Lucy Adams's Blog, page 3

Bookshelf ABC - Y

The Yearling will make you cry. Though it's technically children's literature, the content appeals to a broader audience. The novel is of the same ilk as Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows. Without witches, without vampires, without futuristic utopias gone bad, The Yearling captures the angst of coming of age. Set in central Florida when it was a wild, unforgiving landscape, the book tenderly examines the challenges a boy faces as he crosses the threshold to manhood. If you missed out on reading this book as a kid, read it now.


Examine your bookshelf or your memory and leave a suggested Y book in the comments.

Bookshelf ABC - X

Xenophobe's Guide to the English pretty much explains the part of me I inherited from my English ancestors. And for those of us fascinated by Brit Lit, it's a fine resource for understanding the conundrums and complexities of English reasoning and behavior.

You are just now asking yourself, "Am I a xenophobe?" You are both worried that you are and afraid that you are not. So, to clear up the confusion, a xenophobe is a person fearful of foreigners and things foreign. This delightful guide will aid the reader in overcoming anxiety about those enigmatic folk across the Atlantic. It also sheds light on characterization in novels originating from the Mother Country.


Excite me with more X titles of your own!

Bookshelf ABC - W

White Nights takes place in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. As my people are from the Scottish Highlands, I love to read books set in Scotland. And since I visited Shetland about a year ago for the annual Viking festival, I feel a kinship with the place. Nonetheless, I have not read this book. My mother just gave it to me on Sunday, and I've added it to my to-read stack on my bedside table.


 Wow me with another W book.

Bookshelf ABC - V

V for Vendetta , a graphic novel upon which the movie of the same title was based, begins with my birthday anthem: Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot. The vigilante hero in this novel fashions himself as a futuristic Guy Fawkes fighting a battle against an oppressive government. If you're not into graphic novels, I recommend the movie instead.



It is very important that you do not leave this blog post before putting in a vote for your favorite V book.

Bookshelf ABC - U

The U.S. Constitution: A Reader is the most important book a United States citizen can read. Too few of us understand the constitution, a living, breathing document composed by visionaries. For everything that is wrong with our country, this is the one thing that is right. This book provides a tutorial on this landmark document.


It would be unconstitutional for you to leave without donating a U title to the cause. Put it in the comments, please.

Bookshelf ABC - T

Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run will walk you through some of life's most embarrassing moments and out to the other side. All things will pass if one has a sense of humor in hand. True stories about tough situations and the people who survived them.





Tickle me with T title you have read or would like to read.

Bookshelf ABC - S

Still Life with Woodpecker remains one of my favorite books of fiction. In college I went through a Tom Robbins phase and his offbeat yet sophisticated humor and characters entertained me in a way that others writers could not. As an author, Robbins influenced my writing as much as Faulkner and Twain. I need to go back and reread Robbins's tomes to see if if I've outgrown them or if I interpret them the same over twenty years since I first discovered them.

Oh, and did I mention that this novel takes place inside a package of Camel cigarettes?


So, do share an S title with me.

Bookshelf ABC - R

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs has been mentioned in my blog before: here http://lucybgoosey.blogspot.com/2011/03/downside-of-perfect-parenting.html and here http://lucybgoosey.blogspot.com/2008/01/christmas-update.html . I love the way this book starts out, with the description of Augustine as a young boy enraptures by the smell of tobacco in his mother's purse. I'm a smell person. Odors trigger childhood memories for me.

Beyond that, the author tends to go for shock and awe over intrigue and drama. He gives graphic details that would be better left to the imagination. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating memoir of a boy caught up in the pathological crazy of multiple adults. Though our Mamas taught us that the polite thing to do would be to look away, we can help but stare at the mess.


Are you ready with your R contribution? Leave it in the comments, please.

Bookshelf ABC - Q

Q & A a Day: A five year journey is a book you write yourself. My mother gave me mine as a Christmas gift in 2012. I began logging entries on January 1, 2013. Every page has writing prompt and enough space to write about 200 characters, depending on the size of your lettering. Sometimes I answer the questions, often I ignore them and write down what was significant about the day. Now that I'm in my second year, I like looking back at what I wrote in 2013.

A lot happens in a day. This book provides a quick and easy way to keep track of five years of days. The limited space keeps me from self-indulgent rambling and forces me to pin down what was most important about my day.
 
What Q titles have you read or written?

Bookshelf ABC - P

The Pearl was on my school's reading list when I was in 7th, 8th and 9th grades. We were assigned by our English teacher to choose a book to read independently and write a book report. In those idealistic days of youth, I chose to read The Pearl because it was short. Very short. I could knock out 96 pages, write the report and get on with adolescent dawdling.

I was such a stupid kid. John Steinbeck plunges the reader to the depths of the ocean and the human soul. By the time I finished the book, I could taste the salt of sea and tears. That was an inspired book report I turned in!


Please me by leaving a P title that wowed you.