DAY ELEVEN IS FINALLY HERE!
Wooooo! I made it!
Today’s topic is five authors I recommend. I feel like I’ve been repeating myself constantly through these blog posts. But it is the last day. So I’ll just stop caring.
These of course are in no particular order:
Neil Gaiman
The phrase that I hear tossed around with Gaiman’s name is the most is “rockstar of the literary world”. It’s hard to try and come up with a better way to describe him.
The very first thing I read by Neil Gaiman was Preludes and Nocturnes, the first volume collecting the first arc of his comic Sandman. I’m not going to lie, at first I could barely get myself through it. I don’t know what it was, the story was interesting enough, the art was different. I just couldn’t do it. But I did. I challenged myself and to this day Sandman is my favourite comic ever.
Gaiman has an interesting style: just the right mix of the fantastic, the surreal and the horrible. He makes you think and he challenges the reality you have come to rely on.
Gaiman is currently on tour with his new book Ocean at the End of the Lane and I was lucky enough to snag tickets to see him. I don’t really know how to express my excitement.
Books I Recommend by Neil Gaiman:
| Sandman | Coraline | American Gods | Ocean at the End of the Lane | Smoke and Mirrors |
John Green
J
ohn Green: the literary half of the vlogbrothers. I think the quote that best describes John comes from Chelsey during out review of The Fault in Our Stars
“John Green is like that kid who absorbed everything they ever tried to teach you in school”
John Green gives me hope for teen fiction. He offers more than just the superficial obsession with hot boyfriends and vampires. On countless occasions John has been accused of being “too smart” for teenagers. He responded to this by saying in an interview:
“I’m tired of adults telling teenagers that they aren’t smart, that they can’t read critically, that they aren’t thoughtful”
John Green’s books and the creation of Nerdfighteria have created a safe space for teens and adults a like. I have infinite respect for the man.
Books I Recommend By John Green:
| The Fault in Our Stars | Looking For Alaska | Paper Towns | An Abundance of Katherines | Zombiecorns |
Garth Nix
I don’t think Garth Nix is as popular as he used to be. I discovered him in Grade Seven with his book Mister Monday. The series had such a strong place in my heart that when it finally ended (in my second year of university) I bought it the day it was released and hungrily read it. Nix has an awesome grasp of fantasy tropes and loves to invert and twist them. As I mentioned in my day eight post Nix is able to set up a world quickly and effectively. Even though you are only exposed to a small section of the world in his novel you know that there is more to that world. It’s a believable place.
Garth Nix is similar to Neil Gaiman, only slightly less surreal. If you like science fiction and fantasy I recommend you check out his work.
Books I Recommend by Garth Nix:
| The Abhorsen Trilogy | Across the Wall | The Keys to the Kingdom | The Ragwitch | Shade’s Children | A Confusion of Princes |
Libba Bray
Libba bray can write about anything she can put her mind to. The epic difference between the books she has written in genre alone is awesome.
If I had to choose my favourite book by her I would have to settle on Going Bovine. Bray manages to mix humour and tragedy in an interesting and clever way. She takes the “heroes quest” map and plays with it in as modern setting.
Then there is Beauty Queens which is like Lord of the Flies, Lost and Miss Congeniality all mixed in one. Beauty Queens functions as a satire of popular culture and my god does it makes me happy.
Books I Recommend by Libba Bray
| Going Bovine | Gemma Doyle Trilogy | The Diviners | Beauty Queens |
Dave Barry
Everyone on my list so far has been serious and focused on inverted stereotypes, dealing with the dark side of the human psyche etc etc. Every once in a while you need something a little bit fun and maybe just plain silly.
Meet Dave Barry. I think I own every collection of his articles and his other books. Sometimes he’s silly, sometimes he’s just plain stupid and sometimes he’s extremely heartfelt. My favourite book by him is Dave Barry in Cyberspace where he makes fun of the Computer-Self-Help Books. In this book he talks about the importance of font formats along with how to NOT behave in a chat room. This is one of those books that always makes me laugh. Whenever he releases something new I go out and give it a read. I’m never disappointed.
Books I Recommend by Dave Barry:
| Dave Barry in Cyberspace | Dave Barry’s History of the Millennium (So Far) | Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus | Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys |
