Emotion over deep thought

[Katie]

I figure I would finally give this a shot, after lingering for a long while (which means it has been a while since I read what to include in a post).

So, what I am looking for (as far as I know): Any genre, except romance is just fine. Fast-paced would probably be best, short chapters. I do love great description though, so not too much dialogue. I definitely want a quirky protagonist/narrator. I don't care about the gender or age of the narrator/protagonist, just that they are well-developed. I am not looking for anything that takes itself too seriously, something that perhaps tackles hard issues in a funny/light-hearted way.

I honestly, just want a FUN read! I want to FEEL something (anything) while I read. What have you read that made you laugh, smile, growl, brood, shake your head, want to get up and do the jitter-bug? :) Hopefully, that is enough to go on...considering I don't know exactly what I want either.

[Meredith]

The books I think of with this request are the following:

Jeannette Walls, of course. Probably, The Glass Castle is best to read first. It is memoir, with short chapters, and each chapter is a fantastic story. I think they all flow together well, and I hope I get a commission on the amount of times I recommend this book.

Lips Touch: Three Times. This is newer, and the cover is not great, but it is three beautiful, fun stories that reach back to some kind of traditional fairy tale or mythology, but bring them to the present day in a really fun way.

I Capture the Castle. This is a coming-of-age story about a family that lives in a castle. It is really lovely, I think. People say it has a Jane Austen feel, and I basically agree with that. I love the characters and think it is all really beautiful.

Those are my first thoughts.

Oh, also Blood Red Road, which is an adventure story about a girl saving her brother. I think it is really fun, but people are right when they say that the first half is wonderful and the second half is not so great. I think it is quick and exciting, but it is written in eye-dialect, so if you don't like dialect, it might read slower.

[karen, future RA queen]

okay - this is not even out yet, but it will be out fairly soon (january) and i loved it, and it sounds perfect for your needs: The Fallback Plan. so you can put it on your to-read for now,if you are interested, while i keep thinking...

[Katie]

Karen, it does sound perfect. I put it on my to-read.

@Sparrow, I have actually been wanting to read The Glass Castle for a while. I might stop and pick it up today. I own Blood Red Road, but have been putting it off, specifically because of the dialect. I usually hate that. I will check the other two out.

Thanks for the suggestions. :) More are always welcome.

[karen, future RA queen]

have you read any Francesca Lia Block?? i have only read Weetzie Bat, but that definitely had quirky characters, and treated serious issues kind of glossily. but i mean that in a good way. it was kind of a magical book, but a little disjointed. it's not really a straight narrative, more like isolated episodes that sort of progress, but have a definite dreamlike quality to them. i have heard that the other books in that cycle are just as good.

but i am still thinking of you, in between bouts of feverish paper-writing.

[Katie]

@ Nicole, looking into your first suggestion. :) I have read The Book Thief. It rocked my world. The Hunger Games trilogy was great too.

[karen, future RA queen]

this is very quick, and quirky, and despite its cover i assure you it is not romance or chick-lit. they are short, connected "episodes" more that "stories" about women - yes, in various relationships throughout their lives, but i would never call it "romance." it is funny and occasionally dark, but very authentic-feeling. i really loved it.

Instant Love: Fiction

[Melissa]

I will echo Nicole - We Have Always Lived in the Castle definitely has a quirky (read: unreliable) narrator and you will feel something when you finish it!

Shirley Jackson is amazing!

[Jennifer (formerly Eccentric Muse)]

I would recommend The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow.

Per your criteria:

Fast-paced, short chapters, great description, not too much dialogue - check on all four counts

Quirky protagonist/narrator - you will LOVE the protagonist and the "narrator" is Newton's Principia Mathematica. Quirky enough for you?

Protoganist, well-developed - you will LOVE the protagonist, did I say already?

Doesn't take itself too seriously, something that perhaps tackles hard issues in a funny/light-hearted way. - the coming of the Enlightenment and the end of the witch hunts of the 16th/17th C - but it's funny, I swear it!

I honestly, just want a FUN read! - terrifically fun (but also moving, tragic and uplifting, too)

[Micha]

Jennifer (aka EM) wrote: "I would recommend The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow."

Bravo on the James Morrow! I hardly know anyone who reads his work! ^_^

[Sophie]

Has anyone yet recommended Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series? There are already three in the series with a fourth to be published soon. The first is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Flavia is an 11 year old chemistry aficionado living with her distracted father and two older sisters in rural England. She is extremely precocious and solves mysteries. She also has a wicked wit. Bradley's writing is literate, witty and extremely entertaining.

[Katie]

Awesome, lots of suggestions I have not heard of or considered. Thank you all. I shall be finding as many of this as I can after the weekend (test due today and a paper due Tuesday).

[Katie]

Oops that was supposed to be "these"

[karen, future RA queen]

yay!! we are paper buddies!! mine is due monday. well, the first three parts of it...

[Katie]

Fortunately, midterm papers are always expected to be shorter than final papers. This one is a struggle though, haha, not enjoying being a "paper buddy."

[karen, future RA queen]

):

[Katie]

Why sad face? Did that come out wrong? Haha I have a tendency to say things wrong.

[Shanshad]

I was thinking about your parameters and figured I'd suggest Terry Pratchett. If you enjoy fantasy he's by far one of my favorite authors and his Discworld series tends to tackle different aspects of society with humor and sharp insight. His City Watch books particularly are a lot of fun, starting with Guards! Guards!. He makes me chuckle, and then sometimes he makes me all unexpectedly choke up with tears.

[karen, future RA queen]

haha no, but i just lost my paper buddy and now i am a paper-loner...

[Katie]

Lol Aw, I can remain a paper buddy, but you have to watch me walk in circles mumbling to myself, and pulling out my hair on occasion. It is a part of my writing process. It can be violent. Mwahaha

[karen, future RA queen]

that's cool! i keep getting sucked into internet and drinking hundreds of these "sparkling ice" drinks.

[Katie]

Oh, the magical vacuum powers of the internet!

[Katie]

I just thought I would say I picked up I Capture the Castle and We Have Always Lived in the Castle at la biblioteca today. I was going to get The Glass Castle as well but alas it went missing...who takes books from a library?!? They are already "free." Anyway, I figured I would go with a "castle in the title" theme to appease my OCD.

I shall let you all know shortly how well your suggestions went over with my short attention span, and inability to be pleased. :) I am excited to have this paper done with (I haven't actually started... :/ just research) and start reading them.

[Katie]

Score one for Nicole and Melissa! I really loved the narration of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I really liked the book, in general. :)

[peg]

"Extremely Lound and Incredibly Close" is a quirky narrative of a young boy who lost his father on 9-11. It's not a short book but the wit and rhythm of the prose make it a must read!

[Melissa]

Thanks Katie - glad you liked it :)

[karen, future RA queen]

i am just adding these books into html format, so they show up on the side in the "books mentioned in this topic" thingie. don't mind me...

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close