Plottings

Booking Through Thursday: Favorite Unknown

Who’s your favorite author that other people are NOT reading? The one you want to evangelize for, the one you would run popularity campaigns for? The author that, so far as you’re concerned, everyone should be reading–but that nobody seems to have heard of. You know, not JK Rowling, not Jane Austen, not Hemingway–everybody’s heard of them. The author that you think should be that famous and can’t understand why they’re not…

Hmmm - this is a good question! And I am sure I have a ton that I have felt this way over the years - but this is what comes to mind now :

1) Dianne Wynn-Jones - LOVE HER. For anyone that loves Harry Potter, and childrens fiction - they should pick up The Chronicles of Chrestomanci. I do not know why she is not as popular as Rowling - but without doubt she should be. I think the real problem is her books were written back in the 70s/80s before the marketing machine that made Harry famous was in place. Her books are a tiny bit more old fashioned then Harry Potter -but since it is set in a magical world, it works as timeless fiction. Author's such as Neil Gaiman have done homage to her.

2)  Joe Hill - A great horror novelist - and the next Stephen King. Oh and he actually happens to be Stephen King's son. I would not have thought writing talent is something that could be handed down from father to son - but this is just eerie. He is really good - regardless of who his dad is.

3)  Elizabeth Van Armin - I saw the film 'Enchanted April' and really wanted to read the novel - because I was going to Italy.  So I finally tracked down 'Enchanted April' and loved it. 

On top of this - I saw an old Bette Davis movie called : Mr. Skeffington - very dramatic - typical  Bette Davis fare. This also turned out to be adapted from a Van Armin novel

I never could find any more of her books - but I stumbled into them at a used book store. I found the book 'Love' and 'Vera'.   (These titles are not even found when searching Amazon or Library of Congress on Librarything!) I also have 'Elizabeth and her German Garden'  Still searching for a copy of Mr. Skeffington.

Not sure how she fell into obscurity - but Enchanted April is well worth reading if you like novels from the 20's/30's, between the wars time period.

4) Susan Hill - I first was introduced to her when I saw the one man play 'The Woman in Black' in the West End in London. I loved the play so I tracked down the novel - and found it to be a creepy little ghost story. She also had another ghost story - 'The Mist in the Mirror'. But the book that really impressed me was 'King of the Castle'.....Evidently in England this title is something that kids read in school - ala 'Lord of the Flies'.  But it is not known here in the US. (I had to get it from Amazon UK) Very disturbing and psychologically tense - and I would highly recommend that book to any book clubs - because I remember being shocked by the 'villain' and wanting to talk about the book after I completed it.

I am sure I will think of some more authors later in the day. If so I will update this post!

Booking Through Thursday: Flapper? Or Not a Flapper?

Do you read the inside flaps that describe a book before or while reading it?

I am very much a Flapper! That is one of the things I do love about hardback books - I love to read the inner flap - especially when I am browsing bookstores and have book in hand.  It gives you a summary, and points out key bits of information that can hook your interest. I also love to read the back flap and any information provided about the author. Sometimes it is the author information that will intrigue me most!  The 'Flap' information is one of the only things I miss in paperbacks. You get a much smaller blurb in paper.

As I am reading the novel - there are times when I will flip back to the flaps - to see if the novel is playing out as I expected, or to get little 'clues' to where I am going. Also sometimes something in a novel will make me wonder something about the Author - for instance I will find myself wondering what part of the country they are coming from or where they went to school, or if they have written any other books like this one.....

Another great benefit of the flap is it serves as my instant bookmark!

Booking Through Thursday: Gifts

What books did you get for Christmas (or whichever holiday you may have celebrated last month)?

Do you usually ask for books on gift-giving occasions or do you prefer to buy them yourself?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

This Christmas I did not get any books. Usually I do though. I usually send my Dad my Amazon Wish list :) And he generally picks a few books off of there and adds that to whatever else he plans on getting me. But this year our Christmas travel got disrupted - so so far no books.

Actually - I really was kind of hoping for a Kindle. Did not get one, so might have to break down and get one for myself! I will always prefer the good old fashioned book - but Kindle is awful convenient at times! I have used the iphone version when I could not get to a book store.

I did give books as a present to my sister who is a reader. She got Stephen King's 'The Dome.' That is always a safe bet for her because she holds off on buying hardbacks, and she enjoys his work.  I also gave her the Robin Mckinley book 'Sunshine' . This is essentially a story similar to Twilight - but much cooler and edgier. Again she enjoys Buffy the vampire slayer, and books in that genre -and Sunshine is one of the best I have read.

Booking Through Thursday: Its All About Me

Which do you prefer? Biographies written about someone? Or Autobiographies written by the actual person (and/or ghost-writer)?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

I have not read many biographies - I tend to prefer escapist fiction. However the biographies I have most enjoyed have been memoirs - simply because they read like novels. They are subject to the writers lens, and poetic license is taken in some places - for example remembering dialog. But I really enjoy the way they tell the author's story - their most important and personal story. And I enjoy the perspective.

So I believe this answer would fall into the realm of autobiography.

Some of my favorite memoirs have been : 

        The Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley - This is the story of a girl growing up on a coffee plantation in colonial Africa. The time period is shortly before WWI  and the author captures not just a place but a time. Some of the ideas and perspectives of the British settlers are so foreign to our modern view. The visual portrait of Africa and the challenges of living there are told vividly through the eyes of a young girl.

        The Glass Castle  by Jeannette Walls - This is the amazing story of a woman who group up with negligent but loving parents in total poverty. The parents were educated and intelligent but both suffered from their personal demons - and their children were the ones to pay with a life of instability. But amazingly the children manage to rise above this and become successful.