What it is: Don Quixote de La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential works of fiction, especially among Spanish literature. The title character, dubbed Don Quixote, becomes obsessed with reading about knights errant and their chivalric adventures. He goes insane, and attempts to bring these fictitious books to life with…
1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I know, I know. I should read them. Everyone my age has read them. I’m missing countless references and the joy of a Harry Potter-filled life. But 7-year-old me couldn’t get past the second book and I’ve never returned. 2. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. …
What it is: Order of Seven by Beth Teliho is a young adult novel that combines supernatural and realistic elements to tell the story of Devi Bennett, who must discover her roots to figure out a family secret. What I liked about it: Teliho’s writing is excellent, and she draws the reader in with a voice that feels human but still…
What it is: Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh is the story of Clementine, a high school student, and Emma, a college student, who begin a romantic/sexual relationship. Emma guides Clementine to understand and come to terms with her sexuality, but ultimately tragedy tears the two apart. What I liked about it: The art is fantastic. I have…
1. Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler (14 books) I’ve read the entire 13-book Series of Unfortunate Events, plus Why We Broke Up. 2. Andrew Clements (9 books) One of my favorites in my early novel-reading days. I’ve read Frindle, the Landry News, The Janitor’s Boy, The School Story, A Week in the Woods, The Report Card, The…
What it is: The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss is a guide to working more efficiently and effectively to make a lot of money without working long, grueling hours. It’s directed towards people working in office environments and encourages them to break free of the 9-5 in order to have a life that is both financially successful…
What it is: Mouthful of Forevers is the newest book of poetry by Clementine von Radics. I’ve been a fan of her work for years, having seen her perform at the Portland Poetry Slam since I was in high school. She also hosts a writing workshop before the slam every week and I’ve really enjoyed…
1. Mr. Penumbra from Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore 2. Liesel from The Book Thief 3. Anne from Diary of Anne Frank (I realize she’s not exactly a “character” but she loved words) 4. Alison Bechdel from Fun Home (also not exactly a character but she’s on the list anyway) 5. Piper Kerman from Orange is…
Diversity in media is an issue that’s really important to me. Racial/ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and people with lower socioeconomic status appear far less often in books, especially those assigned in school (unless part of a curriculum unit surrounding that topic). Here are a few of my favorite books that celebrate diversity: 1.…
1. Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Around Christmastime, my friend and her sister asked if I could do a photoshoot of them so they could turn the images into a gift for their parents. I agreed, and they were nice enough to give me a gift in exchange, including this book (which was already on my…
Victim to Charm 