Tag Archives: Laurie Halse Anderson

Roald Dahl, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Chains

American Literature, British Literature

My almost six-year-old and I have continued our Roald Dahl streak with George’s Marvelous Medicine, about a boy whose grandma is the meanest lady ever. Every day she drinks a horrible concoction so George decides to take everything in the house and mix up something truly dreadful for her–with unexpected results. It’s not as dark as The Witches but has that same trickster spirit. We both really enjoyed it. And we finally convinced big sister to join the Roald Dahl fun so now she’s listening…

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Candace Bushnell and Stephen King Together at Last, Laurie Halse Anderson

American Literature

Because this week I read Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell and Finders Keepers by Stephen King. The former could’ve used more scary parts, and the latter needed a lot more sex appeal. And it’s pretty clear to me that a mashup of these two authors would make for a pretty fabulous book. On their own? Two pretty mediocre reading experiences. In Killing Monica, a bestselling author decides the only way to self-actualize is to kill off her most famous creation. Or at least that’s the…

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New Favorite Author, More Lloyd Alexander, True Crime, Hatchet

American Literature

I had a great week in reads, after a miserable stretch of books that weren’t worth my time at all. And then I read All The Rage and the world is a better place because Courtney Summers is writing books. My love for Laurie Halse Anderson‘s Speak is epic and legendary, and Summers mines a similar vein (rape victim turned outcast) and makes it completely her own. So of course I completely freaked when I saw that they were interviewed together. YA authors can be…

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The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

American Literature

Synopsis: After living on the road with her truck driver father, Hayley is hoping to graduate from high school, but her father’s bouts with post-traumatic stress disorder after his time in Afghanistan are getting worse and threatening both of their lives. Review: I knew The Impossible Knife of Memory would be brilliant, thought-provoking, and poignant, like every other wonderful book by Laurie Halse Anderson, but I wasn’t prepared for how hopeful and romantic it would be. The love story between Hayley and Finn is one…

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Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

American Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: The death of her best friend sends an anorexic girl into a backsliding tailspin. Review: While all of Laurie Halse Anderson‘s books are fantastic, Wintergirls is the first one to equal Speak in its simple depth, elegant honesty, and dynamic storytelling. Anderson frames Lia’s emotional journey through her grief over the death of her best friend, the girl who taught her to be anorexic in the first place. It’s a heartwrenching story because Lia’s suffering is so palpable, yet Anderson isn’t afraid to let…

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Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

American Literature 5 Comments

Synopsis: A slave girl bent on gaining her freedom finds herself embroiled in the furor of the Revolutionary War in 1776 New York City. Review: It’s simply perfect, that’s all there is to it. Chains is one of the finest examples of a young adult novel you’re likely to find, from one of the genre’s finest authors, Laurie Halse Anderson. I have been reading YA for almost three decades now and while Anderson’s Speak, a fine, fine novel itself, is a classic of a certain…

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Top 20 Meme

On Reading 1 Comment

Picked this up from Becky: The rules: Top twenty favourite books in no particular order. Don’t think about it for too long. Take twenty minutes only to compile your list. Bold the ones you’ve read, or reread, since you’ve started blogging. Include novels, non fiction and plays. 1. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri 2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 3. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious 4. Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King 5. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb 6. Till We Have Faces…

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May I Introduce… (Booking Through Thursday)

On Reading 7 Comments

How did you come across your favorite author(s)? Recommended by a friend? Stumbled across at a bookstore? A book given to you as a gift? Was it love at first sight? Or did the love affair evolve over a long acquaintance? You can find my favorite authors listed in the first sidebar column. Here’s a rundown of how I met them all: CS Lewis–My father read the Chronicles of Narnia to me when was a little girl. For my 6th birthday, I had a cake…

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Highlights (Booking Through Thursday)

On Reading 10 Comments

From Booking Through Thursday: It’s an old question, but a good one . . . What were your favorite books this year? List as many as you like … fiction, non-fiction, mystery, romance, science-fiction, business, travel, cookbooks … whatever the category. But, really, we’re all dying to know. What books were the highlight of your reading year in 2007? It was a good year, reading-wise. Here are my highlights, with links to my reviews. The Ghost Writer by John Harwood East of Eden by John…

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Live and In Person (Booking through Thursday)

On Reading 3 Comments

This week’s questions: * Have you ever met one of your favorite authors? Gotten their autograph? * How about an author you felt only so-so about, but got their autograph anyway? Like, say, at a book-signing a friend dragged you to? * How about stumbling across a book signing or reading and being so captivated, you bought the book?

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