End of Everything–Megan Abbott. This book centers on the friendship of two 13-year-old girls who live in peaceful and perfect suburban America. A few weeks before their eighth grade graduation, one of the girls abruptly disappears. The other friend becomes the star witness, and gets caught up in all of the attention, as evil is happening all around.

The Marriage Plot–Jeffrey Eugenides. Set in the early 1980s, this is a revitalized and re-energized bildungsroman meant for the 21st century. A recent college grad must choose between two men, who are both equally plagued with character flaws. This book follows the basic model of past coming of age stories, but has found plenty of new ways to complicate it.

State of Wonder–Ann Patchett. This novel has been acclaimed for being just plain amazing. Two dynamic female characters traverse the rainforest together, as a scientist from Minnesota is sent to find another American scientist who has “gone native” on a research mission to extend female fertility.

There but for the–Ali Smith. After a dinner party one night, a guest goes upstairs, and locks himself in the spare bedroom — for several months. Some serious issues currently facing the UK are discussed, and the story is narrated by four characters. Smith’s playful and unique style earns this book a top ranking.

Swamplandia–Karen Russell. This book has received much praise in the last few months, and for good reason. The inventive language and style Russell uses beautifully weave the story of a young girl who is trying to preserve her family’s way of life deep within the mangrove jungle of the Everglades.

11/22/63–Stephen King. King’s newest novel features a diner in Maine that allows an English teacher to go back in time to 1958 to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating Kennedy. This novel reminds us of the terrifying nature of time.

The Tiger’s Wife–Tea Obreht. Obreht has created a story surrounding a young doctor who blends her grandfather’s folk tales with stories of her own upbringing to tell a spellbinding story of the Balkan conflict.

A World on Fire–Amanda Foreman. Foreman gives the reader a giant and vibrant roster of characters and wildly vivid descriptions in a brilliant examination of the battle between Britain and the side it took during the Civil War.

Hemingway’s Boat–Paul Hendrickson. Hendrickson writes a biography of Hemingway by focusing on his greatest companion in Key West: his boat. The stories are rich and vivid and present Hemingway’s life in an absolutely unique format.

The Secret Mistress–Mary Balogh. Throw away your cheap and trashy romance novel for this tale of a noble debutante and an earl who is anything but suave. The period details are superb, and the characters flawless.

First, you must completely forget what being a child was like; kids need to grow up fast in this big bad world, and it’s your duty to instruct them on how they should live. Any writer who aims to show children a window into a different, enchanting world is clearly going about it the wrong way.

Dispense with good pacing altogether, but include as much tangential imagery as possible. This is so that junior readers learn to appreciate the abstract appeal of how paint can go through a number of hue changes as it dries, rather than reading yet another clichéd description of a beautiful spring day.

Avoid interacting with your target audience wherever possible. After all, you’re the writer, they’re the readers. Since that’s the case, surely who knows what makes a children’s book a great read must be clear.

Opt not to follow through with the compelling alternate universe you’ve created, and pass it off as a fever dream or an idle daydream. Everyone knows that stories are made up anyway, so there’s no need to bother laboring over that keyboard and grinding out exactly how Timmy escapes from the bloodthirsty goblins, if at all.

It’s also perfectly fine to adopt a dry, didactic tone for your children’s book. Readers should learn something from the books they read, so the clearer the lesson in the story, the better. In fact, you should probably dispense with characters, a storyline, and artful development altogether and opt for a list of values the reader should gain. It’s so much easier and will save you a lot of writing time.

However, if you do decide to use a plot and characters, ensure that you trot out every stereotype possible. Kids love it when hapless princesses need a prince on a horse to rescue them from a life of kitchen drudgery. Don’t forget to include a section on how only boys should go to school.

Lastly, get someone to do the writing for you. You’ll get the credit for having such a brilliant idea if the book becomes popular, but it won’t be your fault if the writing is poor and the book becomes another piece of literary jetsam.

A novel set in a dystopian future and a critique of how mass media affected general interest in literature, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury has all of the elements that would appeal to those bearing the Y-chromosome: fire, firemen, and general mischief-making.

The tale centers on fireman Guy Montag, whose job involves burning books, which have been declared illegal by a totalitarian regime that has also forbidden critical thought. Although initially a government drone, it is eventually revealed that Montag has been dabbling with the “forbidden fruit”. The novel charts Montag’s gradual enlightenment and increasing boldness at attempting to preserve what the government deems should be destroyed.

Instead of the future, Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes is set during the Second World War. The two protagonists are on opposing sides and from the USA and Germany, respectively. Spence Morgan leaves school and Utah to prove himself, be a hero, enjoy the adulation of his hometown, and possibly, get the girl. Dieter Hedrick is blindly devoted to Hitler’s cause and joins the army to demonstrate his patriotism in the only way he knows how.

The characters’ paths cross at the Battle of the Bulge, and the ensuing events are a sobering reminder that while men start the wars, the ones fighting it in the trenches are usually young fellows who have to face the full horror and harrowing pointlessness of it all.

Currently, most of the reading I see my brothers doing  involves online movie synopses and reviews. Reading is important not only because it helps expand comprehension and vocabulary, it also aids and encourages creative and critical thinking capabilities. In a pinch, though, I suppose movie reviews are a quick exercise in critical thinking!

The theme of the book is important. Young readers will read a book more frequently if they relate to the story, compared to a book that doesn’t evoke a sense of empathy or familiarity. Relatable books include The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan (yes, really) and Kelly DiPucchio. Grownups tend to iron out their differences over food, and it’s usually no different for children.

Try, also, to gear books towards a child’s age. Babies find pictures fascinating, more so when the images are of people’s faces. Visuals aside, books with rhymes hold babies’ attention better than those that don’t. Toddlers aged 1 year and up are eager to participate  during reading. Books offering tactile interaction and easy-to-turn pages have an edge over those that don’t.

Older children will pay closer attention to details; books containing finer illustrations will become attractive. Children aged 2 years and up will begin to enjoy the narrative process, so stories involving a sequence of actions will feature prominently.

Children aged 3 years and up can enjoy longer books, and begin to identify words in the text. They also begin to recognize humor, which means that the adventures of Captain Underpants may not be far off! Four-year-olds, though, may take charge of reading time, and narrate their favorite book almost word-for-word.

The text that appears in a children’s book should also be taken into consideration. Don’t be afraid to challenge the child with new, multisyllabic words. Just make sure their appearance isn’t needlessly obfuscated by a plethora of unnecessary, redundant fluff. A good children’s book usually has a narrative that is succinct yet evocative and served with lashings of humor and rhythm, such as what you might find in The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl.

As for worrying that a child will pick up undesirable practices, parents’ behavior tends to have more impact on this aspect than anything else. For those who truly have no idea of what to get, it would help to think of what you enjoyed reading as a child, or whatever is at the top of the children’s book award lists at the moment.

A good book can fill a place in our hearts when we need a boost. A really good book can do it over and over again when we need it most. Finding that book is a beautiful thing, keeping it on hand for future use is truly wise.

My wife has read Great Expectations at least a dozen times. She’s reading it again as I type. Even though she knows the story details by heart, even though there can be no real surprises in store for her, even though she’s seen the movies (loved the Alec Guinness version, hated the one with Gwyneth Paltrow), she reads it every year or two.

There is something soothing about reading words that have deeply impacted us in the past. With great literature, there’s also the potential to see something that we missed on the first (and maybe even second and third) go ’round. Just as reading a biblical passage multiple times may impart some new spiritual truth, re-reading a personal favorite can inspire as much on the fifth read as on the first.

It doesn’t matter if the book is popular or critically acclaimed. If it is your favorite, it’s a classic in its own right (linguists, please appreciate the proper use of “it’s” and “its” in the same sentence). So, put down the trendy but dull biographical piece, and pick up your old favorite. Savor the written word as it speaks to your own soul. Draw it in as if the book had been written for you and you alone.

This is the very heart of literature. This is the art of reading.

Now, just between us, I have a confession to make. Tolkein is not my favorite author, although I do enjoy his works immensely. No, I think if I were trapped on a deserted island with the works of only one writer, I would have to choose Douglas Adams.

The late Douglas Adams wrote a series of books, collectively known as The Hitchhiker’s Trilogy. If you’re familiar with his work, you wouldn’t find it at all surprising that there he wrote five books in the series while still referring to it as The Hitchhiker’s Trilogy. It is exactly that sideways look at the universe that makes his writing such a delight.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the funniest, most enjoyable read I have ever picked up. The series chronicles the misadventures of Arthur Dent, an English man whose home was destroyed to make way for a bypass on precisely the same day that the Earth was destroyed by an alien race to make way for a “hyper-space bypass”.

Destroying the entire planet within the first few pages of the book is just the beginning of the fun for Adams. Arthur’s journey’s through space and time take him back to the origins of the human race and forward to the last remaining commercial venture in existence, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, which is also the title to the second book in the series.

In the final analysis, we read for the pleasure that it brings us, not for bragging rights. And in all my years of reading, I can’t think of any book that has brought me more pleasure than the Hicthhiker’s Guide.

But let’s just keep that between us…