Christie's Picks

Hello! It's been awhile. Mark and I recently decided to start something new in the Children's Room, Christie's Picks and Mark's Picks. I have spent a large part of my life in book "research" (meaning, carrying books with me everywhere and reading them any spare moment I can find) so why not share my favorites with those who are looking for new books.

My first list is five books for twelve year olds. They are a mix of books that I read when I was twelve and books that I have read in the past year or two.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The perfect book for any free spirit, or someone who strives to be one.

Under Sea, Over Stone by Susan Cooper
A classic tale of the battle between good and evil, centered around the quest of three siblings to find the Holy Grail.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
A great adventure story at sea about a very daring girl!

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
This quirky and hilarious book is about two children who are on a mission to solve the mystery of a missing magician.

Redwall by Brian Jacques
In the first book of an amazing series, animals have to protect the peaceful Redwall Abbey from an evil one-eyed rat.


How many of these books have you read? What books would you add to the list?

Staff Pick: Christie

Travels With Charley

By John Steinbeck

I was into this book on the first page. So much so that I typed out the first three paragraphs during a Skype conversation with my friend who lives in Serbia. She thought the beginning was wonderful as well.

Travels with Charley is exactly what it sounds like. John Steinbeck decides to go on a cross country trip with his dog Charley in order to rediscover America. It gives beautiful descriptions of all parts of America during the early 1960s. Overall, this book just gave me the same sort of wanderlust that Steinbeck seemed to have.

Staff Pick: Christie

Big Sur

By Jack Kerouac

I read this book at a bar in New Jersey that considers Jack Kerouac as their patron saint. Old men stared at me. It was a nice evening.

Big Sur takes place ten years after On the Road. Kerouac is famous, hates it, drinks a lot, and is basically in self destruct mode. He decides to stay at Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur in order to stay away from his fans and booze. This results in a poem about the sea (which is at the end of the novel) and a mental breakdown.

Staff Pick: Christie

The River Why

By David James Duncan

When I was still just a customer at Manchester By the Book, Mark recommended this book to me. It honestly seemed sort of boring to me because it looked like it was just about fishing, and I don't really care either way for fishing, but I figured I might as well try it out and see what the fuss is about. I was floored by David James Duncan's beautiful (and humorous) storytelling and The River Why has since become one of my all-time favorite books. I guess I shouldn't have doubted Mark. Don't tell him I said that.

The River Why is the story of Gus, the fishing genius son of two very different fishers. When Gus graduates high school, he decides to rent a cabin on the edge of a river and create an Ideal Schedule, a schedule that allows the most possible time for fishing. Eventually, Gus's life of just fish starts to drive him a little wacko. After an unusual experience, Gus opens his life to new friends, philosophy, and even love.

Christie's Staff Pick

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

By Carson McCullers

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is the tale of four lonely souls in a Southern mill town, who all connect through one man, Mr. Singer, who is deaf and mute. Through the eyes of these people on the fringes of society, McCullers gives insight into race relations, poverty, and the woes of growing up during the 1930s.

I had been staring at McCullers' portrait for so long, intrigued, when I finally decided to read this book. Once I started, I could barely put it down. McCullers gives a beautiful and heart-wrenching insight into 1930s Southern America. While it is not a feel-good sort of story, McCullers book gives the reader a deeper understanding of what race and class meant to America during this time period.

Christie's Staff Pick 4/25/2010

Breakfast of Champions

By Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

For his fiftieth birthday, Kurt Vonnegut wrote Breakfast of Champions in order to clear out all of the junk in his head. It is the story of the meeting of two men, Kilgore Trout, a failed science fiction writer and Dwayne Hoover, a rich car salesman on the brink of insanity.

Anyone who knows me will probably say that I have a bit of an obsession with Kurt Vonnegut, to the point that I have a tattoo dedicated to Breakfast of Champtons on the inside of my right arm. What I love so much about this book is that Vonnegut takes a seemingly ridiculous story and reveals deep truths about human nature and American culture. One word of warning: This book is a lot funnier if you have read Vonnegut before. I would suggest reading Cat's Cradle or Slaughterhouse-Five before reading this gem of a book.

Christie's Pick 4/14/2010

Of Mice and Men

By John Steinbeck

"Everybody wants a little bit of land, not much. Jus' somethin' that was his. Somethin' he could live on and there couldn't nobody throw him off"

George and Lennie are unlikely friends. Lennie is a huge man with brute strength but a low IQ. George is small and the one that forms all of their plans. They go from town to town, looking for work, hoping that one day they would be able to save up money to own a farm of their own.

While Of Mice and Men is a short book, it is not lacking depth. Steinbeck gives the reader an interesting look into the "American Dream," and how it existed in the first half of the twentieth century. Every single scene of the book is an important set-up for his powerful conclusion. Of Mice and Men is a great introduction to the genius of John Steinbeck.

Christie's Pick 3/16/2010

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

By Susanna Clarke

"An English magician is an impressive thing. Two English magicians are, I suppose, twice as impressive--but when those two English magicians are shrouded in an Impenetrable Darkness--ah, well! That, I should think, is enough to strike terror into the heart of any one short of a demi-god"

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is the impressive debut of Susanna Clarke. It takes place during 1800s England, where magic is studied but never practiced. Mr. Norrell, with the help of his pupil, Jonathan Strange, work towards bringing magic back into England.

Don't be fooled by the size of this book! At around 850 pages, it is a giant, but every time I have read Jonathan Strange, (and I have read it three times so far) I am left wanting to read it again. Susanna Clarke is a very impressive storyteller. Her back stories on England and the history of magic are fantastic. This award-winning book is perfect for anyone who loves Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or just really well-written stories.