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Author Archives: Alicia Abdul
New endeavor
Woodland creatures
As I finish up the invitations for my kids’ birthday party happening at a local nature discovery center, I’m reminded of a few of my favorite outdoor novels. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a Gary Paulsen story, but then there’s a movie-adapted nonfiction tale by a master storyteller/investigator, and a newer-ish coming of age juxtaposing a human and an animal that may just be an emerging trend.
What I love about Gary Paulsen’s Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod wasn’t so much the story of his actually running it, instead, it was the magical way Paulsen describes his bond with the dogs and the runs he did in preparation. I specifically remember a few scenes where his imagery takes over your five senses and you’re touching, smelling, tasting, hearing, and seeing all of the glorious things nature serves up, if only you took time out to do so. It’s that beauty that he captures that’s perfection.
In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the ultimate man versus nature saga trumps the mystery of why Chris would venture to the Alaskan expanse. For me the speculation about all that he must have endured and the lasting image of the young man’s body in the abandoned bus that graces the front cover is fascinating. How could one survive with so little?
And last, Martin Marten, set at the foot of Mount Hood is a spectacular feast that rolls and twists every cool National Geographic WILD show into a side-by-side comparison to the toils of teenage life. Its rich language is as much a treat as the intelligence that shows in how the story is told, yet only a tad maddening as Doyle does not use quotation marks for dialogue: readers must pay close attention to every word in response which plays to its richness.
So here’s to truly wonderful examples of how we all must slow down just a bit and enjoy nature, whether it’s by actually experiencing it or reading about it to make us remember.
For the love of a character
There’s something about a well-developed character that makes a reader swoon. I went into this book not expecting to like it as much as I did. Instead, I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it and waiting for the next time that I could sit down to finish it. It’s also worth discussing the excitement of a clever cover that not only grabs a reader but represent
s a central theme that from nothing can come something.
Maddy is the main character of the story in which she is sheltered from the outside world as a “bubble baby”, understanding that she is allergic to the outside world and must live under the care of a nurse. And, anyone wishing to be near her, must go through decontamination before entering the house. Surprisingly, Maddy has created a world that she owns: reading, taking classes online, and connecting with her nurse that has become as much her caretaker as a friend. So it’s assumed that Nurse Carla would have a soft spot and arrange an indoor meeting between Maddy and her new neighbor, Olly, who she has taken a liking to after instant messaging and emailing. Olly is a risk-taker and somewhat damaged by the abusive relationship inside his house, which Maddy is privy to as she watches from her window. But Olly has now given her the freedom to dream of something more as love has blinded her from any fear she might have. And, in the best way possible, a shocking revelation has allowed Maddy to be set free.
The reader is along for the journey of a girl, coming of age, in a rich narrative that focuses on the development of the characters. And we’re ever so grateful to Nicola Yoon for bringing her and others to life.
Friends?
After reading Francesca Davis DiPiazza Friend Me!: 600 Years of Social Networking in America, I want to highlight my “six sensational” stories of unique friendships in literature.
- Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson: What’s not to love about the beautiful pictures, vivid colors, and the collection of friends from the ground and the air that hang around with bear?
- North of Beautiful by Justina Chen: When Terra meets Jacob in a collective quest to find inner strength from an outward ‘flaw’, they become inextricably linked.
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See: All of See’s works are gorgeous, but the historical significance and flowing language of this secret language is beguiling.
- Chemical Garden trilogy (Wither, Fever, Sever) by Lauren DeStefano: From the eye-catching covers to the unique storyline of three girls of varying ages brought together to be wives for a man who, like them, is losing the battle with a genetic predisposition to die prematurely, the three ‘sister wives’ bond in varying ways.
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne: On opposite sides of the fence, the Jewish boy on one side of the fence is befriended by the Commander’s son on the other with a heart-wrenching end.
- Selection series (The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir, The Crown) by Kiera Cass: Similar to DeStefano’s books, a crew of girls come together, this time in a palace to vie for the affections of a prince, with one girl seemingly disinterested repeatedly winning the attention from the prince.
An ode to Sarah Cross
Book lovers understand Ambaum & Barnes’ Unshelved comic strip titled “The Seven Stages of Falling in Love with an Author”. I certainly do and have on a few occasions, fallen in love with an author, whether it be everything they’ve written or a series of books. I’ll call out Anne Rice from my teen years, Erika Robuck in my adult life, and a few that seem timeless like Ruta Sepetys and now Sarah Cross. That’s also not to mention the authors I can call out for being tireless in their efforts like Ann Rinaldi in making historical fiction accessible to middle grades or experts in delivery like James Swanson who writes awesome fast-paced thrillers based on true events.
But now to lay it on thick– a true early Valentine’s Day ode to the beauty of Sarah Cross’ writing– her talent for incorporating the wicked and the beautiful, the twisted and the sexy into engrossing fairy tale re-tellings. Not to mention the awe-inspiring covers that I want to hang as wall art and her selfless connection to her fans as evidenced by her short story “After the Ball” that she published on her website for fans to read because she knows how rabid we all are in wanting more.
If you’re not already reading her Beau Rivage series, you need to be. It’s a lesson in fairy tales– the famous and the obscure. It’s the best of a Disney movie with all of the grotesqueness of a true Grimms’ tale. It’s deep character development with a heaping dose of creativity. It’s striking ambiance and expeditious pacing. Sarah Cross– I ♥ you.
A firsthand account
I had previously written about Temple Grandin’s story in a previous post about how extraordinary her perspective is on her autism diagnosis and how she lived with it then and how it’s changed now. You can absolutely add John Elder Robison’s perspective to the list of nonfiction reads about people growing up in a ‘different’ world.
The brother of Augusten Burroughs, Ro
bison also lends his view on his parents’ crumbling marriage, alcoholism, and mental illness that Burroughs details in his books. But the value of the story is in his comparison to how his Asperger’s was dealt with and looked upon when he was a child and how he lives as an adult, able to appreciate his savant tendencies to focus on something deeply. In the past it was electronics and digging holes and as he aged it was cars, specifically engines, and guitars–leading to work with famous bands and a lifelong hobby of detailing high-end cars.
The book isn’t without hi-jinx and trouble with many anecdotes that would have landed him in a facility or lockup today that are humorous, dangerous, and everything in between. I was entranced by his storytelling and self-awareness and less focused when he discussed the humdrum of his everyday existence or specifics of his time in the music and toy work worlds.
The potential of the story lies in his connection with other people who are different to showcase everyone’s amazing talents regardless of labels and abilities, which is a necessary voice to those that feel different and don’t know how to capitalize on it.
Reading binge
What I love about vacations is the amount of time I can dedicate to reading. Do a little cleaning, then read, run and errand, then read. A few of my favorites from this past week already include a few murder mysteries, wait, take that back, all of my favorites this week have somehow dealt with a murder mystery. Hmmm, should someone be concerned? No, they’re just plain good! There’s Rotters by Kraus that is old-fashioned creepy, which leads right in to the nonfiction, The Poisoner’s Handbook by Blum about real cases of murder by poison through the early 1900s. You can take it back to the 1500s in License to Quill by Quercia that offers an alternative reality in which William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were part of English espionage. Speaking of alternative perspectives, how about the housegirl that lived with the Borden’s before the infamous murders in Sweet Madness by Leaver and Currie? In A Madness So Discreet by McGinnis and A Curious Tale of the In-Between by DeStefano, there are two well-written authors trying to solve a mystery with special powers or a special circumstance surrounding their lives. And I’ve saved the best for last, The Life We Bury by Eskens that combines storytelling, a murder, and a war story that will make you hurt.
Wilde thoughts
Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying “You can never be overdressed or over-educated,” so, I like my books to teach me something. And, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm’s graphic history of the first atomic bomb is just such a book. I walked around after finishing it, spreading the factoids that I was previously unaware of to people who weren’t asking for the information. Several other books have had the same impact: Sneaker Century: A History of Athletic Shoes by Amber Keyser that I recently posted about and A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman. I find the collection of the information put into a readable nonfiction text is brain food. The best kind.
Trinity is as much about the politics as the science and the human element. The font is easy on the eyes and there is a nice balance of narrative and dialogue, with the illustrations moving the story forward alongside the words, which cannot be said for all graphic novels.
Are there more graphic novels that do as good a job? Feed me!
Sneakers
It’s no secret that over the last four years, I have become obsessed with reading nonfiction, especially when it’s relevant and accessible to high school students: Keyser’s Sneaker Century: A History of Athletic Shoes is just such a book.
I will full-on confess that I own one pair of sneakers at a time and my most recent purchase were more expensive because they were custom fit for my type of workout as well as my tendency to walk on the inside of my feet. They aren’t a name-brand but they’re amazing. I also confess that in high school, I was obsessed with Adidas for no particular reason than I loved the three
-stripe.
Keyser’s book reveals so much about the brands we know and love including their backstories, the history of footwear and how sneakers impacted popular culture, how jogging became a recreational activity, and name-dropping athletes and their association with specific companies. All of this is neatly compacted into less than one-hundred pages. As I said, accessible in every way. And relevant. A recent author visit with Jason Reynolds had us talking about sneakers: specifically he referenced showing up to college with a bag full of sneakers and having a conversation with his roommate about why he didn’t have more than a pair or two. How many do you own? Do they each have a story to tell?
Readers Be Advised 