Five Favorites- Speculative Fiction

Yes, here I am posting about speculative fiction, a gathering of genres I am not shy about admitting I stay away from, if you can't tell by my general lack of enthusiasm about it. I mean, the whole reason why I grouped them all together under the label of speculative fiction is because I didn't have enough material to draw it out and have a science fiction, a fantasy, a paranormal, a dystopian, and a horror list. I admit though, even with my drawing it out I am a bit embarrassed to say I had a hard time reaching five, since really only three were definites. But I need more time with my historical fiction and thriller lists, and fall is literally the only time I voluntarily bother with speculative fiction so I thought it would be nice to talk about it.

So, without further ado, here are my top five speculative fiction novels! In no particular order, of course.

1. The Unwind Dystology

  Originally, this list had a lot of nostalgic favorites such as The Girl Who Could Fly and the Percy Jackson series, but I haven't revisited those in a long time and while they both had a big impact on my life, I don't feel the need to go back to them like I did to the Unwind series. This is one of my favorite series of all time. Don't be put off by the dystopian genre classification. In fact, the first book came out three years before The Hunger Games swept onto the scene. So, what is this book about? Basically, it's set some undetermined time in the future after the Second Civil War, which was fought over abortion and resolved by the Unwind Accord, a law passed saying that 13-18 (later 17) year olds could be "unwound", retroactively aborted with all their parts used for transplants, which was a scientific discovery by then. We follow three teens, the typical YA trio of two-guys-and-a-girl, Lev Calder (he goes through like a million last name changes over the course of the series) who is a tithe which means he is going to be unwound willingly at the age of thirteen, Risa Ward, a state ward unwound because of budget cuts, and Connor Lassiter, a troubled teen whose parents unwound him as a last resort and also my biggest fictional crush. Him and Risa are also my number one OTP. There's also a lot more going on and that's just the first book. One interesting thing about the series is that the first book, Unwind, can be read as sort of a standalone, and then the other three books- UnWholly, UnSouled, and UnDivided are kind of like the actual series. It's a really great, really fucked up, and really underrated series, and has been reigning as one of my favorite books ever ever since I first read it back in middle school. It's basically my Harry Potter.

2. Marina

  Are you sick of hearing about this book yet? Well, you're probably going to hear about this book a lot more in the upcoming months. Because Marina is the current holder of my favorite book of the year, ever since reading it all the way back in March, and almost instantly became one of my favorite books of all time. This is a Spanish YA horror novel with heavy Gothic influences. It's about a boy, Oscar, who goes to this boarding school in Barcelona. As he wanders around the old part of town, he meets a man named German Blau and his daughter Marina who he becomes close to. From there, they find themselves getting involved in the dark and twisted world of Mijail Kolvenik, an inventor in postwar Barcelona. It's a very complex, complicated plot to describe, so normally I just tell people that it's basically a mix of Phantom of the Opera, Bioshock, Frankenstein, Edgar Allen Poe, and the science fiction-y parts of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. It's just really damn good.  

3. The Road

  Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a post apocalyptic nightmare of a book that hits you hard in the feelings. The prose is a thing of beige beauty, simplistic with almost every sentence perfectly formed. It's bleak and depressing and even horrific, but it has an almost hopeful undertone about finding something from nothing. I could tell you that this book is about a man and his son trying to not just survive but retain their humanity in a ruined world, but that's almost too simple a summary. Reading this book is an experience, one best gone through without any prior expectations. It was my favorite book of last year and has become one of my favorite books ever.

4. Six of Crows Duology

  You can tell how much I read speculative fiction because every book on this list except one I read either last year or this year. The answer for that is simple, until last year I read almost all contemporary, historical fiction, and thrillers, as well as a lot of nonfiction. I didn't start develing into fantasy until I started getting into Booktube and that made me want to try really hard to read fantasy but alas, I couldn't do it. That being said, Six of Crows was a really great discovery, one that even I was able to really get into. Mostly because I loved the Amsterdam inspired setting and the interesting blend of 16th-17th century Netherlands with late 19th-early 20th technology and clothing all in one fantasy world. This book captured me with its atmosphere and cast of characters, a group that reminded me so much of the Unwind crew. This is one of the biggest fantasy duologies out there, so I won't waste your time talking about the plot. My favorite characters were Jesper, Kaz, and Inez, I hated both Nina and Matthias, and I felt very little towards Wylan except in relation to Jesper, in which case I was all over him. I was less invested in the second book, which disappointed me in a lot of ways, but it is still a really great book duology, even for someone not into fantasy at all.

5. The Illuminae Files

  So, we had a horror novel, 2 dystopians, and a fantasy. What about science-fiction? And well paranormal, but most people including me have kind of stopped taking those books seriously since the rise and fall of the paranormal empire. So science fiction. More specifically, space science fiction. I mentally refer to it as hi-sci-fi because I like the way that sounds. I reach for those books even less than I do fantasy because I can't stand space and have little patience for endless musings on the universe. With the exception of The End from The Tsar of Love and Techno because that last story is beautiful and you know it. But yeah, the Illuminae Files. Also known as, why the hell did I like this book. It's just a ton of fun to read, that's why. It's no great literature or anything, it's just a quick, funny, and violent read, with a great first novel, a less great but still strong second book, and hopefully a third book that will round out the series nicely, even though the second book did not feel like a middle novel at all. This is another book that I think is fairly hyped up, so I also won't bore you with plot. My favorite characters are Ella, Kady, Grant, and the AI. This book was just fun escapism, and really, what else do you need from science fiction?

What are some of your favorite speculative fiction books? Have you read any of these books? What do you think about them? Leave your thoughts below!

Five Favorites- Nonfiction

I love nonfiction. Despite this, I don't really reach for it a lot, and my nonfiction favorites have pretty much stayed the same since I first started seriously reading the genre. In fact, I kinda wish I could add more than five to this list, because if I could books like Dave Cullen's Columbine or Elie Wiesel's Night or even Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain's Please Kill Me would make the list. But alas, it must only be five. 

So here are my five favorites in nonfiction, in no particular order.

1. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

   This is not only my favorite nonfiction novel, but also one of my favorite books of all time. I know this isn't the most factual book ever, and a lot is switched around or fabricated for the sake of the story, but I loved it regardless. The characters, the mystery, the fact that it takes place in one of my favorite cities ever all make this book a really, really great read. It's about a New York journalist who falls in love with the city of Savannah, Georgia, and ends up temporarily moving there, meeting all these unusual people and ends up getting involved with a crime taking place there. It's at times both sad and laugh out loud funny, and has such a diverse cast of characters, including The Grand Empress of Savannah, The Lady Chablis, who unfortunately died last September. 

2. The Diary of a Young Girl (definitive edition) by Anne Frank

   Of course the diary of Anne Frank would have to be on this list. I read this one when I was about 12 or 13, because my mom told me to. I didn't feel compelled to pick it up until my seventh grade class read her diary without actually reading it if you can believe that and my mother told me I should read the actual book. And I really, really loved it. It's not really a preachy or moralistic book about loving everyone, the way those selected quotes from it might make you think. In fact, reading her book kind of brings her back down to Earth. She isn't some legendary, visionary girl. Instead, she's a teenager, a girl who's sometimes moody, sometimes funny, sometimes insightful. I was surprised by how deeply I could relate to her diary, to the loneliness she felt and her longings for a best friend or a boyfriend. If anyone is curious at all into the inner workings of the mind of a teenage girl, they should read this novel. I specified the edition I own and love because it's the book that mirrors her own edits of the book as opposed to the ones done by her father, which heavily censored many aspects of the diary. If you haven't read this book yet, please do.

3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

   Little known fact about me, Truman Capote is one of my favorite authors. He is the master of the short story, and Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella I hold dear to my heart- I'd recommend it provided you don't hold any particular attachment to the movie. Truman Capote is also a pretty interesting guy himself, and the backstory behind In Cold Blood has filled books and provided fodder for two pretty phenomenal movies (of those Capote is the deeper, better movie, but Infamous is worth watching for a more skin deep take on the story- and also for the sheer amount of talent in that movie: Sandra Bullock, one of the James Bond guys, Isabella Rossellini, etc). But anyway, In Cold Blood. This book is a must read for any true crime fan, a phenomenal exploration into the minds of two criminals who killed a family in Kansas for fifty bucks. The horrors of their crimes are not shied away from, but there is an undeniably human side to them portrayed. This is a truly revolutionary work, and one many crime novels have endeavored to emulate. Again, any nonfiction lover, and especially nonfiction crime enthusiast, should read this book. 

4. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

   This appears to be Bill Bryson's least known book, which depresses me. I'm not one for memoirs, but this book is truly wonderful. It's about Bryson growing up in the 50s in Des Moines, Iowa, and is both educational and personal. It's one of the funniest books I've ever read- my mother and I quote still quote from it- including one of my favorite scenes in the history of literature- I'd type it here, but it involves a racial slur- thought NOT IN A RACIST CONTEXT. I did, however, almost piss my pants when I read it the first time. Still, this book has the same effect on me that my favorite Woody Allen movie, Radio Days, had, funny, sweet, and an ending that never fails to bring me to tears all in one book.

5. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

   Here's another true crime classic, The Devil in the White City. This is history told in an accessible way, one that seamlessly blends fact and narrative to create a wonderful story about both an architect, the visionary behind the 1892 Chicago World's Fair, and America's first serial killer, whose chosen victims came from the fair. Naturally, to me the serial killer's parts were more interesting, but the actual coming together of the fair and the history of Chicago, that turbulent city on Lake Michigan, and one I personally love, is quite fascinating in its own right. If you haven't read this book yet, please pick it up.

What are some of your favorite nonfiction books? Have you read any of these books? What do you think about them? Leave your thoughts below!

Five Favorites- Contemporary

I have a review to write, but at the moment, I'd rather do this. It's nonfiction and I have nothing to snark on so it's less fun to write about. So I decided to write this instead. I've toyed around with the idea of Five Favorites- maybe even being on a Friday- and so this is me tested the idea out. Basically, it's me dedicating a post to five books, fictional couples, characters, etc I love above all others so you guys can get an idea of the things I love as opposed to the things I hate. So it's basically Top Five Wednesday. I never said it was original. I went with Five Favorites because I like alliteration, though the books I hate might end up a list, too. I originally had "fast" in the title, but since I'm pretty long winded I took it out. Not that you care.

So kicking it off, here's my top five contemporary novels, not necessarily in any specific order.

1. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

  So, raise your hand if you've read and loved The Book Thief. Now, raise your hand if you've read anything else by Markus Zusak. Well, you should. I'm honestly surprised how little people have read his other books, especially since many count The Book Thief as their all time favorite book. Frankly, I Am the Messenger is the first reason why I count Markus Zusak as my all time favorite contemporary author (the second is The Underdog omnibus), much to the confusion of those who only know him by The Book Thief. But anyway, I Am the Messenger. This novel is about a rather mundane cab driver, who considers himself the typical working class Aussie, who sucks at cards and sex, is hopelessly in love with his best friend, and has a coffee drinking dog named The Doorman. Until one day, when he catches a bank robber and, shortly afterwards, gets a playing card in the mail with a list of addresses on it. From there, he must improve the lives of those the cards order him to. It's a wonderful, heartbreaking, tear inducing, and yet inspiring story of a ordinary guy who does extraordinary things. And of course it has that wonderful Markus Zusak prose. I loved this book so much that it's impossible not to put it on the top of my YA contemporary list. It truly needs more recognition.

2. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

  Neal Shusterman is another one of my favorite authors ever, but not really for contemporaries. Sure, I liked his magical realism-y Bruiser, but I adore his speculative fiction, especially the Unwind series, which you'll read more about in my SF list. So what is he doing on this list? Well, simply because Challenger Deep is an amazing, amazing read. Seriously, I don't know why this book is so seemingly underground (why all of Neal Shusterman is so underrated, but that's besides the point) because it won the fucking National Book Award in YA ferchristssake. Anyway, it's about a boy who has either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and the dueling realities that come with those types of diseases. On one hand, he's a smart, artistic honors student. On the other, he's on a pirate ship heading towards Marianas Trench, hence the name Challenger Deep. It's a stunningly told story of mental illness from a guy that needs more recognition. If you had to read any YA mental illness books, let it be this one. You won't need any other.

3. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

  For those of you who are more into the lighter, fluffy, contemporary contemporary side of YA contemporaries as opposed to the darker, edgier, realistic fiction side, this entry is likely the only one on the list for you! Graffiti Moon is another Aussie novel, but in a whole different ballpark as I Am the Messenger. This book is basically about a group of boys and girls who, over the course of one night, either fall in love or fall in love again. Mainly though, this is about Ed and Lucy, who have... complicated feelings about one another. Ed is currently pining over his ex girlfriend, even though he broke up with her, and he also lives a double life as a graffiti artist known as Shadow. Lucy hates Ed after a disastrous date the two went on a few years ago. She is, however, in love with Shadow. You can guess where this is going. I have a whole review dedicated to Graffiti Moon, so I'll keep the rest of my thoughts short, but despite all the tropes I hate present, I loved everything about it. Read it if you want to fall in love with a book.

4. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

  I used to love love love Laurie Halse Anderson back when I was first getting back into reading a few years ago. Now, that love has faded dramatically, but despite that my love of Wintergirls has remained, unlike my love for some of her other novels like The Impossible Knife of Memory or Speak, which has dimmed somewhat. In fact, it's grown. Wintergirls is a magically written novel about a girl with an eating disorder who, after the death of a girl who was once her best friend, relapses and ends up going on this kind of self discovery journey. Like a less lame version of that new movie To the Bone, actually, a movie I have a lot of problems with and might eventually write a review for. And unlike To the Bone, this novel doesn't shy away from the darkness of an eating disorder, with graphic descriptions of a girl dying of an esophagus eruption and other pleasant depictions to that nature. It's dark, gritty, and the writing is top notch. However, I admit that this is a total love it or hate it novel, so read at your own risk and only if the subject matter is something that appeals to you or you can handle. Also, this is one of those books I'd sample before you buy it- the writing is also something it seems people either love or hate.

5. The Lies About Truth by Courtney C Stevens

  I suppose this is another summery-sweet contemporary, but frankly I don't know if I've ever thought of it that way given that it's about some pretty heavy things. It's about a girl who was in a bad car accident with her friends, resulting in the death of one of them. Her face is also heavily scarred as a result. It's kind of like Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz in that it's a beach read looking book masquerading as a deep, hard hitting book, and has one of the best portrayals of friendship I've ever come across, even in real life. I loved the unique take on grief, the wonderfully nostalgic-inducing summer scenes, and just the overall loveliness of this novel. It is from a Christian perspective, so if you're one of those people who says that a book feels "preachy" because one of the characters professes a belief in God stay away from this book. But for me, it was wonderful.

What are some of your favorite contemporary novels? Have you read any of these books? What do you think about them? Leave your thoughts below!