Literary Junkies - December

Jessica:

It's that time again, Literary Junkies! You get to read about what Abigail and I like to read.  Abby actually beat me to the punch this time, so I had to hurry up and finish my questions. Abby will be blogging before we know it!

Abigail:

I can't believe I missed the Twitter party yesterday! I was working for the first one so that was a no go but the second...there is no excuse. Except for the fact that me and my JessieKay were being very productive. We wrapped all our Christmas presents (that have been bought anyways) and then proceeded to paint picture frames. I don't plan on missing the next one. The Night Circus was a great book. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! Also, thank you to Jess for allowing me to use her blog to link up since I do not have one of my own :) 

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it.

Abigail:


Currently, I'm ashamed to say I have only been reading my Christmas list and price tags. I've been so busy That I have yet to pick up another book, even though I have probably 6 waiting for me at home, as well as another 5000 that I want to buy lol. I'm either going to read The Lovely Bones or A Casual Vacancy next. I should probably start now. 

Source

Jessica:
I have been reading Literary Junkies' December pick of The Night Circus (I know, I know, STILL!)  But I haven’t really had much time to read. I have been working on my Etsy store, wrapping gifts, and working on my gallery wall, oh and cleaning out my closet and soon my kitchen. Not drinking soda has given me lots of energy! Plus I have been spending a great deal of time with my man. And I would rather do that than almost anything.
 

2. If you could choose any author in the world to write a story based on your life, who would you choose to be the author? Why?

Abigail:
Shawn Graves would be the person to write my story. I know. I'm a little biased since she is my mom, but the bias has a firm foundation. She is an amazing author. She captivates all her readers and makes you want to read from cover to cover. Also, she could give a perspective that no one else could. Oh and here is a little shameless plug. If you haven't read her book, you should. 
Dutiful Daughter by Shawn Graves and Don Cannan and Dedicated Doctor by Shawn Graves and Don Cannan. I'm serious. Just give it a try.

Jessica:
I can’t be like Abby, because my mom isn’t a writer and doesn’t even like to read, but I would have to pick Alice Sebold. She wrote one of my favorite books, The Lovely Bones, and I think she has the same kind of dark mindset that I have. Dark, but also colorful. I think that is how I would like people to read about my life. If it was interesting enough to read about. But then again, you are here aren’t you? Har. Har.
 

3. Tell us about your favorite place to read.

Abigail:
I love to read at my house when no one is there and I have no cleaning to do. However, that reality only occurs once in a blue moon. I usually just drive my truck to a beautiful, quiet place to just sit and read for hours. With the sun going down early, working late, and the holiday season, it seems I am constantly searching for time when there is none to be found. Hopefully with the new year things will slow down.

Jessica:
My favorite place to read is curled up in my bed, on my boyfriend’s side. I don’t know why it is so much better. I like sleeping on my side, but to do anything else like read or watch tv, I lay on his side. Anyway, I shut the door (I have a house full of teenagers, can you blame me?)  and snuggle up with a blanket and read. I can do that for a long, long time.
 

4. What books would you buy for lovers of a) suspense/mystery, b) chicklit, c) comedy, d) literary fiction, e)nonfiction, f) classics? (You can choose how many of those subcategories you want to talk about.)

Abigail:
Hmmm....Ok I think I'm going to limit myself to one book (or book series) for each category. 

Mystery would have to be Dutiful Daughter by Shawn Graves and Don Cannan lol. Ok ok I will choose a different one (even though this is the main one I would buy for people). "A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. This is a great story about Kinsey Milhone, a former cop turned private investigator, who is a sucker for lost causes. She agrees to help Nikki Fife clear her name and gets way more than she bargained for. This also has comedy mixed in with the mystery. Great series.

Source

Well I can't say I read much Chicklit but I would have to say Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. Its about Cannie Shapiro who is a plus sized woman and has come to terms with all aspects of her life. Until, she reads an article written by her ex-boyfriend titled "Loving A Larger Woman". It sends her on a journey which will be the most life changing journey she has ever experienced.

 Comedy is easy. Hands down the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich is one of the funniest set of books I've ever read. One for the Money is the first in the series. It is about ex lingerie buyer, Stephanie Plum, who has lost her job and everything else seems to be falling apart with it. She tries to get a clerical job for her cousin at a bail bonds but instead takes on the job of Bounty Hunter and is going after a local cop who was also her high school crush. They have a long history of him persuading her out of her clothes and then disappearing. Needless to say she is not his biggest fan. This is a great story filled with twists and turns where she always gets herself into bad situations. Once you start you won't be able to stop.

I couldn't think of many in the category literary fiction except for one. Still Alice by Lisa Genova. A wonderful story about Alice Howland, a Harvard professor, and her journey into early-onset Alzheimer's. The book is written from her point of view. I was very skeptical about this at first because how do you depict memories known your whole life slipping away little by little. I must say Genova did an amazing job. I felt just as upset as Alice that she couldn't remember and didn't understand why.

Ok so for nonfiction I'm going to go with The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi. Douglas moves his family to Italy and is trying to find inspiration for his next book. He finds out that the olive grove in front of his house was the scene of a horrible murder committed by the Monster of Florence. Intrigued, Preston meets up with an investigative journalist, Mario Spezi. They go down a dark path which leads them straight to the door of the monster, who has never been caught. It shows the inner-workings of the Italian government and how if you ever question their government, you become the new target in their cross-hairs. Its very intriguing. It shows the dark underbelly of the beautiful city of Florence.

Ahhhh the classics. Who doesn't love them? Wait you mean there are people out there who don't like them? Psh...I don't believe your lies and slander. Anyways for this I must choose two because one is just not enough. First, is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It is a wonderful love story between the two unlikeliest of partners who start out despising each other. The second is To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. Amazing depiction of racism, prejudice, and persecution. As well as love, perseverance, and doing the right thing above all else. Both of these are absolutely must read books!!!! 

Jessica:
I am going to try and stick to one book or series for the genres.

For Chick Lit, I would have to say Bridget Jones’ Diary, which I mentioned in the last Literary Junkies link up.  Bridget is just hilarious, and who can resist brit humor?

For literary fiction, The Art of Racing in The Rain. This is one of those books that made me cry. Like tore me up inside. But I loved it. Let’s just say there is a dog involved. And whenever there is a dog involved, my heart breaks. I don’t know why I love sad books so much. Enzo (the dog) wants to be a racecar driver, like his human. He even watches races on television. Enzo tells the story, and how he believes dogs can be reincarnated as humans.

For nonfiction, which I really do love to read, I would suggest A Child Called It. It is about the second or third (I can’t remember which) worst child abuse case in California history. And after you read the book, you wonder if this is the second worst, what in the hell is the first? But it is incredible that this guy survived what his mother did. She forced him to drink ammonia, stabbed him, burned him, starved him, and many other horrible things. The book will tear at you, but you can’t stop. You have to read on. Luckily, he starts off the book with how he was rescued. This book gives you an idea of how strong Dave Pelzer was. He survived. And became a best selling author.

Hmm. Classics. I want to agree with Abigail, but I think I will give you a different selection.  The Diary of A Young Girl is a fabulous book. Very sad in the end (do we all know how it ends?) but for the most part, Anne Frank is a funny girl. And she gives a great insight into the Holocaust, which my great-grandparents were involved in, but I never got to meet them and hear their story, so this helps me a lot in that sense. Anne Frank would’ve been a wonderful woman, if she would’ve got the chance. Did you know that after her death, her father didn’t want her journal published? I wonder why.

Click on the button to read about more literary junkies!

(And Abigail)