READ BOOKS

The Best Part of Today #50 Part 2:

So much reading.

I began two new books today, and realized how much I have been reading since I got home for the holidays. With no school or work or other obligations to tend to besides social ones, I have been able to read books of my choosing to my hearts content. I had finished Mockingjay, the last book of the The Hunger Games Trilogy, in the wee hours of yesterday morning. I kept telling myself I would stop and go to bed when I finished the next chapter but they were always cliffhangers! I had to keep going, and before I knew it, it was 4am and I had finished the book. Then when Greg gave me the Halo novels yesterday, I started one this morning, after we got back from the "Halo Hang" that went past midnight (earlier than the one over the summer). Then I had a hankering for my new Artemis Fowl novel, The Atlantis Complex, which I have been reading for the latter half of the day, only stopping to post this.

In honor of the Fiftieth Post, celebrating (more or less) 50 great things, I have decided to include another great thing: a list of 10 fantastic books (or book series; Like the Lay's potato chip slogan "Betcha can't eat just one," I can't imagine that you wouldn't continue to read the rest of the installments after only tasting the first.) This is also continuing the trend of providing things for you to do over your break ^_^

• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I recommend this with some hesitation, but not at all because of the quality (which is more than remarkable.) Rather, it is more of a warning. Maybe it's just me and my weakness for superbly crafted novels, but I became so entwined in the fictional lives of the characters that I was sobbing at the end of the series.
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: Many of you may be fans of the popular film series, but regardless of if you are or not, you should read the original books. This whimsical, fun, and yet poignant and piercing tales are written eloquently and accessibly, a wonderful addition to anyone's enjoyment of fantasy.
• Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde: As a lover of color, I adored this book about a surreal world that is regulated by what colors you can see. The levels in the spectrum make up the strata of the aristocracy, with the regal purple perceivers holding sway of society, and the lowly greys skirting the bottom edge of the population. This cleverly wrought piece of work creates a mysterious, fantastical, yet almost disturbingly realistic world that is of the utmost pleasure to experience. (Because, after all, it is in fiction where the truths of reality disguised by the cloak of fantasy can stare you unashamedly in the eyes.)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This beautifully crafted novel, much along the same vein of Mockingjay, is a very emotional experience, given even more power and authority by being set in the very real Molching, Germany, at the height of the Third Reich. The narrative is given a unique flavor from the viewpoint of Death, personified, a bluntly honest narrator who follows a young girl's hunger for reading. One of my favorite books,The Eyre Affair, was once described as "a love letter to books" which I think is a most apt description for this novel as well. If you have a passion for books, you will love this one.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: This veritable work of art is like a picture book for grownups. It's composed of more or less half text and half pencil drawings of such beautiful detail it makes you want to cry. The story is bold and surprising, driven by a historical background given color by artistic license.
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow: A fun read for all the gamers and conspiracy theorists out there. It always amazes me how much fiction can do with a setting like reality, but Doctorow doesn't disappoint. It's sort of like 1984 updated for teenagers and the blossoming youth culture therein. Fast-paced and fun but with a continuous thread of mystery, this modern adventure will question your loyalties and force you to question your beliefs.
• The Princess Bride by William Goldman: I love many books, and this is not my all time favorite, but I have never enjoyed myself more over the course of a single novel. I absolutely adored every word this light-hearted read, but it is not to be taken lightly. This novel is one of the most finely crafted, stand-alone fantasies I have read in a long time. I have always loved the slightly cheesy movie, but to say that the novel far surpasses the movie (even more than in Harry Potter's case) is an unforgivably gross understatement.
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: This thrilling adventure is primarily set in not so much an alternate reality as an additional one. Like the muggle world and the magical world of Harry Potter, this novel creates a world that exists beneath modern, real-life London, unbeknownst to the average citizen. It plucks one of the most average specimens possible ("Richard") and plops him directly into a world he is utterly unprepared to survive in. Gaiman shares Fforde's talent to take ordinary places and things and give them new meaning.
• The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud: I like this series because it serves as a reminder that Harry Potter isn't the only good quality book series with magic at its core. Far from being at all similar to the Rowling's, Stroud's brand of magic is refreshingly idiosyncratic. The powers of the warlocks in the Bartimaeus Trilogy rests in their ability to summon and control all manners of demons from an elusive, intangible otherworld. The story is told through the perspective of bitingly funny djinn, Bartimaeus, who periodically interrupts his own narration with additional footnotes directed right at the reader in an enjoyable breaking-the-fourth-wall sort of way. An extremely engaging read for magic lovers with a sense of humor.
• Airman by Eoin Colfer: Though I enjoy the Artemis Fowl series (as I implied earlier, having started the newest installment today) I might actually like this standalone work better than any one of Fowl books. It is set in a sort of quasi-realistic victorian world with steampunky elements on the Saltee Islands, off the coast from the Irish town of Kilmore. Focusing on the era's obssession with gaining the power of flight, this book is unlike any I have read and well-worth the chance.