Why am I passionate about this?

My soul still possesses a little of my teenage self, which is why I set my latest book in 1987. Whitney Houston had one of the biggest songs, Dirty Dancing was released, and a little girl nicknamed Baby Jessica was rescued from a well. Iā€™m told this makes The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne ā€œhistorical fictionā€ which, honestly, is a little alarming, because sometimes 1987 doesnā€™t seem like that long ago. Other times it feels ancient. I picked a few of these books because theyā€™re full of nostalgia for a slower, analog time. But mainly I chose them for the voice, characters, and great writing.


I wrote

The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

By Shannon Takaoka,

Book cover of The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

What is my book about?

Gracie Byrne lives big, but only in her stories. In her real life, everything sucksā€¦ until she finds an oldā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Shannon Takaoka Why did I love this book?

Set in 1987 Texas, this sweet coming-of-age story has so many of my favorite things: A slow-burn romance, opposites attracting, and characters so beautifully drawn that you wonā€™t want to let them go when you get to the final page.

Dante is artistic, sensitive and wears his heart on his sleeve. Ari is fiercely loyal, tough on the outside but on the inside is still finding his way. When an accident changes the dynamic of their summer friendship, they both need to come to terms with what they really mean to each other.

I love that this story unfolds at a pace that breathes ā€“  SĆ”enz takes his time letting his characters get to know one another, through swim lessons and summertime meandering, through letters, and deep conversations. 

By Benjamin Alire SƔenz,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 11, 12, 13, and 14.

What is this book about?

This Printz Honor Book is a "tender, honest exploration of identity" (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When they meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the two loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special kind of friendship--the kind of friendship that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through their friendship that Ari and Dante will learnā€¦


Book cover of Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Shannon Takaoka Why did I love this book?

Tell the Wolves Iā€™m Home is literary and lyrical and it broke my heart into a thousand pieces while simultaneously piecing it back together again.

When June loses her beloved Uncle Finn at the height of the AIDs epidemic, she also loses the person who understands her the most. Then she forms a friendship with the partner he left behind, Toby, and together they help each other through the loneliness they both feel without him.

I liked that this book isnā€™t afraid to explore complicated relationships ā€“ especially between siblings. It also shines a light on a time when ignorance caused so much pain, through characters who are confused, flawed, and deeply human. The writing is beautiful.  

By Carol Rifka Brunt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tell the Wolves I'm Home as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā€¢ A heartfelt story of love, grief, and renewal about two unlikely friends who discover that sometimes you donā€™t know youā€™ve lost someone until youā€™ve found them

ā€œA dazzling debut novel.ā€ā€”O: The Oprah Magazine
ā€œTremendously moving.ā€ā€”The Wall Street Journal
ā€œTouching and ultimately hopeful.ā€ā€”People
 
1987. The only person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus is her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can be herself only in Finnā€™s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, ofā€¦


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Book cover of Cold Warrior

Cold Warrior by Robert Tucker,

During the 1970s and 80s, the Soviet Union penetrated the corporate economy and financial systems of the United States to engage in industrial espionage.

Cold Warrior is the story of Kasia Kerenski, a street mime who is ā€œdiscoveredā€ to work as a Hollywood actress. Coerced into becoming a double agentā€¦

Book cover of The Saturday Night Ghost Club

Shannon Takaoka Why did I love this book?

The Saturday Night Ghost Club wraps a poignant story about grief and loss inside a nostalgic 1980s package that brings to mind the best of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King.

Iā€™m always a sucker for a group of misfits who band together and learn some important life lessons, and Davidson takes that outline and fills it in with Uncle Calvin, Jake, Billy, and Dove. Uncle Calvin will break your heart, the boysā€™ friendship will warm it, but the real MVP for me is fierce, wild Dove.

The vibe of this book is sleepovers in wood-paneled game rooms, staying out past bedtime under a full moon, and being on the cusp of leaving childhood fears behind, while learning that the adult world sometimes holds more darkness than you knew. 

By Craig Davidson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Saturday Night Ghost Club as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An irresistible and bittersweet coming-of-age story in the vein of Stranger Things and Stand by Me about a group of misfit kids who spend an unforgettable summer investigating local ghost stories and urban legends

"A celebration of the secret lives of children, both their wonders and their horrors . . . Immensely enjoyable, piercingly clever, and satisfyingly soulful." -Jason Heller, NPR

Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls - a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place - Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summerā€¦


Book cover of My Best Friend's Exorcism

Shannon Takaoka Why did I love this book?

If you want to take the 80s vibes up a few notches and donā€™t mind getting a bit grossed out, My Best Friendā€™s Exorcism is your book.

Every chapter title is a classic 80s banger, and the story is wild (imagine that The Exorcist and your favorite 80s teen movie had a babyā€¦ that turned into a tapewormā€¦ that took some acid.) Seriously though, at its heart, this book is really about a ride-or-die friendship between two young women who refuse to let a literal demon get in their way.

Abby remains loyal to Gretchen in the face of all manner of unholy horrorsā€¦ and who doesnā€™t want a friend like that? 

By Grady Hendrix,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked My Best Friend's Exorcism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act different. She s moody. She s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she s nearby. Abby s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil? Like an unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist, My Best Friend sā€¦


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Book cover of Girl of Light

Girl of Light by Elana Gomel,

A girl of Light in a world of darkness.

In Svetlana's country, itā€™s a felony to break a mirror. Mirrors are conduits of the Voice, the deity worshiped by all who follow Light. The Voice protects humans of MotherLand from the dangers that beset them on all sides: an invadingā€¦

Book cover of The Secret History

Shannon Takaoka Why did I love this book?

Dorm rooms, bacchanals, penny loafers, and lots of cigarettes.

The Secret History is the mother of all dark academia, mixing 80s prep, murder, and class dynamics at an elite private college. Exclusive clique ā€“ check. Charismatic, yet perhaps dangerous, professor ā€“ check. A series of events that will change the lives of six college friends forever ā€“ check. Thereā€™s probably not much that I can say about this one that hasnā€™t been said before.

Tarttā€™s writing is as sharp as broken glass and so brilliant it almost makes me mad. Whenever I re-read this book, and especially that scene in the woods with Bunny, I get the chills.   

By Donna Tartt,

Why should I read it?

22 authors picked The Secret History as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE BESTSELLER THAT DEFINED AN AGE

'Everything, somehow, fit together; some sly and benevolent Providence was revealing itself by degrees and I felt myself trembling on the brink of a fabulous discovery, as though any morning it was all going to come together---my future, my past, the whole of my life---and I was going to sit up in bed like a thunderbolt and say oh! oh! oh!'

Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries.ā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

By Shannon Takaoka,

Book cover of The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

What is my book about?

Gracie Byrne lives big, but only in her stories. In her real life, everything sucksā€¦ until she finds an old journal of her grandmotherā€™s that gives her the power to rewrite reality. At first, sheā€™s thrilled to cast herself as the center of attention at her new high school, and possibly score herself a homecoming date. But as Gracieā€™s vivid imagination starts to cause a little too much chaos, she begins to wonder if realizing her fantasies is all itā€™s cracked up to be. Set in 1987, The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne combines the daydreamy feel of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with the high school awkwardness of Sixteen Candles (minus the parts that havenā€™t aged very well). Thereā€™s also a little dash of Stranger Things.   

Book cover of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Book cover of Tell the Wolves I'm Home
Book cover of The Saturday Night Ghost Club

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