On books to read if you enjoyed "Wild Bird" by Wendelin Van Draanen

If you enjoy realistic contemporary YA about character overcoming shortcomings and learning from their mistakes, this is the blog post for you. If you're just someone who recently loved Wild Bird, you're also in luck - there are actually some similar books out there! 

3:47 a.m. That's when they come for Wren Clemens. She's hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who've gone so far off the rails, their parents don't know what to do with them any more. This is wilderness therapy camp. 

The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can't put up a tent. And bitter won't start a fire. Wren's going to have to admit she needs help if she's going to survive. 

In her most incisive and insightful book yet, beloved author Wendelin Van Draanen's offers a remarkable portrait of a girl who too a wrong turn and got lost--but who may be able to find her way back again in the vast, harsh desert.

• Bad by Jean Ferris - After getting caught robbing a convenience store, young Dallas is sent to a residential treatment center where she'll learn to confront the darkest parts of herself - and the decisions that led to her going to treatment. Both books are about girls who enter treatment because of their bad behavior - and their parents being unsure about how to deal with them.

• Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman - After a mental breakdown, Caden is sent to a psych ward to get his head back together. Caden encounters all sorts of characters on the psych unit, but he's also left to battle the demons in his head - all of which take the forms of a vicious sea captain and his heartless crew. This book differs from Wild Bird slightly - while it's still about a teen in treatment, Caden's reasons for entering treatment differ greatly from Wren's.

• The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin - Matt is a teenager who essentially acts as a parent to his little sisters - and also as protector from their cruel and abusive mother. When their mom gets a new boyfriend who seems like he might be able to help the kids, Matt is stuck with a difficult decision - does he need to handle this on his own or is it time to get adults involved in protecting his sisters? Matt's situation is very different from the situation in Wild Bird, but it is still about a teenager dealing with problematic living situations and unhappy circumstances and having to decide to change and overcome those circumstances.

What other books would you add to this list? Have you read any of the books on this list?

On melancholy books

One of my favorite things about books is that there are books for every mood. Below is a list of some books you may enjoy if you’re looking for a more melancholy and sad read:

• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien - This book has funny moments and terrifying moments, but the overall feeling of this book is sad and thoughtful and definitely melancholy. This book deals with the Vietnam War in a very thoughtful and somewhat gloomy (but honest and vulnerable) way.

• Hold the Dark by William Giraldi - Missing children, a cold and unforgiving landscape, and a narrator who’s experienced much loss come together to make this book both intriguing and pensive.

• Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks - This fictional diary of a young woman’s descent into a life of drugs, sex, and difficulties can be a difficult and sad read. Recommended for YA readers.

• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - Didion’s account of the year following her husband’s death is a serious and vulnerable look at encountering grief. This book is perfect for anyone experiencing loss and wondering how to cope with it.

• What Daddy Did by Neal Shusterman - This fictional story regarding one family dealing with the death of their mother (at the hand of their father) is a difficult look at grief and at young children coping with loss and learning to move past it.

What books would you add to this list? What melancholy books have you enjoyed? What makes a book melancholy in your mind?

On heroines I want to be when I grow up

As a little girl, reading strong, independent heroines was one of my favorite things to do. It was wonderful to have a heroine to look up to and to emulate as I figured myself out. I wanted to be so many different heroines when I’d grow up - and they’d all bleed into playing with my brother as I played increasingly strong characters in our games. Now that I’m a bit older, it’s interesting to look through some of the book I’ve read and pick out the women I’d want to be - and the qualities that make them such good heroines.

• Rae Spellman from The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz - Rae knows what she wants and she constantly dedicates herself wholeheartedly to it - whether that’s blackmailing her sister, waging war with her uncle, or joining the family business.
• Violet Baudelaire from “The Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket - Violet is both tender and tough, caring and courageous. She balances all this, is an excellent older sister, invents fantastic things, and somehow continues to hope for the best in the midst of everything the Baudelaires go through. As a little girl, Violet was my idol.
• Alanna from “The Song of the Lioness” by Tamora Pierce - Alanna wants desperately to be a warrior - so she disguises herself as her brother for several years to train, fooling everyone but her best friends. Alanna shows us that girls can be tough and independent and still have good relationships with men.
• Luxa from “The Underland Chronicles” by Suzanne Collins - Luxa lives through trauma, war, and lots of immaturity as she works to become the leader that her people need. She begins as a silly (and somewhat cruel) little girl and transforms into a thoughtful and caring leader. Luxa shows us that we can all change and become the people we need to be.
• Lift from Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - Lift is an adorable character who doesn’t let tough situations get her down and she’s always happy to show off her quirks and abilities.
• Risa Ward from Unwind by Neal Shusterman - Risa is one of the most caring character I’ve ever read. She’s kind to everyone she meets and does everything she can to help everyone she cares about. But that doesn’t make her a pushover - she plays it smart and keeps working to get what she wants.
• Steris Harms from Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson - Steris is featured in earlier Mistborn books, but she was a difficult character until Bands of Mourning. At first, we see Steris as a stern and irritable (and very dull) woman. But as we get to know her better, we grow to see that she’s funny, very thoughtful and well-meaning (though not always effective), detail-oriented, and that she can plan like nobody’s business. Steris reminds us that there’s far more under the surface for most people and that the folks who are dullest on the surface often have fascinating (and wonderfully quirky) backgrounds and personalities.

What heroines would you want to grow up to be? What heroines from this list do you look up to?

On authors I've read the most

This post was inspired by a post from The Broke and the Bookish.

For those of you who don’t know, Goodreads tracks your most-read authors. You can check yours by going to “My Books,” then, on the menu on the left (under your shelves), click “Most Read Authors” and you’ll get a list of authors and how many books you’ve read by each of them. When I did this, here’s what I got:

• Dr. Seuss (21 books read) - I don’t talk too much about picture books on this blog, but goodness, I love Dr. Seuss. My dad read us a Seuss book every night before bed (and he usually fell asleep halfway through the best parts) and they were definitely family favorites. In addition to owning huge collections of Seuss’ books, we’d also check one out almost every library trip. When I glanced through Seuss’ books that I’ve read, I noticed that I haven’t actually added a bunch of the ones I read growing up. Eventually, I’ll have to go back and add more, but for now, he still sits as my most-read author. I’m not even mad that he’s above all the adult authors I’ve read.
• Favorite book: Scrambled Egg Super! - I don’t know why this book connected with me so much, but I checked this book out from the library more than any other book ever. It’s all about a boy who dreams of collecting ridiculous eggs from bizarre places in order to make the greatest egg dish ever. I think I partly loved this because my dad made wonderful omelettes and he read us everything Seuss, so it was a fun and silly way to really connect with him.
• Brandon Sanderson (20 books read) - This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s read my blog for more than five seconds. Loverboy is obsessed with Sanderson and I’ve become a huge fan over the past few years. Sanderson writes some wonderful fantasy and has series for all ages. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
• Favorite book: Bands of Mourning - This is the sixth book in the Mistborn series, so you may want to start at the beginning. I love this book partly because Loverboy told me that I’m a real-life version of Steris (which I took as an insult until I actually read this book) and also because it’s fun, it’s moving, it’s got tons of action and character development, and things end on a satisfying note. Also, I find it difficult to keep up with every character and subplot in The Stormlight Archives - Mistborn is much more my speed.
• Lemony Snicket (17 books read) - Anyone who read A Series of Unfortunate Events will probably have Snicket near the top of their list - with 13 books, it’s a huge series. I’ve also read part of his All The Wrong Questions series, so I’ve read a lot of Snicket. What I love most about Snicket is the unconventional way he tells stories. It’s unique, it’s distinct, and it’s one of the best parts of his books.
• Favorite book: The Slippery Slope - It’s difficult to keep track of everything that happens in the series and what happens in which book, but I believe it’s in this book that the Baudelaires are really forced to grow up and learn the full truth about VFD. This book really hit home for me - I felt like I was growing up with them and it really stuck out in my mind.
• Neal Shusterman (13 books read)- I haven’t talked enough about Neal Shusterman on this blog yet, but prepare yourself, because I will. He’s been a family favorite for years. If I haven’t read one of his books, I can almost guarantee that one of my siblings has. Shusterman writes dark books, but he trusts his readers to be mature enough to handle some difficult subjects.
• Favorite book: The Schwa Was Here - A lot of Shusterman’s book have stuck with me, but this one did more than others. I remember reading this in a high school math class - I loved it so much that I couldn’t put it down and ending up reading through the teacher’s lesson (oops). I frequently think of this book when I hear about people who are overlooked or passed over.
• Cathy Hopkins and Roald Dahl (12 books each) - I was surprised to see Cathy Hopkins near the top of this list. In junior high, I read plenty of her Mates, Dates books, but I didn’t realize I’d read twelve of them. They’re very fun and silly YA books, but they all run together too much in my head to pick a favorite. But Roald Dahl is another story. I was obsessed with him in first and second grade and read everything that I could get my hands on. He’s still a beloved author in my mind and I reference his book more than childhood me would’ve guessed.
• Favorite book: The Twits - This was definitely not one of the most beloved books written by Dahl, but I’ve read this one several times and it always cracks me up. It’s probably the Dahl book I reference most and think about most - even more than Matilda.

What authors have you read most? Are there any that really surprised you or that aren’t shocking to anyone? Who do you wish was on the top of your most-read list?