Last month Shannon Hale, who wrote the Newbery award-winning The Princess Academy took some time between feeding her newborn and being sick with a stomach bug to contemplate the issue of high school English class curricula.

I thought it tied in nicely with a conversation I had with one of my aunts back at Christmas. My cousin is a 16-year-old boy, and he has not found a lot that he’s interested in reading. He isn’t helped, I don’t think, by a mother who also did not enjoy a lot of what she read in high school and is disinclined to try to figure out what a teacher is attempting to get a student to learn by reading a certain text.

I think we would all acknowledge that most high school English classes leave something to be desired. Think back to when you were in high school. (I’ll wait while the black and white newsreels rewind and the scratchy violin and organ music play…)

What do you remember reading? What did you think of the books at the time? And looking back now?

I definitely remember reading some great things — books I enjoyed at the time, as well as books that I understood the importance of in retrospect. But I also recall some books that were just painful and a few that I didn’t bother to read at all. (Moby Dick springs to mind.)

But I know we can do better. (more…)

Now that I’ve finished writing up the nearly 50 books I read last year, which were amongst the best? I offer my top ten list — five books aimed at adults and five aimed at young adults — for 2006 below. The links take you to my original book reviews.

1. The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan — This book really was the most riveting, creative, wonderful book I read all year. The protagonist is an everyday kid, the sort you’d be annoyed by in any average venue, until he finds out that he could possibly be extraordinary. Which is where any good epic takes off. I so look forward to reading future volumes in this series.
2. The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss — The best books sometimes happen into your life accidentally. This story of many kinds of love came into mine at an airport convenience store. Who would have expected something so great from the O.C. airport?
3. The Big Over Easy, by Jasper Fforde — Favorite authors just cannot be ignored when they write new books. And Jasper has yet to write a book that disappoints. This tale departed from Thursday Next’s series to take on the story of Detective Jack Spratt with equal excitement and cleverness. Rudi gave me the follow-up, The Fourth Bear, for Christmas and I’m eager to tear into it very, very soon.
4. Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke — Admit it; the saying is often wrong. You frequently can judge a book by its cover. And this new favorite author’s work hopped into my hands almost exclusively based on its cover. (Mind you, I’d been attracted to her covers before this one demanded to come home with me.) A terrific read for book lovers everywhere. Read it before the movie comes out.
5. Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg — Old friends often have great recommendations for what you should pick up next. When two old friends independently refer you to the same book, it’s time to put down your current read and find out what’s going to make your literary taste buds water. Thanks Eri and Rebs for encouraging me to seek out Fannie’s latest wonder. It’s unusual for a book to have you grinning for the duration, but this one succeeded at doing just that.
6. Arthur and George, by Julian Barnes — Book awards cannot be totally ignored. This work of historical fiction, which appeared on many short lists last year, was a bit of a downer, but it kept me reading until the very end and left me wondering about the final chapters’ events. It’s hard to ask for more than that from an author.
7. Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson — This account of the origins of the inhabitants of Never Never Land was on my list for a long time before it and I ended up at the same place at the same time. And then it kept me up late kicking my brain into wakefulness with questions of what would happen next.
8. Fly by Night, by Frances Hardinge — While covers are important, sometimes cover blurbs are, too. A freebie advance reader copy of this book found its way home with me last year from one of my book conferences via Rudi’s sharp eye for colorful descriptions. Whoever wrote the book’s blurb is to be congratulated. The author’s sense of place stayed with me, as did her use of language, so I’m grateful that the blurb lived up to the reading.
9. Wicked, by Gregoire Maguire — This adaptation of the Oz mythology had long sat on my list of books to check out at some point. When the long-awaited sequel came out, it seemed imperative to read the original. A friend and I read it together and I’d say we both enjoyed it. I wish the book had been a little longer in order to let the end of the story not feel so rushed, but I still think it merits appearing on my top ten list for the year.
10. The Safe-Keeper’s Secret, by Sharon Shinn — Tears are a real tribute to an author’s ability to make you care about her characters. And I wept on public transportation for the characters in Shinn’s novel. I look forward to seeing how their story plays out in future stories.

Reading a lot can be a sign of depression setting in for me. Reading nothing at all is a gigantic neon sign that the depression has settled in, made itself at home, and is inviting guests over for loud raucus parties. The first two titles were read back in October. NOTHING was finished in November, although I dabbled in a couple of books. And the last two were read on December 30th after a trip to the library. Two books in one day — seems like a good sign, don’t you think?

Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg
From the jacket: “Life is the strangest thing. One minute, Mrs. Elner Shimfissle is up in her tree, picking figs, and the next things she knows she is off on an adventure she never dreamed of, running into people she never in a million years expected to meet. Meanwhile, back home, Elner’s nervous, high-strung niece Norma faints and winds up in bed with a cold rag on her head; Elner’s neighbor Vergena rushes immediately to the Bible; her truck driver friend, Luther Griggs, whom Elner has known since he was a boy, runs his eighteen-wheeler into a ditch — and the entire town is thrown for a loop and left wondering, ‘What is life all about, anyway?’ Except for Tot Whooten,who owns Tot’s Tell It Like It Is beauty shop. Her main concern is that the world might come to an end before she can collect her social security.”
Why this book? Eri and Rebs both recommended it to me — separately. And when two people who have known you so well so long recommend a book by an author you already enjoy, don’t pass go, don’t collect $200. Just head to the library or the bookstore and pick it up immediately.
My take: Wow. My face ached from smiling so hard. If you want a book that makes you feel good about life (and death), this is it. This is a modern It’s a Wonderful Life without the suicidal thoughts. Go get it, now. Hurry!
Pages: 365

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, by Gideon Defoe
From the book jacket: “Not since Moby-Dick. … No, not since Treasure Island. … Actually, not since Jonah and the Whale has there been a sea saga to rival [this one], featuring the greatest seafaring hero of all time, the immortal Pirate Captain, who, although he lives for months at a time at sea, somehow manages to keep his beard silky and in good contdition. Worried that his pirates are growing bored with a life of winking at pretty native ladies and trying to stick enough jellyfish together to make a bouncy castle, the Pirate Captain decides it’s high time to spearhead an adventure. While searching for some major pirate booty, he mistakenly attacks the young Charles Darwin’s Beagle and then leads his ragtag crew from the exotic Galapagos Islands to the fog-filled streets of Victorian London. There they encounter grisly murder, vanishing ladies, radioactive elephants, and the Holy Ghost itself. And that’s not even the half of it.”
Why this book? It was on sale, came in a clever two books-for-one packaging, and got a good review from NPR.
My take: Not as good as I’d hoped. Defoe might be one of those authors who is taking postmodernism to new and ridiculously annoying levels. Or he could be poking fun at our pre-established literary stereotypes. But I tired of the characters far faster than I wanted. But I did appreciate some of his jokes and references and anachronisms, especially when it came to the pirate who ate Starburst instead of citrus fruits — and who ultimately died of scurvy.
Pages: 101

A Highland Christmas, by M.C. Beaton
From the book jacket: “In the dark, wintry highlands of Lochdubh, Scotland, the spirit of Old St. Nick is about as welcome as a flat tire on a deserted road. … Now it’s up to Hamish to make things right. He has to protect an unhappy girl, unlock the secrets of a frightened old woman, and retrieve some stolen holiday goods. And he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon toll, and all of Lochdubh will be forced to face another dreary winter. …”
Why this book? I’ve said it before, the Hamish Macbeth series of books is comfort food to me. And I needed comfort — and a little more Christmas in my life.
My take: We were going for mashed potatoes here, not spinach. And it seems to have served its appointed purpose because here I am talking about books again, right?
Pages: 129

The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog, by Dave Barry
From the book jacket: “The year is 1960, and as it is every year, the Christmas pageant at St. John’s Episcopal Church, directed by Mrs. Elkins, who used to be in The Theater in New York, and who is tall and skinny with hair the color of the orange part of a candy corn, is a very big deal. Doug is a shepherd this year, which is better than being a Three King, because, for one thing, you get to carry a stick. There are problems everywhere, however. His fellow shepherds are hacking around, which makes Mrs. Elkins yell at all of them; the girl he likes is playing Mary opposite a Joseph who is depressingly smart and athletic and cute; the family dog is doing very poorly, and they have no idea what they’re going to tell Doug’s little sister, Becky, who’s playing one of the Host of Angels and who loves the dog more than anything; and his dad’s just gotten a flat tire, which means they might not even get to the pageant at all.”
Why this book? More of the desired Christmas fix. And I always enjoy Barry’s columns.
My take: Short but sweet. I’m glad I got it from the library rather than the bookstore, though, because short it was. Sort of a real-life The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Kind of.
Pages: 117

Total number of books read during 2006: 47
Total page count from those books (give or take a few pages): 12,568

That’s it. Stay tuned tomorrow for 2006’s Best of Books post. There are some great ones in there….

So in browsing Kat and Paula‘s blogs, I learned about the From the Stacks Reading Challenge, being sponsored by Overdue Books. The idea is, between Nov. 1 and Jan. 30, to read five books that have been languishing in your collection collecting dust.

Readers and knitters alike enjoy adding to their stash, so the hardest part of the challenge is merely winnowing the list down to five. I personally am a huge fan of buying books at library book sales, particularly those that let you fill up a whole bag for $1.

I already convinced Jenn to join, so I guess I’d better get my butt in gear and post my own list:

1. King Lear, by William Shakespeare. I know, I know. It’s shameful that an English major managed to receive a B.A. without reading this classic. But I did read A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley’s feminist retelling of the story, so my degree isn’t totally without merit. But this is my greatest English major guilt, so it’s time to assuage it.
2. Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. Nope. Never read this one either. (For the record, while I was assigned Defoe’s Moll Flanders in college, I didn’t finish it. I don’t remember caring for it much, so my guess is that I sold it back to the college bookstore after the semester ended.)
3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. I meant to read it this summer but instead found other things more immediately compelling. (It may have something to do with the fact that our copy of the book is in a mostly-complete compendium of Adams’ work, which is tough to carry with me on the Metro.)
4. Silas Marner, by George Eliot. I’ve tried to read it before and just haven’t managed to get past a certain point. It’s such a short book that I really don’t think it should be as hard as I’ve made it out to be.
5. White Teeth, by Zadie Smith. This is another book that I’ve begun and put down a couple times over the past five years. It’s considered a modern classic, so I think it’s time to finish it off.

This endeavor will be made more challenging by the fact that I’m not doing a whole lot of reading during November or December as NaNoWriMo and holiday knitting are going to take up a lot of my time over the next six weeks.

I have a post-Election hangover (not at all related to extreme jubilation, immense amounts of candy corn, and a post 3 a.m. bedtime, I’m sure), so I’m going with a meme today.

Via Book Moot:

Do this…
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next four sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig around for that “cool” or “intellectual” book on your shelves. (I know you were thinking about it.) Just pick up whatever is closest.

Even in the feeble streetlights, I could see, up and through that glorious haze, that I had never seen that woman before in my life. “Ain’t you Bertha’s boy? Got a brother name Freddy that married Dolley and Pritchard’s girl? You Bertha’s boy what went to Korea? Ain’t yall’s pastor Reverend Dr. Miller over at Shiloh Baptist?”

Taken from the title story of All Aunt Hagar’s Children: Stories, by Edward P. Jones. Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who lives and places his stories in D.C.

If you feel like playing, please do.

I don’t know how some people do it. They post every day and they include photos. How do you do it? I love how the photos look, but boy do I find prepping them tedious!

I’ve been sitting on a number of updates just because I couldn’t face the photo tweaking that accompanied them.

But laziness aside, I need to get this post out of draft format and move along. So here you go….

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