Here are a few books that I hold dear to my heart.
This book sounds amazing! It is a verse novel and at first glance it seems like a collection of poems, but it is a novel. It tells a great story about a 12 year old girl who likes to run. It is my favourite book and if you can get a hold of the audio book, do yourself a favour and get that too.
Ender’s Series by Orson Scott Card.
This book is a science fiction classic and the follow up Speaker for The Dead is equally amazing. Card has written nine books in this series, including
Ender in Exile. Each story has also been produced in audio book format. The audio books have sound effects, music, and full cast narration. He lists those audio books as the definition collection. He believes that they are the best way to enjoy this series, and I totally concur. They are spectacular.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
This book is part autobiography part writing manual. It is an excellent read for anyone who anyone who writes. King shares his story and advice on how to write. He examines many aspects of writing that he finds essential to the craft. I learned a lot from this book and his advice.
Story by Robert McKee
This is a must have for any writer. Read it with a pencil in your hand. Make underlines and notes. Study it, memorize it, and apply it to your works. It is the best book I have ever read on the craft of writing and I know many writers in several different genres that sing its praises. If you don’t already have a copy, you NEED to go get one.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is a great story and a terrific read. It deals with finding your place in the world and realizing the connections we have with the world itself. This story is very touching and it tells us to follow our hearts. It is a modern classic.
Watchmen by Allan Moore and Dave Gibbons
This is a graphic novel which revolutionized the comics industry. It showed the real human side of superheroes and told a serious story that dealt with mature subject matter. It was the first graphic novel to ever win a Hugo award for fiction. It is a classic.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty SmithSet in the early 1900s, the novel focuses on a family that scrapes by the best they can. The main character is the small girl in this poor family. Since the story takes place over several years, we can see the idealistic young girl come to some harsh realities. We effectively get to see her grow up. I like how the author lets us into her life in such a personal way. It’s a moving story and moves along at a good pace.
And here are a few more that I really enjoyed reading
A twenty-five year old who doesn’t really like how her life has turned out so far, starts thinking about a do-over. And then, as if the universe heard her request, she gets into a car accident and decides to use it to fake amnesia. This way she can have a fresh start and make some changes in her life.
The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
This book stands alone as a great story but is also part of a four book series. In this first book, the residents of the City of Ember live in a completely dark world. They are running out of resources and are forced to live on smaller and smaller rations every day. The residents don’t really know what to do about these problems and carry on with their day-to-day lives as if nothing is amiss. However, two recent graduates realize that something is terribly wrong with their city and try to do something about it.
Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred
This is a great graphic novel. The story centres around a gorilla mechanic aboard the starship Fist of Earth. Humans and the gorillas work together on the starship but it is obvious that there is a little bit of distrust and fear between the two groups. What really makes this book a winner is the pacing and humour. The story draws you in right away. The characters are believable and real.
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
Donalyn Miller is a sixth grade teacher and an avid reader. She shares this passion for reading with her students and gets them reading more than I ever thought was possible in the school year. She actually requires her students to read 40 books a year. She shows how this can be done and why it is a great idea that really serves the needs of our students.
Need more recommendations?
Check the archives – https://chasemarch.com/topic/reads/
I miss finishing a book and then coming to the keyboard to write a review of it. I did it for years. I only let that practice go when I realized how much of my time it took. I needed to make time for other things. I need to write more though. So I will be writing about a few books again.
Stay tuned for more!