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RE: Favorites of the Year
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From: Paul W Goldschmidt <goldschp_at_tds.net>
Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:48:17 -0600
Celeste: You totally beat me to The Friendship Doll. It was definitely one of my favorites of this year, for many of the same reasons! I was also amazed at Larson's ability to take the motif of a sentient doll (now, how creepy could that have been?) and, through it explore themes from jealousy to racism, and even death.
At 01:35 PM 12/9/2011, Steward, Celeste wrote: I also loved Stars, Energy Island and Peaceful Pieces.
My 2011 favorites are:
The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson
"Throughout the twentieth century, Miss Kanagawa, one of fifty-eight dolls made to serve as ambassadors from Japan to the United States, travels the country learning to love while changing the lives of those who need her." Very nicely paced and well written. I did not know of the ambassador dolls and after reading it, I went off on an Internet search. I like fiction that spurs me to look for more information.
In addition, the following books are also on my favorites list:
Moonglass, by Jessi Kirby -- first-time author Kirby takes two of the most tired cliches in YA (dead mothers and beaches) and weaves a near-perfect story about confronting grief and overcoming it. This book stood out for me because of the infectious love that Kirby has for her subject matter and her ability to make this story fresh.
The Summer I Learned To Fly, by Dana Reinhardt -- I loved this book at first for its pet rat and the cheese shop and the crazy pacing of its narrative. But in the end, I loved it more for the charming and quirky romance, and for Reinhardt's ability to capture the moment when a shy girl left her comfort zone and made tentative steps to adulthood.
And also an honorable mention to the last installment of Jenny Han's Summer Trilogy (We'll Always Have Summer) which, while it is beach fluff at its grandest, really transcends the genre by treating its adults and teens with equal degrees of realism and respect. In a genre where literary success usually means painting either the adults and/or the children as clueless morons, Han's series has consistently shown that no human being is perfect and that we all have a lot to learn from each other.
Thanks, Paul Goldschmidt (Not Acting My Age)
Received on Fri 09 Dec 2011 01:48:17 PM CST
Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:48:17 -0600
Celeste: You totally beat me to The Friendship Doll. It was definitely one of my favorites of this year, for many of the same reasons! I was also amazed at Larson's ability to take the motif of a sentient doll (now, how creepy could that have been?) and, through it explore themes from jealousy to racism, and even death.
At 01:35 PM 12/9/2011, Steward, Celeste wrote: I also loved Stars, Energy Island and Peaceful Pieces.
My 2011 favorites are:
The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson
"Throughout the twentieth century, Miss Kanagawa, one of fifty-eight dolls made to serve as ambassadors from Japan to the United States, travels the country learning to love while changing the lives of those who need her." Very nicely paced and well written. I did not know of the ambassador dolls and after reading it, I went off on an Internet search. I like fiction that spurs me to look for more information.
In addition, the following books are also on my favorites list:
Moonglass, by Jessi Kirby -- first-time author Kirby takes two of the most tired cliches in YA (dead mothers and beaches) and weaves a near-perfect story about confronting grief and overcoming it. This book stood out for me because of the infectious love that Kirby has for her subject matter and her ability to make this story fresh.
The Summer I Learned To Fly, by Dana Reinhardt -- I loved this book at first for its pet rat and the cheese shop and the crazy pacing of its narrative. But in the end, I loved it more for the charming and quirky romance, and for Reinhardt's ability to capture the moment when a shy girl left her comfort zone and made tentative steps to adulthood.
And also an honorable mention to the last installment of Jenny Han's Summer Trilogy (We'll Always Have Summer) which, while it is beach fluff at its grandest, really transcends the genre by treating its adults and teens with equal degrees of realism and respect. In a genre where literary success usually means painting either the adults and/or the children as clueless morons, Han's series has consistently shown that no human being is perfect and that we all have a lot to learn from each other.
Thanks, Paul Goldschmidt (Not Acting My Age)
Received on Fri 09 Dec 2011 01:48:17 PM CST
