Keir’s Reading List: The Director’s Cut
Posted by: Keir Graff
In last week’s REaD ALERT, I offered an update on my resolution to read more widely (or wildly) in 2011 and shared my shortlist–the books I plan to start with. Given my reviewing schedule, I may get no farther than that, although I hope to. If I do get farther, I’ll have no shortage of books to choose from, as many of the other recommended books piqued my interest, too. I had to pare the list down just to keep it in the realm of possibility.
Shortlist
YA
Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
SF
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Fantasy
Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay
Romance
Insatiable, by Meg Cabot
Western
True Grit, by Charles Portis
Longer List
Not Organized By Genre or Age Classification Because the Philosophical Implications Are Too Much for Me At the Moment
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon
Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride
Godless, by Pete Hautman
The Missing Girl, by Norma Fox Mazer
Being, Black Rabbit Summer, or Martyn Pig, by Kevin Brooks
Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck
Blood Oath, by Christopher Farnsworth
Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest
House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski
Unwind, by Neal Shusterman
Veracity, by Laura Bynum
(Apparently I have a lot of Terry Pratchett books to read)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary Pearson
Accomplice, by Eireann Corrigan
Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
And an honorable mention goes to the following reader-recommended read-alike, though I probably won’t get to it:
Candy Girl, by Diablo Cody
Ivy League Stripper, by Heidi Mattson
Strip City: A Stripper’s Farewell, by Lily Burana
Stripped: Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers, by Bernadette Barton
I Was A Teenage Dominatrix, by Shawna Kenney
The Chippendales: The Naked Truth, by Troy Kline and Joe Bice
I’ll keep you posted.
March 3rd, 2011 at 10:52 am
I like your list. I have another suggestion–I think the YA novels by Laurie Halse Anderson are gripping, timely, and well written. Speak, Twisted, and Winter Girls all feature serious teen issues. I am finding Speak, especially, on a lot of teen school reading lists. Her historical novels for younger readers are also worth a look. They have strong characters, and she brings the eras to life with unstinting honesty and obvious careful research.
Laura Kracke
Children’s Librarian
March 3rd, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Not that it wasn’t good, but I would swap ‘Under Heaven’ (not really fantasy no matter what Nancy Pearl says) and read ‘The Name of the Wind’ by Patrick Rothfuss. Simply the advice of an avid reader…
March 3rd, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Thanks for the feedback! I’ve loved hearing which books people are really passionate about. I’ll give your picks a look.
March 3rd, 2011 at 4:47 pm
It’s true that Under Heaven isn’t a true fantasy book but rather an historical novel with fictional characters, but it is one of the best books i’ve read this year. Do not skip it.
March 28th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
just make sure your goat doesn’t get to any of these before you do.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:08 am
That’s why we recently got a badger, Joy–to keep the goat from eating the books.
August 1st, 2011 at 12:37 pm
[...] nothing to read on the way home from work. I scanned my office shelves looking for something on my New Year’s resolution reading list. Inexplicably in the mood for a western, I was hoping I had a copy of True Grit. I didn’t [...]
August 31st, 2011 at 2:52 pm
[...] leave. Before I go, I’m pleased to report that I managed to knock off another title from my New Year’s resolution reading list. As Likely Stories and REaD ALERT readers know, earlier this year I decided to get out of my [...]