As a kid growing up in a small Kentucky town, my buddy and I would ride our bikes everywhere, looking for adventure and sometimes trouble, until my mother directed me to the public library that was just a few blocks from our house. I would spend long summer afternoons there immersed in the complex lives of heroes and villains (and, in some cases, trying to decide which was which) and losing myself in the twisting and turning plots of mystery and intrigue. For me, there is nothing better than a book that takes its time to reveal itself, providing little breadcrumbs of excitement along the way toward the eventual payoff.
At first blush, I wouldn’t necessarily associate Stephen King with YA fiction, but this beautifully written novella is one of my favorite coming-of-age stories. I really like the idea of placing young adult characters into very adult situations and allowing them to work their way through.
And the first-person point of view of the narrator, reflecting on a transformative episode from his past, drew me in immediately, along with the simple yet authentic dialogue that breathes life into this eclectic cast of characters.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King’s timeless novella “The Body”—originally published in his 1982 short story collection Different Seasons, and adapted into the 1986 film classic Stand by Me—is now available as a stand-alone publication.
It’s 1960 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Ray Brower, a boy from a nearby town, has disappeared, and twelve-year-old Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body along the railroad tracks. During the course of their journey, Gordie, Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern…
I’m a sucker for a Southern gothic page-turner, particularly one that features such a complicated character like Joe Ransom who, when you first meet him, you don’t know if you should approach or just run away. Then bring teenage Gary into the mix with his troubled family backstory and this sheds a new light on Joe, and Gary as well, as the two traverse the muddy path to redemption.
Brown’s descriptive prose paints a harsh picture of the world, warts and all, yet it also has an underlying tragic beauty.
“Brilliant . . . Larry Brown has slapped his own fresh tattoo on the big right arm of Southern Lit.” ―The Washington Post Book World
Now a major motion picture starring Nicolas Cage, directed by David Gordon Green.
Joe Ransom is a hard-drinking ex-con pushing fifty who just won’t slow down--not in his pickup, not with a gun, and certainly not with women. Gary Jones estimates his own age to be about fifteen. Born luckless, he is the son of a hopeless, homeless wandering family, and he’s desperate for a way out. When their paths cross, Joe offers him a…
As an outdoorsy person, I love the integral role that nature plays in this book. Owens uses strong imagery to contrast the serenity of the North Carolina marshes with the cruel realities of life and the universal themes of isolation, loneliness, and abandonment.
It is both a coming-of-age tale and a murder mystery driven by a self-reliant heroine for whom I instantly found myself rooting.
OVER 12 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
For years, rumours of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be…
Hinton brings grittiness and verisimilitude to the YA genre and respect for the young reader in this story of rival gangs in Middle America that she wrote, incredibly, while she was still in high school. Ponyboy, the fourteen-year-old protagonist, thinks he has life figured out—until he doesn’t—and who can’t relate to that no matter how old you are?
His narration strikes a conversational tone, as if you’re sitting next to him out on the front stoop at night, smoking cigarettes while he tells you what just happened.
50 years of an iconic classic! This international bestseller and inspiration for a beloved movie is a heroic story of friendship and belonging.
Cover may vary.
No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends-true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is…
Of all the books I was “forced” to read in school, this was the one I most often picked back up to read on my own. There is so much in this story to unpack, from race relations in the Depression-era South to the shortcomings of the legal system.
Ultimately, this is about an innocent young person who, through a series of events beyond her control and which are much too adult for her, must learn to accept that people are not strictly good or bad but varied amalgams of both.
'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped…
When troubled, fourteen-year-old Rhett Littlefield gets kicked out of school for his latest run-in with the vice principal, his frazzled single mother sends him to the hollers of Eastern Kentucky to stay with his Uncle Theo, a man of few words who leads an isolated existence with his loyal dog, Chekhov.
Resigned to make the best of his situation while still longing for the day when Mama will allow him to return home, Rhett settles into his new life. Rhett barely remembers his uncle but is determined to get to know him. As he does, Rhett discovers that he and Uncle Theo share a connection to the past, one that has altered both of their lives, a past that will soon come calling.
From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list.
When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?
Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…
"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author
When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…
