Last week’s winner of a signed copy of Maryrose Wood’s latest book is bunnyb! Please email me with your mailing address to claim your prize.
Daphne Grab is the author of Alive and Well in Prague, New York, and for those of you who haven’t read it yet, she’s giving away a signed copy to one random commenter this week! I’d love to hear about your favorite books and how you identify with them, and Daphne finds things she can relate to in these diverse titles. And now, on to Daphne Grab’s guest blog:
When I look at my favorite books, they don’t have a huge amount in common. Like I love Beverly Cleary’s FIFTEEN, a classic and funny romance that is very different from the darkness of Lois Duncan’s THEY NEVER CAME HOME or the revelations of DJ in Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s DAIRY QUEEN, two other top favorites on my list. But one thing that they all have in common, aside from being great, well written stories, is that they touch on themes that are universal, yet create situations that are unique to their characters.
Like in FIFTEEN: I wasn’t dating back in the fifties when you had to worry about wearing white gloves on a date or not (thankfully- I am a messy person and white gloves would be a disaster for me!). That experience is all the main character, Jane’s. But I most certainly had crushes on boys and agonized over whether they liked me or not, as Jane does.
And in THEY NEVER CAME HOME, yeah, my brother and boyfriend never disappeared on a camping trip,
but I do know what it is to lose (or think you lose) someone you love and how hard it is to cope with that.
DJ and I do not have athleticism in common: my big physical activity is yoga which is not a sport and I’m not even very good at it. But have I struggled in my family, worried about boys, had revelations about who I am like DJ? Absolutely.
To me the best books take you fully into a character’s experience, yet give you a taste of something familiar, that you can identify with. That way you are sharing in their story and reflecting on your own at the same time.
When I was writing ALIVE AND WELL, I tried so hard to create that balance. I wanted Matisse to be fully and uniquely herself, yet be a character that girls around the country could relate to and see themselves in. Did I succeed? Check out the book and let me know what you think!
Teen Book Review 
June 4, 2008 at 11:04 am
Hmm… I’d have to say that my favorite book is Thirteen Reasons Why, and probably because I can relate to it so well. No, I haven’t been sent a box full of cassette tapes from some who has died, but I have gone through some pain and suffering in my own life, so I can understand where Hannah’s coming from.
June 4, 2008 at 1:06 pm
One of my favorite books would be The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
I haven’t been through many of the challenges that Charlie faces, but I have had trouble with friends, I’ve worried about starting high school, I love to read like Charlie does, I love music like Charlie does, and I’m still looking for those “infinite” moments.
Lauren
June 4, 2008 at 4:50 pm
To have a book be on my favorite list the one thing it has to have is a strong main character or a really fantastic plot line. We all want to read books about things we can either relate with or things that take us away from where we are. Like in Harry Potter, JK Rowling created this whole new marvelous world that has enthralled readers and keeps them coming back for more. Or in Twilight, the focus is on the characters and their interactions which helps the readers understand and relate to the people in the story. Both of those things are some of the things that I love in a good book!
June 4, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Probably some of the books I relate to the most (ones where the mother dies) are the ones I’m most scared to read.
June 4, 2008 at 6:08 pm
My favorite books are ones with strong and determined characters like the Ramona books.
June 4, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I think a constant theme through books I love is that there are characters who step back and look at the world a little differently than most, like The Gospel According to Larry, or the Uglies, Pretties, Specials. Feed, by M.T. Anderson. Autumn Walker’s excellent Carpe Diem. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things.
June 4, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I really want to read this book. And yeah, I agree that really great books touch on themes that are universal but in ways that are very unique to the characters themselves, like the theme of friendship in Ann Brashares’ books.
June 4, 2008 at 11:18 pm
My favorite books would have to be Sarah Dessen’s books. I can’t really relate to a whole lot of them except for Colie in Keeping The Moon. But I just love the way she writes, I always feel so good after reading one of her books.
I also can’t wait to read Alive and Well In Prague, New York Daphne!
Great guest blog.
-Breanna
June 5, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I agree with Breanna. I *love* Sarah Dessen. She mixes in some beautiful words with the basic truths of life. Her books relax me and make me think.
Alive & Well in Prague, New York is on my reading list! I can’t wait to look for it at the bookstore.
:]
– Paige M.
June 5, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I adored Lois Duncan. Whenever one of her books appeared on the library shelf I would snatch it up.
Okay, I also loved Beverly Cleary. The Ramona books were some of my favorites. Actually, I recently read her autobiography – it was very interesting.
What causes me to love a book is different from book to book. I just have to have chemistry with that particular book. ^_~
June 5, 2008 at 10:26 pm
My favorite books all have clever protagonists, mostly female, but I’ve been known to identify with the odd male :)
My favorite books are all over the spectrum and include the Adrian Mole series, Pride and Prejudice, The Eyre Affair, and Just Listen.
June 7, 2008 at 12:12 am
The books that I love the most and can relate to the best are the ones that stir some emotion in me, whether its crack-up-laughing or crying.
June 8, 2008 at 9:33 pm
One of my favorite books right now would have to be Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. Even though I don’t have much in common with the characters, I just feel so connected to them! Lol, I read it in one night!
Thanks for for the comp, Alive and Well has been on my TBR list for a while! =D
~Lucy D =)
June 9, 2008 at 10:03 am
I just won this over at Jessica Burkhart’s blog, so please take me out of the running :)
June 9, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I love what she says about accessible characters. It’s so true. It makes the story that much more a part of you.
June 10, 2008 at 11:34 am
I really liked the guest blog. I love all the Sarah Dessen books. They’re easy to relate to and they are very well-written. I love how they make me feel.