Laura Hillenbrand

Her next book was Unbroken, the biography of the World War II hero Louis Zamperini, published in 2010. If you haven’t heard of Zamperini, then you’re missing out on quite the story. In his youth, Zamperini (now 95 and an international speaker) was a top runner, with a four-minute mile in his sights and an eighth place finish in the 5k at the 1936 Berlin Olympics under his belt. When the war came around, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces. He survived a crash that stranded three of the eleven aboard the plane on a raft for 47 days at sea. And let’s just say that there’s more to the story, but I’ll let Hillenbrand do the rest of the narration for Zamperini’s truly astounding tale. This is truly a story you don’t want to miss.
Hillenbrand has been living with a debilitating condition known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which caused her to cut her college studies short. She is rarely able to leave her home due to her CFS. When asked by the Washington Post (see the article here) to comment on the irony of writing about such physical feats given her own physical state, Hillenbrand revealed what sets her apart from other authors. Her own physical incapacity gives her the drive to escape intellectually; describing another person’s physical accomplishments is her way of “living vicariously.” So that’s how she became a storyteller of nonfiction like no other before her.

I read A Long Way Down one summer while working at a golf course. I’d be sitting by the snack shack, ready to give golfers fuel in the form of hot dogs and beer, and they’d inevitably ask me what I was reading. When they questioned the plot, I always hesitated slightly: “It’s a story about four strangers who meet when they all decide to commit suicide on the same night,” sounds a little deranged, but it’s true. The novel is told in alternating viewpoints of the characters – an 18-year-old girl with a penchant for drama, a single mother of a disabled adult son, a struggling American musician, and a former morning show host shamed by a sex scandal – as they decide to put off their suicides and meet three months later to reconsider.

My first introduction to Hornby was through How to Be Good, a novel I read as an assignment in my introductory literature class freshman year of college. Since I had spent high school being forced to read books I didn’t particularly like (with a few exceptions), I was blown away to be reading material I actually enjoyed for an academic class. How to Be Good explores what it means… to be good. Go figure, huh? It focuses on a family of four’s reaction to the father suddenly enlisting the help of a spiritual leader and renovating his life to reflect “good.” This means giving away his children’s toys, inviting homeless strangers into the home, and other extreme behavior. His wife, a physician, struggles with understanding the actions of her “new” husband and tries to decide for herself what “being good” really is.

Hornby’s books tend to be quick reads with a lot of dialogue – not surprising, considering he writes a lot of screenplays and that his books are frequently adapted into movies. Despite addressing bizarre or extreme behavior some of the time, the characters are given backgrounds that make them feel familiar. When I get a chance (or an e-reader for my upcoming birthday… hint, hint!), I’m going to track down some other Hornby novels to give those a try too!

Patterson just might be the world’s best-selling author. His books have sold more than 180 million copies to date. Recently, his novels have sold more copies that those of Dan Brown, Stephen King, and John Grisham, combined! He holds the Guinness World record for the most bestselling hardcover fiction titles (63), which includes 19 consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels. His newest novel, Private, currently rounds out the top 10 bestsellers at Barnes & Nobles. (The Hunger Game Series currently dominates that list.)

We all probably have a few questions for someone like Patterson. Luckily, at least 10 questions have already been answered in an interview conducted by Time in July 2010. I found one of his most interesting responses to be the one that answered the question, “What do you say to critics like author Stephen King who say you are not a great prose stylist?” It must be tough to have Stephen King question your legitimacy as an author. Luckily, Patterson took the question in stride, agreeing that he simply is not a great prose stylist. “I’m a storyteller,” he explained. And that’s what the majority of the population is looking for, so it all works out quite nicely for Patterson in the end.

One of his major goals is to simply ignite a lifelong passion for reading across the population. This is evident from his Web site ReadKiddoRead, which makes some fantastic suggestions for young readers. You’ll see titles of some really fun books, such as The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. Of course, Patterson has the right to include some of his own hits such as the Maximum Ride series. Patterson is perhaps best known for his series geared towards adults, particularly the Alex Cross series, but has made quite a successful crossover to young adult literature. This is partly due to the fact that he has his own young teenage son to inspire in reading; what better motivation can there be?

The giant collection of stories was originally hand-selected by the author himself. Bradbury picked out 100 of his favorite and most captivating stories, and packed them into a nearly 1,000-page manuscript. Within the mass of words, however, one finds some of the most classic stories of our time. From living on Mars, to carnivals, to time travel, Bradbury has an extraordinary talent for creating imaginative and innovative story lines. What promotes these stories to the classic level are the underlying complex story lines and brilliant social commentaries. When you look past all of the ridiculous and often out-of-place ingredients, the reader gets to the core of the tales. For example, as has been pointed out in the story, “The Lake”  is not about the  girl who comes back from the dead, it is about the amazing bond of friendship and love, and the survival of these ideas through time, distance, and the sorrow of an early death.

Another story with a pertinent message, especially during this time of war in America, is “A Piece of Wood.” In this tale, Bradbury writes of an invention that can keep us from fighting, and end all wars for good. However, Bradbury suggests that no matter what device is invented to resolve all conflicts, as humans we are war-loving people, and will have conflicts no matter what. Another often-cited example of Bradbury’s genius is in the story, “The Vacation.” In this story, a family wakes up to find out that they are the last people left on Earth. As such, they set out on a vacation to visit all of the tourist sights of the country with no lines, traffic, or other obstacles. After being on the vacation for an extended period of time, the child starts to get lonely. The father so observantly points out that his child needs a playmate, as we, as humans, are by nature social creatures.

One of the greatest aspects of Bradbury and his stories is the level of readability. I was only in early middle school when I received the book, but could still read and comprehend everything. Although this is definitively a classic, Bradbury’s tales are accessible to a much broader audience than most classics of the early 20th century. If you are looking for a nice quick read, a philosophical social commentary, or a beginning classic for your child, Ray Bradbury’s compilation of stories is the perfect book. The Stories of Ray Bradbury can be found on Amazon.com for around $20.

Take Joseph Heller, for example. If the name doesn’t ring any bells, the title Catch-22 certainly will. It was Heller’s debut novel, about US servicemen during World War II. The words “catch 22″ became a common idiom that refers to a “no-win situation” or a “double bind” of any type. In the novel, it refers to a military rule. Heller went on to write a number of other novels that received moderate popularity and moderate critical praise, but none ever came close to the success of Catch-22.

The majority of people would recognize the title Gone with the Wind, but a much smaller proportion of the population would recognize the name of its author. Gone with the Wind was Margaret Mitchell‘s first published novel, which immediately became a smash hit. The sales started during the summer of 1936, selling at a virtually unprecedented price of three dollars. One million copies had been sold by December that year. The 1939 film by the same name received 10 Academy Awards, a record that stood for two decades. It starred Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. Gone with the Wind is commonly believed to be Mitchell’s only complete novel; however, a manuscript for a novel entitled Lost Laysen, written by Mitchell, was discovered many years after her death. Written in 1916, it was published in 1996.

Last but certainly not least, you probably recognize the name Harper Lee. That’s right, Lee is the author of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel was an instant success, going on to sell over 30 million copies. In 2007, Lee was even awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award in the United States) for her contribution to literature. The major themes of the novel include racial injustice and destruction of innocence. It is believed that the novel is semi-autobiographical; the young protagonist Scout may represent Lee herself. But what has the author of Mockingbird done since its publication? Lee has accepted many honorary degrees, but has declined to make any speeches, and has not published any other novels to this day.

The story is about the events surrounding and leading up to the assassination of President Lincoln. It takes the form of  storytelling prose rather than a cold account of the facts. It is not just another history book.

It was a traumatic time for America. The Civil War was in its final battles. The country was still severely divided on both sides. President Lincoln was facing a country still in turmoil despite the ending of the war. But not everyone was particularly happy about the President.

Like every other President that has held the office, President Lincoln had his enemies. John Wilkes Booth hated President Lincoln. While the outcome of the story is well known, this book can still catch people by surprise with some of the details that are present in the text.

However, the book itself is more of a way to excite people about learning more of America’s past than something that should be taken as the absolute truth. Unfortunately, some of the factual details escaped the notice of the writers.

Some of the conversations that President Lincoln had were described as being held in the Oval Office. In fact, the Oval Office didn’t exist until much later. President Lincoln never had an Oval Office. There were a few more inaccurate historical details such as these that should have been verified by fact checkers before publication. It is these little details that hurt the book.

Aside from its problems, it is an exciting account of Lincoln’s assassination. It digs deeper into the character of Booth and some of his reasons why he hated the President so much. Although  Booth does come across more as a psycho killer than a real human.

Bill O’Reilly fans will like adding this book to their collections. Otherwise, pick it up at the library for another interesting take on America’s past.

You can’t talk about science fiction without mentioning Isaac Asimov. As one of the most prolific writers that the world will ever see, Asimov published or edited over 500 books, in addition to tens of thousands of letters and postcards. A popular factoid about Asimov is that he has a book published under all ten sections of the Dewey decimal system with the exception of the philosophy and psychology section. He is best-known for his Foundation series, followed by his Robot and Galactic Empire series.

But where would science fiction be without Arthur Clarke? One thing’s for sure, we certainly wouldn’t have his Space Odyssey series, and without the series there would be no 2001: A Space Odyssey, and well, without that, we wouldn’t have one of the most memorable villains of all time: HAL 9000, the artificial intelligence on board the Discovery One spacecraft.

Perhaps the least well-known of the Big Three, Robert Heinlein is well-loved among science fiction fans. In addition to earning four Hugo Awards, Heinlein was awarded three “Retro Hugos” for his work published in years during which the Hugo Awards did not yet exist. Heinlein was the first to receive the Grand Master Award given by the Science Fiction Writers of America for his lifetime achievement. His most notable piece is perhaps the 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land, which tells the story of a human who comes to Earth after being born on Mars and raised by Martians.

For the two decades between the early 1960s and the mid 1980s, these three authors dominated the science fiction genre, essentially defining an entire generation in the genre. Through the continued interest in their books, these authors remain among the best-selling authors in science fiction, despite the fact that all have now passed away (Heinlein in 1988, Asimov in 1992, and Clarke, most recently, in 2008). As a group, this trio has collected 18 Hugo Awards. (The Hugo Award is awarded at the World Science Fiction Convention to, essentially, the best science fiction work of the previous year, voted by fans of the genre.)

Three cheers for the Big Three!

The secrets featured in this latest book all revolve around faith. For example, one of the cards was from a woman in Texas whose husband was a Baptist pastor. Her secret: no one ever suspected her of being an atheist. The premise of the book centers on the complicated, and often taboo, themes of faith, doubt, life, death, and the complications of religion. Another secret is from a woman who lost her unborn child mid-pregnancy. It reads, “That was the day my baby, God, and my heart died.” As you can suspect, many of the secrets are heavy, and painful. Others are uplifting, and somewhat humorous. A scandalous example of this can be found on a postcard with a photo of two young Mormon missionaries that states in beautiful cursive, “Whenever I meet a Mormon missionary, I get the sudden urge to tie him up and have my way with him.”

The secrets found in the book are some of the most personal ones Warren has ever received. Confessions are found from people at every stage of life, from nearly every major faith. This has been called Warren’s “most profoundly moving (book) yet”. To add to the internal beauty of the book, each postcard is decorated in a unique, and often stunningly beautiful manner. The bright colors and designs often contrast the stark sadness and mourning that many of the secrets possess.

Warren’s books, and the PostSecret project in general, are so important because they not only provide an outlet for the individual sending in the secret, but they provide an unsurpassed snapshot into the lives of everyday Americans. We all have our secrets, and many find comfort in seeing these hundreds of examples of other people’s secrets. If you are in the mood for an uplifting, endlessly entertaining book, pick up a copy of PostSecrets: Confessions on Life, Death & God, today for around $16.

I also strongly recommend sending in an anonymous secret to Frank Warren. The address is PostSecret, 13345 Copper Ridge Rd., Germantown, Maryland 20874.

Sarah Dessen

I’ll be the first to admit that the story lines aren’t always realistic. If they were in cinematic form, they would absolutely scream romantic comedy (in fact, two of her books, Someone Like You and That Summer were adapted into the 2003 movie How To Deal, starring Mandy Moore, and I would not be surprised to see others making their way into theaters over the next few years). Still, there’s something about chick flicks (or chick lit, in this case of books), that appeals to the audience — it’s nice to think that everyone ends up happy in the end.

Still, despite the too-good-to-be-true nature of the stories, Sarah Dessen novels are among my guilty pleasures. It was only when I looked at her website that I realized just how nearly complete my personal collection was. Of her ten novels, I own half and have read six. Like Picoult’s books, if you read more than one you’ll notice overlaps – characters that appear in minor roles in more than one book, or made-up bands, restaurants, and shops that remain consistent in Dessen’s universe. For an observant reader, they’re nice little treats. The overlapping characters can especially reveal more between the lines.

The nice thing about Dessen’s books is that her characters are not perfect — they all have flaws, which makes them realistic (and not the I’m-so-clumsy fatal flaw of Bella Swan a la Twilight). There are broken families, insecurities, and other emotional issues that tend to rear their ugly head. Often, accepting and coming to peace with these issues are  first steps to overcoming them, which is a nice message to readers. The situations in the books aren’t sugar-coated: these are high school kids, and yes, they swear, drink, and have sexual relationships. This kind of honesty in a book is refreshing.

Roald Dahl

Everybody knows James and the Giant Peach. Everybody knows Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If you haven’t read Matilda, you’ve probably seen the movie. And please tell me you’ve already read The B.F.G. and the other aforementioned books. If not, get thee to a library, immediately! Borrow them and read them for your own pleasure; better yet, share them out loud with your family. Dahl‘s children’s works are witty and entertaining. They are usually told from a child’s point of view and include mean, spiteful adults as villains, but at least one “good” adult to oppose the evil one(s). But assuming you’ve read his most popular novels already, here are a few other children’s titles that you might want to give a try:

• The Gremlins (1943). Not to be confused with the 1984 horror comedy film, this novel is Dahl‘s first children’s book. It was written for Walt Disney Productions, which intended to publish the book as a promotional device for a feature-length animated film, but the film  ended up never being made.
• The Enormous Crocodile (1978). This is one of Dahl‘s only picture books. It was illustrated by Quentin Blake, who collaborated with Dahl on most of his other novels. An enormous crocodile trudges through the woods telling all of the animals of his intentions to use his tricks to eat the tasty children. They tell him it’s a horrible thing to do, but he tries anyway. Moral of the story: If you try to eat children, an elephant will swing you around until you fly into the sky and crash into the sun.
• Esio Trot (1990). Mr. Hoppy is a shy old man who, for many years, has been secretly in love with the woman who lives in the apartment below him, Mrs. Silver. One day, Mrs. Silver expresses how she would like her pet tortoise Alfie to grow more. Mr. Hoppy tells her that he knows a spell that will make her tortoise grow. Each day, unbeknownst to Mrs. Silver, he swaps her tortoise for a slightly bigger one. Will Mrs. Silver find out, or will she and Mr. Hoppy end up happily together? And what will happen to Alfie? You’ll have to read it to find out.