What's on My Bookshelf

Many of the books on my shelf are old and I haven't read them in years, but they are reflective of my interests and the kind of books I like to read.  Here are some of the books on my shelf and what I like about them.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - A staple for all readers who love the fantasy genre.  My favorite aspect of these books is the fact that the characters are so well developed and are all integrated into the plot in a way that is easy to follow, despite the fact that there are so many of them.  And of course, I also love the incorporation of magic and detailed descriptions of the wizarding world.

Watership Down by Richard Adams - This book, published in 1972, is a classic tale about a group of rabbits who go in search of a new warren because their old one is destroyed by humans.  This book is charming, adventurous, and funny, and Adams is very creative in forming a believable rabbit society, including their own language.  I also enjoyed it because I love animals, and it is refreshing to read books from the points of view of characters who are not human.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - This may be the funniest book I have ever read.  The story follows a man named Arthur Dent who manages to escape Earth on a spaceship just before it is destroyed  by aliens in order to create an interstellar highway.  The book features hysterical characters, including an obnoxious politician from a distant galaxy and a depressed robot.  I found it delightfully entertaining from beginning to end.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - I originally bought this book for an eighth grade English project.  I didn't find this book all that exciting or fun to read, but I really do like the story and the messages that this book tells.  Scout Finch is a very intelligent young girl and I grew to like her very quickly.  Although it is told from the point of view of a child, the novel deals with some very heavy topics including racism and murder.  It's not my personal favorite, but I think everybody should read it at some point.

Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan - I first heard about this book on Oprah's show when she showcased children with amazing talents.  Fan was only 12 years old when she published this book, making her the youngest author of a New York Times Bestseller.  This book is about two tribes of birds, blue jays and cardinals, who enter a war because each side thinks that the others are stealing eggs.  In fact, the eggs are being stolen by an evil hawk trying to build an empire.  This book is charming, full of action, and fun, but also deals with serious issues and shows the price of war.  Fan advocates peace and justice and was inspired to write this book by the attack on the World Trade Center.  I think it's an amazing work for a 12 year old, and I liked this book because I love birds and adventure stories.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - This trilogy of books was fascinating because the concept was so original.  It's a fantasy adventure, but doesn't involve magic.  Rather, it focuses on a parallel world where technology has advanced in a different way than ours.  There, each person has a sort of spirit animal called a daemon that cannot leave their side.  The main character, Lyra, embarks on a dangerous adventure to restore her world and ours to balance.  This book was exciting and mystifying to read.

Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl - Dahl is by far my favorite children's author.  I read almost all of his books when I was younger.  They are fun, brilliantly original, and quirky.  They often have serious topics but are always light-hearted and optimistic.  So I bought this book of his short stories aimed at adults.  Like his children's books, these stories are all quirky and strange in some way, and contain a delightful touch of dark humor.  These stories contain events more relatable for adults and don't involved magic like his children's books often do, but are still wonderful.

Three Young Adult Books that All Teenagers Should Read

Young Adult (or YA) literature has become increasingly popular in recent years.  Teenagers are attracted to books about characters their age because they can relate better to the problems that these characters face.  The following three books that I've read are excellent, and everybody should be able to relate to them in some way.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
I read this book just this year and it has become one of my favorite books of all time.  This story is told from the point of view of a girl named Laurel who is entering ninth grade at a new school and doesn't know anybody there.  Her older sister, May, died about six months before the events of the book, and her mother moved out to California.  As  result, Laurel is in emotional trauma, making it even harder for her to adapt to a new high school.  Everyone has experienced a time where they weren't able to fit in, so everyone can relate to Laurel as she struggles to make new friends.  Another issue is that she blames herself for her sister's death and lies about her past because she doesn't want other people to hate her for what she's done.  As a result, she has trouble forming close relationships.  She also obsesses over her sister, believing that she was perfect, and wishes that she could be her.  In the end, though, this book is uplifting, as Laurel learns to be herself and develop her own identity instead of trying to become her sister.  This book will be relatable for anyone who has felt like they weren't good enough, has had difficulty fitting in, has had difficulty developing their own personality, or anyone who has lost a close relative.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Although this book is much older than Love Letters to the Dead, it is an American classic for a reason, and all teenagers can relate to it.  The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is seriously disillusioned with his life.  The narrative, told in first person, is cynical and criticizes everything he observes around him.  He pushes away the people that he cares about the most.  Instead, he hangs out with friends who can't help him with his problems.  Holden's main conflict is his fear of growing up and desire to protect the innocence of children.  The title references Holden's dream that a bunch of children are playing in a field of rye next to a cliff, and it is his job to stand at the bottom of the cliff and catch them if they fall.  Ultimately, he is able to accept that growing up is not harmful, and he finally gets help for his mental issues.  Since all teenagers struggle with becoming adults, everyone can relate to Holden in this way.  This book is also a good read for people who feel like they don't belong or who are disappointed with the world that they live in.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Personally, this is my second favorite book of all time, beat only by The Hunger Games.  This book is about a high school freshman named Charlie, who is a "wallflower" because he goes through life watching other people instead of participating.  His best friend has recently shot himself, so he is entering high school without any friends.  He is also affected by the death of his close aunt Helen when he was a child.  Two seniors, Sam and Patrick, take him under their wings, introduce him to new friends, and help him navigate through the complicated life of high school.  Charlie experiences new things such as drinking and a relationship, which is one sided and ends poorly.  Anyone who remembers the struggle of trying to fit in and make friends as a freshman will relate to Charlie will sympathize with him.  In addition, his friends have problems of their own.  Patrick is dating a closeted football player named Brad, who ends the relationship and gets in a physical fight with Patrick when his abusive, homophobic father catches them.  Meanwhile, Sam is frequently in and out of relationships, and has a tendency to date boys who don't respect her or treat her well, because she doesn't respect herself.  This book reflects a wide spectrum of issues facing teenagers, so there is something in it for everyone.  Finally, the book ends on an uplifting note as Charlie gets help for his problems and his friends go off to college to start new chapters of their lives.

Three Books I Want to Read this Summer

Now that school is almost over, I'll finally have time to read on my own!  Here are three books that I have on my list for this summer.

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
This isn't the kind of book that I would typically read because it is historical nonfiction, but it caught my attention when I performed in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar this year.  The show is controversial because it interprets the life of Jesus in a way that isn't strictly biblical.  It portrays events that may or may not have happened, suggests the way that Jesus and his disciples reacted to them, and poses the question of whether Jesus was divine or just a man.  Our director wanted to put on the show in a way that was as historically accurate as possible, and she based many of her ideas on Aslan's book.  Having gone to Sunday School my whole life, I have learned plenty about Jesus's life from a biblical perspective.  I'm interested in reading this book to discover it from a historical one.  The book has created controversy because Aslan is a Muslim writing on the central figure of Christianity.  Aslan sets aside the divine and examines the historical context of the times in which Jesus lived.  He portrays Jesus not as a spreader of peace, but as a rebel trying to help the poor and overthrow the oppressive government by any means necessary.  This view is radically different from what most Christians are taught about Jesus in church, so I'm eager to learn about his life from a different perspective by reading this book.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
I've heard the name of this book tossed around but never knew what it was about.  Recently I heard one of my friends say that this is their favorite book, so I wanted to check it out.  This is a dystopian story set in a future overrun by criminals.  It contains dark material and concerns themes such as life, death, and freedom.  Apparently this book contains extremely graphic violence, but I don't mind the shock.  I like reading books with dark subjects because I feel like they have a lot to say about life and humankind.  I also love dystopian settings because they allow the reader to imagine and reflect on situations that aren't true in real life, but could be true in the future if humans fail to prevent them.  This book is hard to read because it contains a lot of made up slang, but Burgess introduces the words in a way that the reader will quickly catch on to and learn to understand.



World War Z by Max Brooks
What can I say?  I'm a fan of zombie literature.  I already read Brooks's The Zombie Survival Guide and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Brooks is capable of creating a breed of zombie all his own, and provides a credible scientific explanation for them.  His attention to detail is phenomenal.  The guide was written as if it was really a survival guide and gave lots of good advice on avoiding and fighting off zombies.  I'm interested to see what sort of plot about the zombie war Brooks could create.  The fact that the book was made into a movie suggests that it is very exciting and fun to read.  The story is about Brooks traveling the world after the zombie war, interviewing various people and recording their first hand experiences.  Like The Zombie Survival Guide, this book is written as though it is about a real event, and that is what makes it so fascinating.