Recommendations from Mrs. Katz
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A blurb by Ms. Katz Yeah, I’m a Neil Gaiman junkie. I’ve read all of his books; Stardust, Sandman, Coraline, Anansi Boys, to name a few. The guy's a super-natural writing machine…not to mention the Dr. Who episodes he’s written…oh don’t get me started. If you haven’t read any Gaiman, this is a great place to start. In the book a toddler crawls away from home just as his entire family is being murdered. He crawls all the way to the local graveyard where the ghosts decide to raise him. And that’s just the first chapter. Needless to say it’s a bit of an eccentric, gothic, coming of age story. The book is sad, funny, endearing, witty, surprising, and a pretty quick read. It’s a “children’s book” sort of novel…though I don’t think I would give it to any young children I know…it’s too scary and strange for the very young…better to be 13 or older…like youse guys. |
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
A blurb by Ms. Katz I actually remember sitting on the carpeted landing in my boyfriend’s parent’s house in Rochester, NY, when I finished reading The Bell Jar. I cried, and not just a little either. My boyfriend just sat on the steps with his arm around me until I stopped, which was a kindness. I was a freshman in college, very artsy, majoring in Acting, a bit of a late bloomer, a fish out of water, and a lot of other clichés, as people tend to be while they’re young. The main character in the book is artistic, talented, and slowly sinking into a depression from which she might not emerge. I could relate. The book spoke to my very soft, very hidden center in beautiful and poetic prose. Plath is primarily known as a poet and this novel is considered semi-autobiographical, like much of her poetry. It’s not a quick read, it’s a novel to savor -- sensitive, empathetic, and confessionalist, by one of the best poets of any time. It will get inside you and own you while you’re reading it and probably for a good while after that. It’ll make you a better writer…if by chance that’s one of your goals. |