In which I talk A LOT about Jane Eyre movies

It’s no secret that I love “Jane Eyre.” And it really doesn’t take much to get me in the mood to read or watch it. So after reading this post over at Angieville about Jane Eyre adaptations, I decided that what I really needed was a Jane Eyre marathon. So this weekend I took it upon myself to re-watch four of the better-known versions. I’ve never watched all of them in a row before, so I ended up comparing them way more than I usually do. So here's more than you ever wanted to know about what I think of the four:

Timothy Dalton version (1983):

This version is all about Rochester for me. Timothy Dalton will always be the real Mr. Rochester in my mind. Maybe it’s because he’s the first version of Rochester I encountered, but I also think he plays Rochester closest to how he is in the book. The other film versions tone down Rochester a bit to make him a more sympathetic character, but Dalton’s Rochester is just as abrupt and unstable and ridiculous as the real deal. This film adaption also has the full-on gypsy scene, which the other three versions don’t, and everyone one knows the gypsy scene is one of the best parts of the book. However, the Jane in this version is my least favorite of the four. She comes off as bland and anemic to me, and I never feel like I get a true sense of who she is or what she wants. She’s totally upstaged by Rochester. This version feels the most staged and rehearsed of the four, but since it’s so long, it’s able to follow the original plot the closest.

William Hurt version (1996):

To say this version is freely adapted is a bit of an understatement. For the sake of trying to fit the story into two hours, quite a bit gets changed and condensed, especially towards the end. They’re not bad changes, but they’re changes all the same, and the part of me that wants the film to stay true to the book always gets a little offended. Jane in this version is gentle and all wide-eyed innocence, and while that’s not the way I usually imagine her when I read the book, it’s actually kind of a refreshing take on her. William Hurt as Rochester is . . . old. I know he’s supposed to be, but in this version you can definitely see the age difference between him and Jane. It’s always a bit shocking, even more so than in the Michael Fassbender version. One thing that stands out to me from this version is the actress who plays Jane as a child. Usually the childhood scenes feel endless in Jane Eyre adaptions, but this actress is interesting to watch, and after the scene where she gets her hair cut, she seriously becomes one of the cutest children ever.

Toby Stephens version (2006):

I totally fell in love with this adaptation this time around. Toby Stephens makes an adorable Mr. Rochester. He plays Rochester as much more personable than he is in the other film versions or the book. It’s easy to see why Jane falls for him—Stephen’s Rochester has brooding and rude moments but he also has moments of humor and playfulness. He’s less spoiled and more self-deprecating, and the drama of his relationship with Jane is tempered by their bits of banter and teasing. They’re always giving each other these little smiles and it’s so dang cute. This version of Jane is my favorite of the four. Ruth Wilson’s Jane is reserved and quiet, but she isn’t totally serious. She’s not afraid to needle Mr. Rochester, and that scene after the proposal when she goes to her room and smiles to herself is perfect. And oh my gosh, the final scene of the movie is everything I could ask for in terms of swooniness.

Michael Fassbender version (2011):

The version is the best of the four at capturing the gothic feel of the novel. All that mist and dark and dreary scenery is perfect. Mia Wasikowska’s Jane is very pensive and solemn. Even after the proposal, her happiness is very cautious, like she isn’t quite able to trust it. Neither Jane nor Rochester have much of a sense of humor in this adaptation—you can feel the weight of their pasts on their present, and that weight seems to prevent any levity. Michael Fassbender’s Rochester doesn’t stand out to me much. He’s perfectly adequate in the role, but Jane jumps out as a character much more. And this version, while generally staying true to the book, cuts out quite a bit of the plot. Some of these cuts are done really well though, and I especially like how the scenes with the Rivers family are interspersed throughout, rather than dragging down the middle of the movie. However, I also feel that a lot of the relationship between Jane and Rochester gets axed, so I don’t find their love quite as believable overall.

Basically, here’s the takeaway: The Timothy Dalton version is probably my favorite, just because it’s the one I grew up with and because Dalton’s Rochester is the Rochester of my heart. The Toby Stephens version was a lovely surprise this time around, as the chemistry between the two leads is wonderful and there’s quite a bit of humor. This is the version I’d recommend to anyone who hasn’t had any experience with Jane Eyre before. The William Hurt and Michael Fassbender versions are the shortest, so that’s their biggest draw for me, though I prefer the Michael Fassbender version because it stays truer to the original plot.

So what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Which movie version do you like best?

Book Light Confessional: Hallelujah, I've had a breakthrough!

You guys! I've had a breakthrough! Ever since I started reading YA, I've vastly, VASTLY preferred contemporary over paranormal or dystopian. I like some fantasy here and there, and there are the occasional dystopian or paranormal I really enjoy ("Divergent," the Vampire Academy series), but by and large, contemporary is where it's at for me. But I could never quite put my finger on why I like contemporary better than the other genres. When trying to explain this preference to others, I always fumbled for a response and settled for 1) I feel like I can relate to the characters more, and 2) There's less insta-love. Which are both very true for me, but I never felt like I was getting at the heart of the matter.

So flash forward to now. Last night I finished reading a paranormal YA/myth retelling, and as I was mulling over my thoughts on the book, trying to pin down my feelings about it, I finally hit on just what it is I prefer about contemporary YA: They take time to explore the relevant issues.

I'd been getting frustrated with more and more YA dystopians/paranormals recently without quite being able to express why I was dissatisfied. But now I've realized that it's because I feel like they pass up so many chances to more deeply explore the underlying issues or make a character more layered, all in favor of going after the more exciting plot twist. And I realize that not all dystopians/paranormals are this way (why hello, "This Is Not a Test" and "The Scorpio Races") and that there are plenty of contemporary YAs that only skate over the surface. But as a generalization, I find that contemporaries are more often willing to dig deeper in to motivation and character growth and all that jazz, where as dystopians and paranormals are more about being exciting and throwing plot twists at you and having everything be super dramatic and life changing. And that's fine. That's the genre. But it's not what I prefer.

I'm not trying to knock dystopians or paranomals here. Everyone has their opinions and preferences, and they're welcome to them. But when I read, I want to come out of the book with a sense of emotional satisfaction, and I find I get that much more often with contemporaries than I do with the other two genres. I mean, do I need to say anything more than "Jellicoe Road" to prove my point?

Any thoughts about why you prefer one YA genre above the others? Or think I'm totally off base here and have got tons of YA dystopians and paranormals that prove me wrong? 

The quote that's summing up my life right now...

Do you ever have those days (/weeks/months/years) when you just want everyone to leave you alone and all your responsibilities to go away so you can hole up in your bedroom and read for 48 hours straight? That's the point I'm at right now. Man, am I at that point. Whenever I'm feeling this way, I think of this quote, which is one of my favorites about reading:

"Most things people do seem to me to be rather dull and silly. In my ideal life I'd be left alone to read." 

-Dreamhunter, by Elizabeth Knox

Story of my life right there. 

The Ghost Writes Back

Did anyone else love the Sweet Valley High books growing up? They were the staple of my local library's tiny YA section, and I DEVOURED them. I have no idea how many I read, but it was a lot. So I was quite excited to see an essay entitled "The Ghost Writes Back" by one of the principle ghostwriters of the series, Amy Boesky. She reflects on why she started ghostwriting for the series, why she continued for so long, and what made her stop. It's fascinating stuff and extremely well-written too.

Book Light Confessional: "Specimen Days"

One of the things I do for work is write articles about American military history. This means I do a lot of research both on the internet and in non-fiction books. Right now, I’m reading through Walt Whitman’s book “Specimen Days,” the first 40 percent or so of which deals with his life in Washington DC during the Civil War. I’ve never written about any of the books I’ve read for work on this blog before, just because this is a YA book blog generally, and I figure most people aren’t as fascinated by American military history as I am. But “Specimen Days” has proved to be something special, and I wanted to share it with you. So this is less a review, I guess, than a reflection.

I’ve researched dozens of articles on various Civil War topics since I started working this job, and over the course of writing them, I’ve come to view the war with an impartiality courtesy of the long lens of history. Battles and their casualties are facts and figures, the armies a faceless mass of blue or gray, and even amusing anecdotes don’t always seem to be about real people rather than characters in a book. But Whitman’s “Specimen Days” changed that for me. If in the past I looked at the war telescopically, trying to see the big picture, Whitman’s book has been like a magnifying glass, focusing my gaze on small, quiet moments that gently urge me to feel something about the war rather than just know something.

Much of “Speciman Days” recounts Whitman’s visits to the many military hospitals in Washington, where he did his best to distract injured and sick soldiers from the pain and monotony of hospital life. He wrote letters for them to their loved ones, distributed fruit and sweets, and most of all, spent countless hours simply talking with them. And while Whitman never goes into extensive detail about his experiences, somehow his brief observations manage to show me the war in a way I’ve never seen it before. Like this short passage, for instance, which describes a young hospitalized Wisconsin soldier who is near death due to a hemorrhage: “The poor young man is struggling painfully for breath, his great dark eyes with a glaze already upon them, and the choking faint but audible in his throat. An attendant sits by him, and will not leave him till the last; yet little or nothing can be done. He will die here in an hour or two, without the presence of kith or kin. Meantime the ordinary chat and business of the ward a little way off goes on indifferently. Some of the inmates are laughing and joking, others are playing checkers or cards, others are reading, &c.”

Something about that image of one man dying virtually unnoticed while life goes on for the others around him struck me in a way that knowing the vast numbers of battlefield deaths never has. It’s in scenes like this that Whitman manages to make the war personal instead of just an interesting chapter in a history book. I look at the Civil War with 150 years of perspective, and from that vantage point, one dying soldier from Wisconsin doesn’t seem significant when viewed against the backdrop of an estimated 620,000–750,000 total war deaths. He’s just one drop in a rather depressing bucket. But Whitman, writing at the time of the soldier’s death or a few years after doesn’t have the benefit (or perhaps detriment) of that century and a half to consider whose deaths are relevant in the grand scheme of the war. Where I see the dying man as a statistic from a bygone era, Whitman sees an individual whose imminent death is still a raw reality to be grappled with. To Whitman, the death of this solitary unnamed lieutenant is significant, and seeing his death through Whitman’s eyes has shown me that the impartiality of my telescopic view isn’t the only—or even necessarily the best—way to view the war.

Sorry if I’ve gone on too long about this, but “Specimen Days” really made an impact on me. Obviously. If you are interested in the book, it can be found here. Or if you’re not up for the whole book, one of my favorite passages is this one.

Know any good books?

I'm officially in a book slump. I just have not been able to get into any book that I've tried to read this week. My most recent DNF was "The Diviners," by Libba Bray, which was beautifully written, but the main character got on my nerves, the 1920s slang got old fast, and the bad guy totally creeped me out. So after 100 pages, I put it down and couldn't find the motivation to pick it up again. Now I'm working my way through a non-fiction called "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History," by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, but since I'm not a big non-fiction fan, it is slow, slow going.

I just want a good book, you know? One of those books that I can't put down. One of those books that when I do have to put it down, I want to keep it right next to me just in case I get an unexpected moment to read it. One of those books that makes my breath catch because it's quietly, unexpectedly perfect. I want a book to fall in love with, in other words.

I have some books on request at the library that should be coming in soon, but in the meantime, got any recommendations for me? Any all-time favorites or recent finds of any genre? Help a sister out, would you? I'm desperate here.  

Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters

So I realize that I'm not generally with it when it comes to what movies are out or are coming out. But seriously, how did I not know that they're making a Vampire Academy movie?!? Vampire Academy is a series that I never in a million years thought I'd enjoy, but after a somewhat rough time with the first book, I fell headlong in love with all the rest of them. And even though it's been a while since I've finished the series, I've still yet to find another series to fill the void.

According to IMDB, the movie's coming out Valentine's Day 2014, and the three main characters have supposedly been cast. So here's my official evaluation of how who they cast lined up with my expectations:

Rose:

Zoey Deutch

(This girl seems pretty well cast, actually. She has that striking beauty that I imagined Rose having, but she looks like she could kick some butt too.)

Lissa:

Lucy Fry

(Well, at least she's blonde, but Lucy doesn't quite fit my image of Lissa. Lucy's got a quirky beauty, while I always pictured Lissa as being a more delicate, classical kind of pretty.)

Dimitri:

Danila Kozlovskiy

(There were better pictures of him out there, but I picked this one because he had long hair like Dimitri. I think this guy has a brooding, hunky vibe that will work for Dimitri, but while Danila's hot, I always imaginged Dimitri looking a bit more Eastern European.) 

So there you have it. What do you think about the casting/movie? I don't have particularly high expectations for this film, but hey, it could still be fun, right? And if you haven't read the Vampire Academy books yet, get going!

My Vampire Academy reviews:

Vampire Academy

Frostbite

Books 3-6

I've been "persuaded"...

You may or may not remember my post from a few weeks ago where I finally came clean about my true relationship with Jane Austen's "Persuasion." And revealing my dark secret like that got me thinking about all the reasons I've never buckled down and read the actual book. And so I resolved (Again. For, like, the hundredth time) to read it for real. But I'm serious this time! So I was trying to think of what would make me really want to read Jane Austen's work rather than kicking back with the movie. And then it dawned on me. A copy with an awesome cover! One that I really love. So I bought this one via the Book Depository:

Isn't it fantastic? I'm really excited to get it now, actually. Those two weeks it takes for the Book Depository to ship are seeming a tad on the long side all of a sudden. I think this bodes well for my commitment to read the book...

Review fail

I was planning on posting a review today, but . . . (secret revealed) I've fallen way behind on my reading. Too many other distractions, I guess. Plus, I spent the weekend reading a (gasp!) non-YA book, which put me even further behind. At least it was a good book, though. I don't know if any of you guys read the Lady Julia Grey mystery series by Deanna Raybourn, but it's fantastic. I just finished book 5 (The Dark Enquiry), and it's just as great as all the other books in the series. It never fails to amaze me how the author can keep the characters interesting and still developing 5 books in. So really, if you like mysteries or Victorian England, I totally recommend this series.

Possibly my favorite quote about books

(I really, really want these bookshelves. And the windows. And maybe the dog.)

I'm obsessed with Sarah Addison Allen's books. She's quite possibly one of my favorite authors. You wanna know why? Because she has the most amazing insights, like the following one about books from "The Sugar Queen":

"Books can be possessive, can't they? You're walking around in a bookstore and a certain one will jump out at you like it had moved there on its own, just to get your attention. Sometimes what's inside will change your life, but sometimes you don't even have to read it. Sometimes it's a comfort just to have a book around. Many of these books haven't even had their spines cracked. 'Why do you buy books you don't even read?' our daughter asks us. That's like asking someone who lives alone why they bought a cat. For company, of course."

I absolutely love this quote. Especially the part about books providing company, even when they're sitting there unread and you don't really know when you'll get around to reading them. It certainly justifies all the books I have sitting around in piles.

I love quotes like this. I mean, don't you just love it when you read something that says exactly what you feel, but in a better way than you could ever have managed? It's almost . . . comforting to know that there's another person out there who feels exactly like you do--it's like you've made a friend without even speaking.

So what do you think? Do you have any favorite book/reading quotes?

Two subjects on which I need advice

Two questions for you:

1) Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series--is it worth it? I started reading "City of Bones" (or whichever one's the first one) a month or so ago and still haven't finished it. Yeah. I was halfway through when I switched to another book, and I still haven't found the motivation to pick it back up. So, all you who've read it, should I finish it? Is it worth my time, or should I just give up and move on to greener pastures?

2) I want to read a graphic novel. I've never read one before, so this will be uncharted territory. Since I don't know anything about them, I don't even know which is a good one to start with. This might be revealing my complete and total ignorance on the subject, but aren't some graphic novels kinda like anime? Well, I don't actually like anime, so if you could steer me to some that aren't like that, I would appreciate it. So, does anyone have any graphic novels to suggest?

Pre-Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Oh. my. freaking. heck. you guys. This book was craaaaaaazy. And I haven't decided if it was in a good way or not. Or if I liked this book or what. So since I only finished this book like 10 minutes ago, there's no way my thoughts are gathered enough to write a coherent review (just ask my roommate, who I flipped out over this book to). So I'm going to give myself a day to calm down and then write my review tomorrow.

But in the meantime, all I have to say is AHHHHHHHHH!!!!

The deal breakers

After reading this post over at Forever Young Adult, I started thinking about what my deal breakers in YA fiction are. So here we go: the things that make me reject a book before I even finish reading the summary.

-terrible cover (I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but . . . I totally do. All the time.)
-vampires/werewolves/fallen angels/fairies (okay, there are some exceptions to this, but if it's of the Twilight-over-the-top-I'm-in-love-with-this-strange-creature-for-no-reason variety, it's 100 percent a no go for me)
-cliques (because I just don't like reading about mean girls)
-cancer/terminal illness patients (honestly, I just don't care . . . and I hate crying over books)
-ridiculously light/fluffy/whimsical plot (when there's nothing substantial to hold my attention, I start skimming/skipping after the first chapter)
-Christian/inspirational themes (because I believe in a separation between church and literature)
-a focus on plot rather character (news flash: I'm all about character development, folks)
-excessive teen drinking/drug use/partying (although, I guess technically, all teen drinking/drug use is excessive)
-sequels (I can't stand series. I just don't have that long of an attention span for characters and plot lines)

Maybe that's a lot of things, but since I still find plenty of YA fiction that meets my criteria, I don't feel bad at all.

And while I'm thinking about it, here are my deal makers--the books I automatically pick up:

-amazing cover (duh)
-death/suicide (morbid, but true)
-secrets (because they add tension and lies and conflict and fear and other things that equal character development)
-first person, present tense narrative voice (well, first person in general, but combine that with present tense, and I'm a goner)
-cute, un-shallow, non-creepy boys (double duh)
-book lovers (because I like reading about people like me)
-honest romance (none of this "I saw him and fell in love even though he's a jerk and there's absolutely no reason for me to like him" biz; gimme some conflict)

What are your deal breakers or deal makers?

My Literary BFFs

As a result of a combination of circumstances (which I won't bore you with), I started thinking who my literary BFFs are. You know, the characters I not only love to spend time reading about, but the ones I think I would be friends with if they for some bizarre reason turned out to be real. Here's my list, in no particular order:

-Elizabeth Bennet, from "Pride and Prejudice," by Jane Austin
-Jenny Greenley, from "Teen Idol," by Meg Cabot
-India Opal Buloni, from "Because of Winn-Dixie," by Kate DiCamillo
-Penelope Bridgerton, from "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton," by Julia Quinn
-Cimorene, from "Dealing with Dragons," by Patricia Wrede
-Sophie, from "Howl's Moving Castle," by Diana Wynn Jones
-Emily Benedict, from "The Girl Who Chased the Moon," by Sarah Addison Allen
-Evie, from "Paranormalcy," by Kiersten White
-Juliet Ashton, from "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
-Frankie Landau-Banks, from "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks," by E. Lockhart
-Kat, from "Heist Society," by Ally Carter

I could go on and on about why they're my literary BFFs, but I don't think I'm going to. You should read the books yourself and find out if these girls are your BFFs too. And then we can all be BFFs together.

So who are your literary BFFs?

(Did I use "BFF" enough times to make you gag? No? Lemme say it again: BFF.)

Four books I love

Sometimes I read books that I really like and I want to post about, but since they're books that deal with tough issues, I don't always feel like I can universally recommend them. So I thought that today I'd post about my favorites of these books, because I really do love them even though they require quite a bit out of you emotionally.

"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book is about Melinda, who is raped at a party and calls the cops. However her friends don't know why she called the police, so they exclude her socially. Melinda withdraws into herself, and since she doesn't tell anyone about the rape, her family and those around her don't understand her behavior. But throughout the school year, she begins to come to terms with what happened.

One of the reasons I love this book is because the part where Melinda confronts the guy who attacked her is so well constructed. I don't want to ruin it for you, but it's such a powerful scene, and I really just wanted to stand up and cheer for Melinda when I read it.

"Story of a Girl" by Sara Zarr

When Deanna is 13, her father catches her having sex with her brother's 17-year-old friend Tommy. Her relationship with her dad is ruined, and the boy spreads the story around the school, so that by the time Deanna makes it to high school, she is known as a slut. The story takes place the summer after her sophomore year, when Deanna deals with her issues: her reputation, her dysfunctional family, meeting Tommy again, and falling for her best friend's boyfriend.

I love how Deanna comes into her own in this story, and how she takes control of her life.

"Such a Pretty Girl" by Laura Wiess

In this book, 15-year-old Meredith's father, who sexually abused her throughout her childhood, is released from prison early. Her mother refuses to acknowledge what happened in the past and provides no protection for Meredith, trying to push her into "being a family" again and leaving her alone with her father even though it's against the law. Meredith's father hasn't changed, and Meredith has to deal with his increasingly inappropriate behavior.

I love Meredith. She is so strong and so brave. She refuses to let her father's abuse cripple her or stop her from being in control of her life. She knows the odds are against her in terms of having a successful life, but she doesn't let that stop her. Plus, the ending of the book is so wonderful.

"This Gorgeous Game" by Donna Freitas

This book is about Olivia, who wins a writing contest, and as a prize gets personal tutoring from a famous author/priest. At first Olivia is flattered, but as the man's intentions get more and more intense, Olivia gets more and more scared. She doesn't tell anyone that the author is stalking her, because he hasn't done anything physically to her and everyone admires him, but Olivia eventually reaches her breaking point.

I love the author's writing style and Olivia's narrative voice. I really, really love it. I also love how her friends and family rally around her once they find out. It's so awesome to see that after feeling increasingly isolated, Olivia is surrounded by people who care about her.

Do you have any books that you love but feel like you can't necessarily recommend them to everyone?

A certain milestone

Yesterday, I hit (and surpassed) the 100-book mark on my to-be-read list. On the one hand, I'm like, "Yay! Look at all these good books out there that are just waiting for me to read them!" And on the the other, I'm all, "100 books!?! How did I ever fall that far behind on my TBR list? How am I ever going to be able to get my hands on all those books?" (Answer: I fully plan to inherit a mass fortune from some unknown relative who'll bypass all my 7 siblings to give me the money.) I feel like I need to have some sort of celebration for this 100-book milestone. Maybe I'll commemorate this moment by buying a book off my list? But that leads to the question, which one? Because I totally have like 15 books tied for first place on my sub-list of "Books I Desperately Want."

And BTW, my TRB list doesn't even include that 50-book-strong bag of books I got from the book sale a while ago, the books I have waiting on my Kindle, or the other random books people have recommended/loaned to me. I have some serious reading ahead of me.

Oh, P.S., Sarah Dessen's new book, "What Happened to Goodbye," comes out in a week! All the pre-release reviews of it have been pretty positive, so I'm looking forward to the release even more. My goal is to finish the two Sarah Dessen books ("Dreamland" and "Lock and Key") I haven't read yet before the new book comes out.

Random good books

I've read some good books lately, but I haven't really felt like writing about them at length, so I thought I'd just list them here. That way if you were thinking, "Hey, I was debating reading that book," you can know that they officially have The Karen Stamp of Approval (and, yes, I did capitalize that like it's a real thing).

-"Wither," by Lauren DeStefano
-"The Truth about Forever," by Sarah Dessen
-"Sloppy Firsts," by Megan McCafferty
-"Bog Child," by Siobhan Dowd
-"Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes," by Chris Crutcher
-"Hold Still," by Nina LaCour

Sarah Dessen

After years of avoiding Sarah Dessen books, I finally gave in, and as much as I hate to admit being wrong, I loved the books I read. I don't really know why I was so opposed to Sarah Dessen, especially since she's my friend's favorite YA author. I think it was a combination of someone telling me they didn't like her books and a misunderstanding about the plot of "This Lullaby." But now, after reading four of her books in a row, I have to say that she's becoming one of my YA favorites. I love that her main characters all deal with complex issues that take some serious work to overcome. I also LOVE that her secondary characters aren't static--they jump off the page as much as the protagonists and don't always do what you expect them to.

Here are the Sarah Dessen books I've read so far in the order that I like them (with 1 being my favorite so far):

1. Just Listen
2. The Truth about Forever
3. Keeping the Moon
4. This Lullaby

Actually, "Just Listen" and "The Truth about Forever" are basically tied for first, but since I finished "Just Listen" last night, it's on my mind more (also I might like the love interest in it slightly better). But really, all the books are close contenders--I adored every one of them.

Books: The Thanksgiving Edition

I'm thankful for books. Really. Seriously. Truly. Without books, I wouldn't be even remotely the same person. I wouldn't be me. I mean, the first thing out of my mouth when people ask me to tell something about myself is "I love to read." My love of books defines me--maybe a little too much at times, and other areas of my life have probably suffered because of it. But nevertheless, reading is an integral part of who I am, and I am infinitely grateful for the books I've read.

This post on Angieville got me thinking about which books have influenced me the most--which books have really and truly shaped who I am. The post got me thinking and thinking and thinking, and pretty soon I knew I was going to have to blog about it.

So here's the list, roughly in chronological order:

-“The Ordinary Princess,” by M.M. Kay: This was my first favorite book, and I read it until the cover fell off. Then I read it some more.

-“Talking to Dragons,” by Patricia C. Wrede: My older sister first read this to me, and then as I got older, I read the rest of the series myself. Although it’s neither the first nor the best of the series, “Talking to Dragons” was the first fantasy I read, and I’ve loved the genre ever since.

-“The Little House on the Prairie” series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder: My friend and I read these books at the same time in 5th grade. It was my first experience reading books and discussing them with someone else, and I haven’t been able to stop talking about books since.

-“Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott: This book was my favorite book throughout middle and high school. It was the first “classic” I ever read, and it showed me that genre didn’t have to be scary and unapproachable.

-“Beauty,” by Robin McKinley: My older sister gave me this book as a birthday present and launched me solidly into the world of Robin McKinley. I don’t think there’s any other author that speaks to me quite as well as McKinley.

-“The Princess Diaries,” by Meg Cabot: This is the book that started my love for YA fiction. Before, the only YA books I knew about where of the "Sweet Valley High" variety--not that I didn’t love those, but “The Princess Diaries” showed me there were books out there about teenagers I could relate to.

-“Jane Eyre,” by Charlotte Bronte: “Jane Eyre” . . . how can I possibly explain my love for this book? Jane--reserved, practical, and plain, yet immovable in her desire to do what’s right--was one of the first characters I could both relate to and admire at the same time.

-“All the Pretty Horses,” by Cormac McCarthy: This book was my first introduction to unconventional writing styles. I barely remember the storyline, but it taught me how to read books that step outside the box.

-“The Poisonwood Bible,” by Barbara Kingsolver: This one taught me that women can write as well as men do--and in this case, can do it better.

-“The Sun Also Rises,” by Ernest Hemingway: My first Hemingway. That’s all I need to say, really. The man practically ruined me for all other writing styles.

-“To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee: I didn’t read this book until college, but it immediately became one of my all-time favorites. The narrative voice is just so incredible, the story so wonderful, and the characters so lovable--who could ever forget the Finches?

-“The Book of Bright Ideas,” by Sandra Kring: With a single sentence, this novel completely changed how I deal with people: “Don’t judge people for what they’re doing until you know why they’re doing it.”

Sharon Shinn

New author that I love: Sharon Shinn. She's one of the fantasy staples, but I never got around to reading anything by her, mostly because I'm not a huge fantasy fan (besides YA fantasy, which I of course LOVE, and stuff by Robin McKinley). So I finally read one of her books.

I started with "Archangel," which I've heard good things about. And let me just say, that book totally rocked. Seriously. So now I'm converted to Sharon Shinn. I've also now read "Jovah's Angel" and "Angel-seeker," two more books in the same series as "Archangel," and I'm slated to read the rest of the series (two more books), as well as "The Shape-changer's Wife," "Summers at Castle Auburn," and "Mystic and Rider" soon. I'm really excited actually.

So, really, if you're looking for some good fantasy (if you don't mind it being a little girly) try Sharon Shinn.

UPDATE: 10/14

So at this point I've finished "The Shape-changer's Wife," "Summers at Castle Auburn," and "Mystic and Rider", and they are all ridiculously wonderful. I just want to hug them all.