This is my hands-down favorite book of all time. I think I’ve read it about 15 times since I was a kid. It’s about this community of rabbits (yes, you read that right, rabbits) who are forced to leave their warren when it is bulldozed over to make a construction site. So starts their adventurous search for a new home. On their journey, they meet a suicidal warren of poetry-spouting rabbits, discover asphalt roads, and are forced to join a military warren run by the Hitler of the animal kingdom, General Woundwart. Adams manages to make these rabbits the most human animals you ever met, without them losing a bit a their rabb-ability. They love, fight, and tell stories about their own folk heroes, but they never speak English, stand on their hind feet, or in short, act like anything but rabbits. It’s just the most amazing book, and I recommend it to everybody. Don’t be put off by the length–you’ll be completely absorbed until the last page.
Category: Why Should Your Parents Have All the Fun?
Adult Reads for Teens
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Before all the Oprah hoopla and the big movie whoop-de-doo, I read this book for a creative writing class in college, and we were supposed to study Morrison’s intricate pattern of structure and characterization. Forget that! I was so wow-ed by the power and lyricism of the story that I finished the book long before anyone else and walked around in a stupor for days afterward. Beloved is the story of a female ex-slave, Sethe, who mourns the fact that she murdered her child in order to save the baby from a life of slavery. In fact, she mourns so much that her grief becomes manifest into a body of a young woman named Beloved–a ghost the same age that Sethe’s dead baby would have been had she lived. With powerful storytelling skills and flashbacks that are woven better than in Pulp Fiction, Morrison brings home the meaning of love, hope and pain all gift-wrapped in this little book.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
What’s not to love? A dashing, brooding older man, a plain but intellectual young woman, a spooky old house and a crazy lady in the attic! All the elements you need to make this classic story of love and loss completely unforgettable. I only regret that I waited until college to read it–don’t make the same mistake–check out this book and others by the Bronte sisters today!
Caucasia by Danzy Senna
Birdie is torn between her two parents–one black, one white, as she grows up in the racial war-zone of 1970’s Boston. Her pain deepens when she realizes that her parents, who can no longer get along, intend to separate her from her beloved sister. Her black father is taking her sister to live with him in Brazil while Birdie and her white mother, who is on the run for some of the political crimes she has committed, are leaving Boston to travel around the county, hiding from the authorities. While I have not personally had the experience of being biracial, Senna really made me feel the confusion, ambiguity and even guilt Birdie felt in denying one side of her heritage and “passing” as white with her mother. Senna herself is a biracial child, and her novel has a very autobiographical feel to it. Read it along with James McBride’s autobiography, The Color of Water
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
I love this book on many levels–first of all, it’s hilarious. The main guy in this story, Rob, is a total slacker who owns and obsesses over a record store in England. His day-to-day dealings with customers and his dorky employees will have you laughing so loud, your stomach will hurt. Secondly, it’s a love story–Rob is stressing about commitment, so he dumps his long-time girlfriend, and in typical guy-fashion, immediately gets jealous when she starts dating someone else. And lastly, it’s just a great slice of Gen-X slacker-ism. Rob is obsessed with music, bands and making mix tapes, forget paying bills and acting like a grown-up (I love Rob so much because he TOTALLY reminds me of how my best friend Rick used to act in college). After I read it the first time I went right out and recommended it to as many friends as possible. Read it. You’ll love it. I promise. And don’t miss the movie version, starring John Cusak and the pitch perfect Jack Black.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
I heard that this book was brought back into print because Ms. Rowling of Harry Potter fame said it was one of her favs. Well, thank goodness she said something, ’cause this Castle is not to be missed! Cassandra and her wacky family live in a crumbling English castle, leased when her famous writer father was still famous. Now, he suffers from perpetual writer’s block, and the family, once well-off, can barely scrape together a decent tea. Enter the wealthy Cotton brothers, two young Americans who are perfect matches for Cassandra and her lovely, but picky sister Rose-or so Cassandra thinks. The brothers Cotton may have other ideas…a hilarious and touching comedy of manners, Castle captures all the adolescent longings of first love, along with all the funny and not so funny moments that go with it. Incidentally, Smith is also the author of the original 101 Dalmatians, another wonderful classic that is ten times better than the movie.
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
“Here’s the story…” Imagine the Bradys-only funnier, smarter, riding around in an old jalopy instead of the trusty station wagon, living in the early 1900’s, and twelve of them instead of six–and you’ve got the Gilbreth family! Dad Gilbreth is a motion study engineer, (the study of how to do things more efficiently) and the easiest way to test out his theories is to practice them on his kids. Now, that may not sound too bad, except sometimes Dad is a little too efficient…like the time when one kid gets tonsillitis and he decides that it’s more cost-effective to set up an operating table in the living room and take out EVERYONE’S tonsils. But Dad also makes learning stuff a whole lotta fun-like when he paints messages in Morse code all over the walls of the summer house that lead to treats for the first person to decipher the code. Things are always hoppin’ at the Gilbreth place, and its’ more entertaining than “Malcolm in the Middle” and “The Simpsons” combined! And did I mention this is all a TRUE story?? A nice old lady sold me a battered paperback of this book at a garage sale (the best way to discover classics) and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Welcome to the Blackwood House. Younger sister Merricat buries baubles in the garden and nails objects to the trees to “protect” her family’s property. Older sister Constance is a cheerful housekeeper who is happy enough as long as she doesn’t have to go outside-ever. And Uncle Julian, well, he’s not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean. But with a little prompting, he’ll gladly tell you what became of the rest of the Blackwood clan-if you’re brave enough to listen. One of the three living Blackwoods murdered all the rest. But can you guess who? A wonderfully creepy classic by the acclaimed author of “The Lottery”.
Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith
Sappy title, great book. Yes, we’ve all heard of Betty Smith’s oft-assigned classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. But did you know she wrote many other fine novels, all with the same bittersweet tone as Tree? Joy is about the day to day struggles of a young married couple in the 1920’s, who manage to wring a little happiness out of life despite all their trials and tribulations. And boy, do they have some trials! Can you imagine trying to live on $5 a week in a two room apartment, going to law school and keeping your brand spanking new marriage from falling apart? That’s what Carl and Annie are up against, but they are determined to make it, no matter what. Smith knows her characters well, and by the end of this story, you’ll swear you know someone just like Carl or Annie, too.
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
“They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him every where. Is he is heaven? Or is he in hell? That demmed (said w/ an English accent) elusive Pimpernel!” During the French Revolution, when the French aristocracy were literally losing their heads to the peasants, there was one brave Englishman who risked his life to save as many innocent people as he could from the cruel guillotine. He was called The Scarlet Pimpernel, after the little red flower he left in his mysterious wake. Was the Pimpernel a real person? Not exactly, but he was based on real people who did try to help French aristocrats escape during the Revolution. The Baroness Orczy wrote a rich fictionalization of this imaginary hero, whose exploits include breath-taking rescues, swash buckling sword fights, and dizzying romance. Oh! Has historical fiction ever been this much fun? Even though this story has gone through many incarnations (several movie versions, a Broadway play) the original novel is still tops.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Although this is a somewhat depressing book, it has quite a bit to say about human nature and how we all try to make meaningful connections with one another. In a small Southern town, Mick is a thirteen-year-old who dreams of leaving everything behind and becoming a famous composer. Biff is a restaurant owner who wonders what the heck he’s going to do with the rest of his life now that his wife has died. Jack is the local drunk who is looking for any kind of salvation, and Dr. Copeland is an African American physician who can’t understand why the other Blacks in his town won’t take more responsibility for their lives. All of them have found some relief talking to John, a deaf mute who provides each of them with what they need most-someone to listen. What they never stop to consider is that John may have problems-big problems-of his own. Each lonely character’s heart is hunting for something-love, compassion, answers to life’s big questions. And it’s a hunt that most of us can relate to. A deep, little bit weepy, read.
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Fourteen year old Will Tweedy can’t believe it! With his beloved grandma not even cold in her grave, curmudgeonly Grandpa Blakesee has up and married again! And not just anyone-Grandpa has picked the sweetest flower on the vine, the town milliner (who also happens to be a Yankee!), Miss Love Simpson. Gums are flappin’ and tongues are waggin’ all over town, but no one is more confused than Grandpa’s own kin. Will knows he ought to be mad for grandma’s sake, but Miss Love is so sweet he doesn’t know what to think. And it’s just about the time of his grandpa’s new marriage that things start happenin’ at an alarming rate in the turn-of-the-century, sleepy town of Cold Sassy…country, quirky and oh so funny, Cold Sassy Tree is a hoot and a holler of a good classic read.
The Exes by Pagan Kennedy
It would be bad enough having to see your ex-girlfriend or boyfriend everyday at school or work. But what if you were in a band with your ex? And you were getting too successful to leave it, even though it was starting to drive you crazy seeing him or her all the time? That’s the story, morning glory, behind Pagan Kennedy’s band book The Exes. Walt is still crushing on Shaz, Shaz is pretty sure she’s into girls, and Hank and Lilly are trying to find a way to still get their fix off each other without Lilly’s boyfriend Dieter finding out. Can the four of them deal with all the behind-the-scenes emotions AND rock Boston? The ending may leave you to draw your own conclusions about where this indie group is going to end up, but as usual, Pagan Kennedy, with her wide knowledge of pop culture, does not disappoint.
Geniuses of Crack by Jeff Gomez
Indie band Bottlecap has finally made it big. Mark, Steve and Gary follow fame to L.A. where they find that going commercial is, unfortunately, the only way to go. Band leader Mark tries to keep both artistic control and his superficial girlfriend, Corinne, from getting out of hand. Steve is hanging out with Sam, their weird mooching neighbor who claims to be some kind of artist but nobody knows just what kind, while Gary, nostalgic in the way only slackers can be, is on a mission to find old Atari equipment and woo his new girl, Whitney. Can three slacker guys from Kitty, Virginia, beat the corporate wolves of California? Probably not, but they’re going to go through a lot of angst trying. If you want to find out how Bottlecap was first formed, read Gomez’s first novel, Our Noise, of which Geniuses is a spin-off.
The Committments by Roddy Doyle
One of the best band books around, The Commitments is about a group of Irish kids who want to form a band. But this isn’t the Cranberries, people — The Commitments want to sing R&B soul. But can they overcome the musical roadblock of selling soul to Dublin, which isn’t exactly Motown? The best way to get a feel for this short novel is to pair it up with the movie version, which goes by the same title and is just as good as the book. That way, if you’re having a hard time with the Irish dialect in the book, you can always use the movie to break you in. Check out both versions from the library, watch one and read the other, and I think you’ll agree, they both rock.