It's easy to list what books are on my night table. But when I started to compile my list it seemed too obvious a task.
What was of interest to me was what books would be on my characters' bedside tables. The characters from Cul de Sac Moon are avid readers. They read to be inspired, entertained and to learn. It is no mistake that Addie's books are about troubled kids nor is it a surprise that both Sigge and Bernerd pursue their interests through literature. I am very fond of my characters and I really appreciate their literary recommendations. They are three rich and varied lists. I hope you enjoy their suggestions as much as I did.
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Categories: Reviews, Awards, Discussions, Authors, Night Table Recommendations
I don't specialize in my preferences for reading. I always have research books of some kind on the go, for my own writing, of course - and often, I have a biography or non-fiction bookmarked at the same time as a fiction novel and the research material.
My bookshelves are made up of mysteries, biographies, non-fiction, young adult novels, and - as I don't limit myself to strictly "literary fiction" - I also have an ample supply of other forms of fiction crammed in cheek by jowl with the others. I also keep, very close to me on my bedside table, and the one beside my bath, a few of my favourite books to reread - both to comfort me, and to recharge me. Some of my long time much-loved authors are Barbara Pym, Jane Austen, Joanna Trollope, Anne Tyler, John Steinbeck, John Mortimer, and Alan Bennett. I have also been known to have favourite cookbooks on those tables as well.
As a voracious reader of mysteries, I go from M.C. Beaton to Magdalene Nabb to Georges Simenon, and many others in between.
I also have many YA writers I enjoy. Too many to list here, but we have some of the best YA fiction writers in Canada right here in Manitoba!
Categories: Reviews, Discussions, Authors, Night Table Recommendations
The question I get asked the most is, "Why write for young adults? Why not write grown-up books?" Usually I hum and haw my answer, but when I reflect upon my current reading list I realize the answer is simple: I write what I read. This isn't to say that I don't read grown-up books, but when I do they are usually titles that are inspired by the YA novels I've enjoyed. (This will also explain why I check under the bed for monsters and can't sleep with the closet door open...)
Currently, this is the reading that has occupied my free time:
Categories: Reviews, Discussions, Authors
Manitoba-based Karin Adams is the author of Lights! Curtains! Cows! and No TV? No Fair!, both available at McNally Robinson Booksellers. Humour and a kid-centered universe are the essential ingredients in her books. Karin's favourite stories remain those she read as a young(er!) person. Join us at McNally Robinson Grant Park on May 16, 2010 at 2:00 pm to celebrate the launch of No TV? No Fair!.
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The best thing about being a children's writer is that my favourite pastime (reading children's books) and my research (reading children's books) are one and the same. I am currently re-discovering the works of Judy Blume, children's author extraordinaire. As a reader, it's been great catching up with "old friends" like Peter Hatcher, Margaret Simon, and Sally J. Freedman (as herself, of course). As a children's author, I've spent some time thinking about why Blume's books are so beloved and enduring. Here's what I've come up with so far:
Categories: Reviews, Discussions, Authors
The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk by
Much of my reading these days is related to topics I am writing and, as a result, leans heavily on non-fiction. At the moment, I am part-way through The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk by (Hyperion, 2000). The Karluk was a former whaling ship converted to floating laboratory that left Victoria, British Columbia on June 1913 on a scientific mission headed by expedition leader Vilhjalmar Stefansson. Six weeks into the journey, the Karluk became locked in ice north of Alaska, pitting the 28 people aboard - scientists, Inuit hunters and sailors - in a life and death struggle against the elements. Only 17 survived the ordeal. Drawing on archival reports and the diaries of survivors, Niven recreates the story of the Karluk with such fluid detail that I feel that I am on the mission myself, experiencing the same rollercoaster ride of anxiety, fear and decision-making that the passengers on the ill-fated journey likely felt themselves. So far, the book has been a fascinating read.
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