Thursday, February 14, 2008

Looking ahead

Though we haven't talked much yet about this month's picks, does anyone want to start throwing out titles for next month's book? If we come up with a few books to choose from, we can vote on them as we did last month.

9 comments:

Amanda said...

I don't have any specific titles in mind to suggest, but am thinking that maybe for one of the upcoming months we could read a "classic" of YA literature (or, for those of us who took Susan Bloom's class at Simmons, a "touchstone"). Or, if it wouldn't be too hard to scrounge up copies, it would be fun to read something sort of obscure (I have nothing in mind at this point), or something that one of us really really loves but thinks is always overlooked. Any thoughts?

kristin said...

amanda, i totally like this idea, and i'm going to strain my brain to see what i can come up with... or maybe just go look at my bookshelf... for obscure (or maybe just strange) i'd be psyched to read some sonya hartnett or aidan chambers... i've been wanting to read DANCE ON MY GRAVE and reread POSTCARDS FROM NO MAN'S LAND... these are just random thoughts, though... random thoughts followed by ellipses...

Amanda said...

kristin, i would love to read hartnett or chambers, too (esp. dance on my grave).

i'm still hoping more people will toss some other ideas out there. i keep trying to think of ideas for a "classic" YA book that many of us wouldn't have reread in the past 5 years or so while at simmons.

i'm also trying to think of something that maybe i feel like i *should* have read by now, but haven't. obviously all of these thoughts are going nowhere, but maybe it will lead others to some good suggestions for upcoming months.

Cassandra Mortmain said...

I think the idea of reading some classic YA is great, but here is where my lack of a degree shows itself, because I have to own I don't know what a YA classic would be. Other than S.E. Hinton or Lois Duncan, that is.

So I am in for the notion, but unable to grant further specifics.

Grouchy said...

I'll put my vote in for Dance on My Grave or Postcards from No Man's Land (but I certainly wouldn't mind a Hartnett book either).

Julie said...

I'll leave this one to the experts - I was in a Barnes & Noble the other night, skimming the titles in the YA section and having no idea what a classic might be. Went to the "Classics" section and found Black Beauty and Heidi. I vote against reading those... I love the idea of reading a YA classic, though!

Amanda said...

some classic YA titles would be: catcher in the rye, island of the blue dolphins, forever, the outsiders, the pigman, summer of my german soldier, etc.

Dawn said...

what's that one, seventeenth summer? i would love to reread that at some point, especially in tandem with some kind of modern-day equivalent (i wonder what that would that be?. i like the other suggestions too. i love the idea of the aussie ya, too, though i don't think i could stomach another reading of this is all.

Amanda said...

hey dawn, i like the idea of reading daly's seventeenth summer in conjunction with a more modern YA novel, or maybe even novels (like we'd all read seventeenth summer and then each of us take on another book to read and report on). it will require some thought as to what may be modern-day equivalents, but i love that idea. maybe we would brainstorm something like that for april?