Emily’s Comments (group member since Jan 01, 2019)

Emily’s comments from the BYL Reading Challenge group.

According to Wikipedia: "A memoir is a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public or private, that took place in the subject's life. The assertions made in the work are understood to be factual."

With that in mind, here are some memoirs to get you started:

Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson (middle grade/teen)
Big Red Lollipop - Rukhsana Khan (children)
The Art Lesson - Tomie de Paola (children)
The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank (teens/adults)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou (teens/adults)
Persopolis: The Story of a Childhood - Marjane Satrapi (teens/adults)
Bossypants - Tina Fey (adult)

This can be any period in history that you aren't familiar with, whether it's ancient China or the Oregon trail. Find a book and learn about what life was like in that time period!

Some ideas:

The Indifferent Stars Above - Daniel James Brown (teen/adult)
The Other Bolyn Girl - Philippa Gregory (adult)
The Year We Were Famous - Carole Estby Dagg (teen/adult)
The Mad Wolf's Daughter - Diane Magras (middle grade)
Guts and Glory: The Vikings - Ben Thompson (middle grade)

This can be a new release or just a book by a favorite author that you haven't gotten to yet!

I'm hoping to get to read The Toll by Neal Shusterman (the 3rd book in his Arc of the Syche series) at some point this year, but if that doesn't end up coming out in 2019, I will probably read a Philippa Gregory novel that I haven't gotten to yet (I have a few to choose from) or Bridge of Clay by Markus Zuzak, or a Terry Pratchett Discworld novel I haven't yet read. I have so many choices!

Who is your favorite author? Do they have a new release coming out this year?

This will probably require a trip to your local library. Walk down the rows and choose a book you've never heard of before. Maybe you'll discover a new favorite!

There are so many books that I hear about that sound like great reads....I just haven't gotten to them yet!

Some hyped reads on my list:

Wonder - R.J. Palacio (middle grade)
Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo (teen/adult)
Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys (teen/adult)
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - Hank Green (teen/adult)

This is completely subjective. Whatever your favorite book is - pick it up and read it again sometime this year. I love to revisit old favorites.

I'm considering re-reading The Book Thief since I haven't picked it up in a few years.

What's your favorite book?

This can be any retelling based on a myth.

Recommendations:

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan (middle grade)
Circe - Madeline Miller (adult)
Aru Shah and the End of Time - Roshani Chokshi (middle grade)
American Gods - Neil Gaiman (adult)

I love getting to see more than one side of the story!

Recommendations:

The Stand - Stephen King (adult)
Unwind - Neal Shusterman (teen/adult)
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters (adult)
Wonder - R.J. Palacio (middle grade)

This could be told in flashbacks, time-travel, memories, etc. As long as you are jumping between two points in time, it fits the challenge!

Recommendations:

Revolution - Jennifer Donnelly (teen/adult)
Wonderstruck - Brian Selznick (middle grade)
The Art of the Swap - Kristine Carlson Asselin and Jen Malone (middle grade)
The Boy from Tomorrow - Camille DeAngelis (middle grade)
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford (adult)

Own voices means that the author is writing about the topic from firsthand experience.

Recommendations:

Hurricane Child - Kheryn Callender (middle grade/teen)
American Street - Ibi Zoboi (teen/adult)
The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende (adult)

Own voices means that the author is writing about the topic from firsthand experience.

Recommendations:

Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche (adult)
The Fishermen - Chigozie Obioma (adult)

Own voices means that the author is writing about the topic from firsthand experience.

Recommendations:

Written in the Stars - Aisha Saeed (teen/adult)
The Three Body Problem - Liu Cixin (teen/adult)

This one is pretty straightforward.

Recommendations:

Wolf in the Snow - Matthew Cordell (Caldecott Medal) (children)
Jumanji - Chris Van Allsburg (Caldecott Medal) (children)
When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead (Newbery Award) (middle grade)
The Tale of Despereaux - Kate Dicamillo (Newbery Award) (middle grade)
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo (National Book Award) (teens/adults)
Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders (Man Booker Prize) (adults)

This can be pretty subjective. I can be as simple as a pop-up book or choose-your-own-adventure. It can be anything that makes the book untraditional.

A few recommendations to get you started:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick (children)
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski (adults)
S - J.J. Abrams (adults)
Illuminae - Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (teens/adults)

Are you planning on completing the BYL Reading Challenge this year? Then this is the place for you!

The purpose of this group is to share our progress with the challenge and get recommendations and inspiration for the challenges.

A few notes and thoughts:

1. You do NOT have to finish the challenge. This isn't a contest. It's not about checking all the boxes (although that can be fun and satisfying!). Instead, it's about picking up books you might not have otherwise. It's about dedicating time to read as often as you can. It's about enjoying the act of reading and making it an important part of your life.

2. You can absolutely double up. I made the rule in our house that you can double up twice on the challenges. Otherwise, my kids would find a way to read 3 books that fit all the challenges, lol. But you can double up as much as you want. It's your challenge! Do what works best for you.

3. Have fun! I hope you all enjoy the challenge and I look forward to chatting and checking in with you all year!

Emily