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

Emily’s comments from the BYL Reading Challenge group.

I love to think about what books will be considered classics in the future - what makes a book a classic? What books, written in your lifetime, will people still be talking about and reading 100 years from now?

Here are some books that I think should be considered classics:

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo (middle grade)
The Giver - Lois Lowry (middle grade)
The Chaos Walking trilogy - Patrick Ness
The Arc of the Sycthe trilogy - Neal Shusterman

Classics don't have to be dry or dull. There are a ton of really great options!

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Dune - Frank Herbert
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Charlotte's Web - E.B. White (middle grade)

Read about a fascinating human this year! There are so many great options for this prompt.

Born a Crime - Trevor Noah
I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
How Dare the Sun Rise - Sandra Uwiringiyimana
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - William Kamkwamba (Middle grade)
Shark Lady - Jess Keating (picture book)

This is also pretty self-explanatory - read a family member's favorite book.

What books have your friends been raving about?

Let me recommend a few titles:

Lovely War - Julie Berry
We Are Not Free - Traci Chee
Wolf by Wolf - Ryan Graudin
Allegedly - Tiffany D. Jackson
The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker

Something that gives me all the hygge feelings is having little things to look forward to - that's why I love pre-ordering new releases. It gives me fun book mail to look forward to!

Some new releases you might get excited for:

Concrete Rose - Angie Thomas (Jan 12)
Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo (Jan 19)
Game Changer - Neal Shusterman (Feb 9)
This Way Madness Lies - Dahlia Adler (March 16)
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (May 4)
The Hidden Palace - Helene Wecker (June 8)

Alicia wrote: "I've picked my first book! I am finally going to read The Count of Monte Cristo. Blue is on the cover. This should be a good-cozy-read by the fire-cold January so stay inside and read kind of book...."

Maybe earl grey?

I've never read The Count of Monte Cristo, but it's on my list of classics to tackle someday. It does sound like it would make for a very cozy winter read!

Kelly wrote: "The graphic novel style cookbook is Nom Nom Paleo. She has a couple out. Look on Amazon."

That sounds fun! It could count toward a book about food too. ;)

Goodreads has a whole list here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/popula...

Maybe it's a book you read as a child, or maybe a book that has a setting or time period that makes you feel nostalgic. What book gives you those nostalgic feelings?

This is pretty self-explanatory - it can be any book in any genre as long as there is a house somewhere on the cover. You could even get away with the word "house" being in the title!

The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune
Life as we Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer
The House with Chicken Legs - Sophie Anderson (Middle Grade)
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

What's more comforting than food? Read a book that has something to do with food, whether it is cooking or eating!

Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai - Nina Mingya Powles
Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - Judi Barrett (picture book)

You might have to do a bit of research for this one, but I think this is a fun challenge. It's easy to get caught up in new releases - this gives you a chance to find those hidden gems!

What is a book that you think is going to be a new favorite for you? Maybe it's a book you've been saving for a rainy day, or maybe it's one you've been hearing everyone talk about.

This is a great opportunity to try out a new-to-you author! Maybe it is a debut or maybe it's an author you've been meaning to read from.

Who is your favorite author? Here are some of mine:

Neal Shusterman
Philippa Gregory
Joe Hill
Tiffany D. Jackson
Grady Hendrix
Tomie de Paola
Kate DiCamillo

There are so many wonderful books that have been translated from their original language.

The Traveling Cat Chronicles - Hiro Arikawa
The Neverending Story - Michael Ende
The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

This can be any pet - bird, dog, cat, hamster, snake - if you can legally have it in your home, it counts!

The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
The Desperate Adventures of Zeno and Alya - Jane Kelley (middle grade)
Lily and the Octopus - Steven Rowley
My Lady Jane - Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

This can be any sequel to any series - I know I have a bunch of series that I've started and not read past the first book.

It can be any game or sport - this is open to interpretation!

Here are some recommendations:

The Queen's Gambit - Walter Tevis
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Otherworld - Jason Segel
Warcross - Marie Lu
Furia - Yamile Saied Méndez