A blogpost about writing? What are you doing Adam? Have you gone mad?
Actually, I just wanted to write this down. If I had made a similar list in 2012, I probably would have been interested in seeing how some of these authors have grown or seen who made the new list.
Anyway, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite authors.
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John Green
Let me start off by saying, I found the movie adaptation of Our Fault in the Stars to be underwhelming. It wasn't bad, I'd give it an 8 out of 10, but it doesn't do the novel justice. Check it out though if you haven't. Also, Paper Towns. Probably. I haven't seen that one.
John Green is one of those interesting cases (excluding one-shot authors) where I can say I've read every single one of his novels. I have not yet picked up Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances, but I have read Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Green's four stand-alone novels. I enjoyed all five of these books. My favorite is Looking for Alaska about a teenager who is shipped off to school and meets a very interesting girl who shakes up his whole life. There is very little else I want to say so as not to spoil the book, but it's worth a read.
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Scott Westerfeld
Scott Westerfeld is another author of young adult novels, but he fits much better into my preferred genres of reading. Westerfeld's novels, of the ones that I have read, take place in the realms of fantasy. The Uglies series takes place in a dystopia where most of the population is forcibly altered on their sixteenth birthday to become intensely beautiful, but air-headed, "pretties." The Leviathan series takes place in an else-world setting of WW1 where the British control genetically-created, sentient weaponry and the Central Powers fight with mechs and war-machines.
The only other novel of his that I have read is called Afterworlds. The novel contains two stories that go back and forth each chapter. One is the story of a young woman who, after somehow surviving a terrorist attack at an airport, is called upon to become a grim reaper. The other half of the story reveals that the first section is the debut story of a teenage girl who is moving to New York City to become a writer full-time. It has quickly become one of my new favorite novels; I love the way the story weaves back and forth between the two worlds.
These novels all feature strong, female protagonists, fantastic elements, and a recurring theme of courage and bravery. If you're looking for a YA fantasy fix, I highly recommend Uglies and Leviathan.
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Gregory Maguire
This man, who outmaneuvers John Green and Stephen King for my favorite writer of all time, is the author of several novels that recreate and look deeper into the classical tales that you may remember fondly. The most famous of these stories is Wicked. Wicked is an origin story for the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz series. She was not born a villain, and her story takes her from birth to her college years and finally to the climatic scene of Dorothy Gale's epic adventure. Of course, the story isn't over as Maguire wrote three additional books set in the Land of Oz.
Other stories include Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Mirror Mirror, and After Alice which give an interesting look into Cinderella, Snow White, and Alice in Wonderland. Gregory Maguire has also written a number of books for younger audiences, including a favorite of mine What the Dickens: The Story of a Rouge Tooth Fairy.
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That's it for now. Maybe I'll do another one of these... before I turn 30.
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Graphic Novels Do SO Count
I just finished my 50th novel of the year, meeting my Goodreads goal nearly two months ahead of time. While this last text was a standard novel, The Blood Lie by Shirley Vernick, I have had difficulty explaining to people about my momentous achievement. In particular, it is difficult to explain what I have accomplished in the past ten months.
While I averaged five texts a month, nineteen of these have been graphic novels as opposed to actual novels. This includes the entire Bone series by Jeff Smith, two Batman stories, and even a graphic novel version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." While I plan on reading more stories, I doubt I will read 19 additional novels before December 31st comes to a close.
That begs the question, did I fail my goal?
I don't believe so. Graphic novels often receive a bad reputation because of their connection to a the comic book. Both use visual media as their primary method of conveying ideas. Both are primarily dominated by superheroes and Japanese stories known as manga; both of which are often considered juvenile or inappropriate forms of literature. Both contain less words than a written story of equal page length.
However, I believe discounting graphic novels is a huge mistake that teachers, scholars, and other individuals make. Those connections to comic books aren't necessarily bad things.
First, I have read novels and novellas that were smaller than other novels but contained powerful themes, strong characters, and interesting plot twists that kept me turning the pages. Graphic novels can do the same and use visuals to tell some of the story for them.
Second, superhero stories and manga can be incredibly well-written. The Batman graphic novel Hush is a very compelling story about the nature of being a hero, while Jeff Smith's Bone series creates a very interesting world populated with colorful characters. In addition, while they may dominate the genre, these kinds of stories are not the only tales being written in graphic novel form. Graphic novels also tell original stories in genres including historical fiction, allegory, fantasy, science fiction, and even nonfiction.
Finally, the use of visuals is what makes graphic novels powerful and unique. The images created on the page are, most of the time, crafted by hand and display anything from beautiful, peaceful meadows to apocalyptic futures. You can read graphic novels multiple times, and you may notice something different with each viewing. The face of the second arc's antagonist watches from the shadows in the first few pages. The murder weapon clearly hanging in the corner of a character's office. The graphic aspects of graphic novels isn't a negative. It is a unique style that gives something totally new to the reader.
So don't dismiss the graphic novel. So let your kids read The Stickman Odyssey, a retelling of Greek myths by Christopher Ford, or Friends with Boys, the story of a girl going to a new school and meeting a ghost by Faith Erin Hicks. Or better yet, pick up a copy for yourself. You might find that those "over-sized comic books" are more complex than you think.
While I averaged five texts a month, nineteen of these have been graphic novels as opposed to actual novels. This includes the entire Bone series by Jeff Smith, two Batman stories, and even a graphic novel version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." While I plan on reading more stories, I doubt I will read 19 additional novels before December 31st comes to a close.
That begs the question, did I fail my goal?
I don't believe so. Graphic novels often receive a bad reputation because of their connection to a the comic book. Both use visual media as their primary method of conveying ideas. Both are primarily dominated by superheroes and Japanese stories known as manga; both of which are often considered juvenile or inappropriate forms of literature. Both contain less words than a written story of equal page length.
However, I believe discounting graphic novels is a huge mistake that teachers, scholars, and other individuals make. Those connections to comic books aren't necessarily bad things.
First, I have read novels and novellas that were smaller than other novels but contained powerful themes, strong characters, and interesting plot twists that kept me turning the pages. Graphic novels can do the same and use visuals to tell some of the story for them.
Second, superhero stories and manga can be incredibly well-written. The Batman graphic novel Hush is a very compelling story about the nature of being a hero, while Jeff Smith's Bone series creates a very interesting world populated with colorful characters. In addition, while they may dominate the genre, these kinds of stories are not the only tales being written in graphic novel form. Graphic novels also tell original stories in genres including historical fiction, allegory, fantasy, science fiction, and even nonfiction.
Finally, the use of visuals is what makes graphic novels powerful and unique. The images created on the page are, most of the time, crafted by hand and display anything from beautiful, peaceful meadows to apocalyptic futures. You can read graphic novels multiple times, and you may notice something different with each viewing. The face of the second arc's antagonist watches from the shadows in the first few pages. The murder weapon clearly hanging in the corner of a character's office. The graphic aspects of graphic novels isn't a negative. It is a unique style that gives something totally new to the reader.
So don't dismiss the graphic novel. So let your kids read The Stickman Odyssey, a retelling of Greek myths by Christopher Ford, or Friends with Boys, the story of a girl going to a new school and meeting a ghost by Faith Erin Hicks. Or better yet, pick up a copy for yourself. You might find that those "over-sized comic books" are more complex than you think.
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