Come Softly – Jacqueline Woodson

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart – Deb Caletti