Such a Friday! Good thing we have the Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less.
1. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The perfect balance of magic, common sense, and poetry. Sophie is a favorite.
2. A Severed Head by Irish Murdoch
Everyone’s sleeping with each other and discussing it. Required reading for class; don’t remember much.
3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Feel like this one could be a good YA crossover. Loved the bee information.
4. The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
Read while working reception in the film dept one summer. A fun, snarky road trip.
5. The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real by Margery Williams
Aka–The Original Toy Story. I always thought scarlet fever sounded dramatic and intriguing.
6. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
Enjoyed it way more than I expected to. Gotta love a good monster story.
7. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Excellent writing, complex characters, and compelling plot. A fantastic start to the series.
8. Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno
Manages to balance the anger, tenderness, obnoxiousness, and sadness of being a teenager.
9. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Solid advice and exercises, especially for beginnings. Remember Goldberg advocating for cheap notebooks.
10. The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty
Fun and quirky, but didn’t quote hold together. Vaguely reminded me of the film Happy-Go-Lucky.
11. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Used it in middle school science project to describe light. Not a great project.
12. Great Depression Cooking with Clara by Clara Cannucciari and Christopher Cannucciari
The only book I’ve bought based entirely on Internet sensation. Clara is great.
13. Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman
Adorable and hilarious; great for young pet owners.
14. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
My favorite of the comedies. Lots of great wordplay and a dynamic plot.
15. Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart
Fun, Kafka-esque take on high school, but not as much depth as I expected.
Happy reading!