the eclectic authoress recommends...

48. 1776, by David McCullough

I absolutely love history, so when I found out 1776 was required reading for one of my classes, I wasn't perturbed in the slightest. As I read it, I found my expectations were met with flying colors. A wonderfully written, painstakingly researched project, 1776 is the book all histories aspire to be.

the eclectic authoress recommends...

47. "Welcome to Night Vale Radio" is a podcast written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, describing a strange desert town. It features the musical weather, mysterious lights above the Arby's, and frequent announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police. It mixes the completely nonsensical with the surprisingly deep, and is a twice-a-month wonder.

liebester nominations

So, my friend over at the blog Fountain Pen Girl has been nominated for a Liebester Award, which is an award designed to bring attention to relatively unknown bloggers. Apparently, I have to answer eleven questions about myself, then pass it on to a few other bloggers. Here are the questions I was given:

1. Character you love to hate?

Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre. He has so many problems and so many flaws ("no, I'm not already married, no, my wife isn't hidden in the attic"), but goodness gracious he is beautiful.

2. Book/series that needs to be adapted into a movie/TV show right now? 

We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart. I've talked about this book before, I believe; it's one of my favorites of late. But seriously, it's absolutely wonderful. Also, I'd like to see a miniseries done of A Series of Unfortunate Events, with each book like an hour and a half long episode. The movie for that was completely inaccurate.

3. Author you wish you could write like?

Kurt Vonnegut

4.  The most horribly disgusting, terribly written book you would burn all the copies of if you could legally?

I'm rather against book burnings in general, honestly. I mean, if you burn one book, what's to stop people from burning them all? We don't want to be in a Fahrenheit 451 sort of situation here.

5. Biggest fandom?

"Sherlock"

6.  Novel/series you've written fanfic of/want to?

I haven't written any fanfics (and don't really plan to), mostly because working with characters that aren't your own is tricky. I'd probably go with something from Harry Potter, though.

7. Favorite forced school reading book?

The Lord of the Flies

8. Least favorite school reading book?

Silence, by Shusaku Endo

9. First book/series obsession?

The Boxcar Children

10. Three authors you'd invite to lunch/tea/dinner?

Kurt Vonnegut, Charlotte Bronte, and Sylvia Plath

11. Bookstore you'd raid if you had a $1000 gift card?

Barnes & Noble


Now, I'm supposed to pass this nomination on to eleven bloggers; however, I don't actually know that many, or follow a lot of semi-unknown blogs. I would, however, like to mention a few.

Aerin at artist17b

S.J. Bouquet

I'm not going to type out questions for them, since there are only two, but I would certainly recommend a look at their blogs.

have I become a library?

Now that summer has finally arrived, I've been able to do a lot more reading. Books are some of my favorite things, and (of course) I love to talk about them. Here are a few my most recent reads, and my recommendations.

We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

Saying too much about We Were Liars would be devastating- this is really one of those novels that is best to go into without presuppositions. The plot is something that needs to be realizes as it's read. There is a rich, rich family, a group of four friends, a summer island, and a secret. I was on the edge of my metaphorical seat throughout my reading of it. (Also, there might have been tears.) We Were Liars is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful book- I recommend it to absolutely everyone.

A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers

This novel certainly exceeded my expectations. It is part of a series, but this is (so far) the only novel of three I have finished reading. A Voice in the Wind is set in long-ago Rome, when the empire has practically destroyed Jerusalem and the gladiator games are the peak of societal outings. The novel follows a large cast of characters, including the Jewish slave Hadassah, who is trying to hide her Christian faith in Rome, Marcus, her master's ill behaved son, Julia, his little sister- quickly following in his footsteps, and Atretes, a German warrior turned gladiator. Incredibly interesting and unexpectedly developed, Rivers certainly weaves a wonderful story.

13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson

This Young Adult novel gives wanderlust a new name. Ginny (our protagonist) has an artist aunt who's always doing unexpected things- like a few years ago, when she practically disappeared. Or, rather, Ginny had an aunt; Peg passed away while living in London. All Ginny has left of Peg is a series of letters, held in- as the title illustrates- thirteen blue envelopes. These letters send Ginny all over the world, to Paris, to Rome, to Amsterdam, and always to a new adventure. The absolute best part of this novel is the places- reading about backpacking in Europe creates a definite want to travel.

the eclectic authoress recommends...

46. "Cry, the Beloved Country", by Alan Paton is a heartrending story of South Africa, set only a few years before apartheid. It follows Stephen Kumalo, a Zulu pastor who travels to Johannesburg in search of his family. Written with excellent prose and the dialogue style of Steinbeck, Paton' work is certainly deserved of many honors.

the eclectic authoress recommends...

45. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. Most people have heard of this story- some have even seen the movie- but few have read it. It's a very long book- thicker, I think, than Anna Karenina. But it is so good. A tale of revenge taken over more than a decade, The Count of Monte Cristo is absolutely thrilling. Despite its length, it isn't a difficult read. The story is fast paced, and every detail is important. While the size may seem intimidating, please, don't let it deter you; read The Count of Monte Cristo as soon as you can lay your hands on it.

stuck in my head

One of Regina Spektor's albums, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, has been running through my head all week. A few of my favorite songs from it are "Firewood", "The Party", and "Patron Saint". I know I mention Regina Spektor quite a lot in my "stuck in my head" sorts of posts, but I can't help it. Her voice is yearning and eclectic, going from completely serious to satire in a measure. She's wonderful, and I recommend her to all.

the realms of your imagination

I have recently discovered a new book series, and so devoured it in three days (one per book). This particular series is written by Libba Bray, and follows our heroine through the late nineteenth century. Yes, this is the "Gemma Doyle" trilogy, headed by A Great and Terrible Beauty. It made the New York Times bestseller list, but I did not discover it complexities until a few days ago. Since then, I have become completely enamored. The series follows Gemma Doyle, whose life changes drastically after her mother dies of "cholera". (It isn't cholera.) She moves from India to a strict English boarding school, where she begins to discover that the strange visions she experiences are not her going crazy after all. With the historical element, humor, great drama, and a particular nice looking boy, Libba Bray's trilogy certainly has everything one could wish for. Once you add the spectacular writing style she most definitely has, the series becomes perfect. These are books you will live in for days after you finish them, and they will be swimming around your head and your heart for months to come.

stuck in my head

"Stay Awake", by London Grammar. I discovered this British trio through Spotify's recommendations, and am incredibly happy to have done so. They have a sound that I can only describe as alternative pop, with a mellow mix of soft piano and heaver, more electronic beats. Among the "also searched for" section are Lorde and  Florence and the Machine; while I don't think these artists are necessarily alike, their audiences are certainly prone to overlapping.

stuck in my head

 "Silly Eye-Color Generalizations", by Regina Spektor. This song doesn't appear on any of her regular albums (on iTunes, at least), but instead on her "Live in London" appearance. This recorded-live performance has that extra edge of the crowd and pulsing excitement, as well as it simply being a completely lovely song.