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And a debut novelist from Minnesota is in the running | |
The Thread's Must-Read | |
| "Exit, Pursued by a Bear” by E.K. Johnston Buy this book I’m notorious in some circles — you know who you are — for never having read “Harry Potter.” And for daring to opine that with so many great books for grown-ups, why would I read books written for kids? Ahem — young adults. And yet, we are in an age of plenty for young adult literature and I deeply admire many authors who write for that market. So, as this summer wanes, I’ve given myself a challenge. I’m going to read four young adult novels that also have a lot to say to adults. Tracy Mumford is curating the list. (She's done this before: Here are 10 young adult books adults should read, too.) And here’s what I have to figure out: Can I slip effortlessly into the prose of a book written for a reader decades younger than I am? Will I catch myself thinking, “You think that’s bad? Wait 'til you get a job!” In other words, can I live in the skin of a character whose experiences are now distant specks in my rearview mirror? Can I get as much out of a YA novel as I do out of the adult adventurers, spies, truth-tellers and sassy women who populate my usual reading list? I’m off to a promising start. E.K. Johnston’s novel, “Exit, Pursued by a Bear," is about a high school senior who is roofied and then raped at a cheerleading camp. The book is suspenseful and moving and surprisingly irreverent, given the difficult subject. The title comes from a stage direction William Shakespeare wrote into his play, “The Winter’s Tale," and Johnston gets clever with the references: Hermione Winters is the cheerleader, and her high school team is the Golden Bears in the tiny town of Palermo Heights. Hermione's best friend is Polly, who is as strong and resolute as her namesake, Paulina, in Shakespeare's original "Tale." Indeed, it is that friendship between Hermione and Polly that I cherished in this book. It reminded me of why I love Jacqueline Woodson’s novel “Another Brooklyn.” (Don't miss Woodson at Talking Volumes this fall.) So, as I embark on my August of Young Adult reading, I’m having a bit of humble pie with my summer picnic. “Exit, Pursued by a Bear” is that good. -K.M. | |
| This Week on The Thread | |
| Man Booker Prize longlist announced The longlist for the prestigious literary prize was released, and debut author Emily Fridlund, who grew up in Minnesota, is in the running alongside Colson Whitehead, Arundhati Roy, George Saunders and more. More | |
| A new biography reveals a life as wild as a detective story "Chester B. Himes" by Lawrence P. Jackson Buy this book Most readers these days who know Chester Himes know him for his detective fiction. Lawrence P. Jackson's biography tracks Himes' course from prison to published novelist. More | |
| A new spy thriller that is "very well-researched — and very scary" "A Single Spy" by William Christie Buy this book Bookseller Vivien Jennings raves about a World War II-era thriller that "grabs you from the very first scene and never lets go." More | |
| Yes, some comics are for kids — and they're big business What's the best way to get people reading comics? Hook 'em young. And comics for early readers are booming — even big publishers like DC, famed for grim and gritty, are getting in on the action. More | |
| Little House on the Dairy: Laura Ingalls Wilder getting a butter sculpture The Iowa State Fair will be buttering up the beloved Midwest author to celebrate her 150th birthday. More | |
| Talking Volumes 2017 season guide Buy tickets The 2017 season includes Sherman Alexie, Amy Tan, Jacqueline Woodson, Ron Chernow and Dan Brown. More | |
| Revisiting the Van Helsing family "Strange Practice" by Vivian Shaw Buy this book In "Strange Practice," Vivian Shaw kicks off a new series about Dr. Greta Helsing, descendant of the famous Professor Abraham Van Helsing and general practitioner to the ghouls and ghosts of London. More | |
| The enduring legacy of Jane Austen's "truth universally acknowledged" Linguist Geoff Nunberg describes the opening sentence to "Pride and Prejudice" as a "masterpiece of indirection" that is frequently repurposed, but whose irony is never matched. More | |
| A veteran TV news anchor pens a prescient novel "Amanda Wakes Up" by Alisyn Camerota Buy this book Alisyn Camerota's book is about a political newcomer fresh from Hollywood facing off against a female senator. But 2016 similarities aside, the CNN anchor says she wrote it long before the election. More | |
| A breezy history of our atmosphere "Caesar's Last Breath" by Sam Kean Buy this book Sam Kean's funny, conversational new book reminds us not to take the air we breathe for granted — our atmosphere can tell stories about everything from dinosaurs and Julius Caesar to space flight. More | |
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