Favorite First Novels & NaNoWriMo

What's your favorite first? Oh come on. Every geeky reader has one.

 I think mine has to be The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver.

Writing Your Own First Novel?

Graphic novel, pulp fiction, love story, confession... whatever story you're sitting on, this could be your month!

November, of course, is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, for the uninitiated. If you're  not writing your first novel this month, why don't you share the title of the best first novel you've read so far, and tell us why you loved it?

 

Guest Posts Welcome! 

When I'm not reading I'm tweeting or liking and sharing all over Facebook. Get in touch about your favorite first novel. I'd welcome your guest post about it, whether you're the author or not ;)

~Diane Stresing

Heart in the Right Place - a new James Herriott?

Although my dad reads a lot, he recommends very few books. Don't get me wrong; he enjoys most of what he reads. But, he hates recommending a book to someone who then reads it, and doesn't like it. So, when he went out on a limb and said to me, "You might like this," you better believe I grabbed the book as soon as I could.

It was Carolyn Jourdan's Heart in the Right Place, a sort of family memoir. I found it to be a bit of an antidote to today's healthcare nightmares, although a very temporary one. (Sigh. Let's not go there today.)

Heart reminded me a little of the James Herriott books I loved so much as a kid, which is a great compliment. 

Jourdan begins her tale as a highly-paid, expensively dressed D.C. lawyer who goes home to temporarily fill in for her mom as her father's assistant-everything in his medical practice in rural Tennessee. As the weeks turn into months, Jourdan realizes she's been both humbled and improved by her stint as a "lowly" medical office receptionist.

Jourdan is a good storyteller, and she certainly has some stories to tell, so this non-fiction account is interesting but frankly not always compelling. OK, here I must admit that I was honestly hoping for something as fabulous as The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks, and folks, that's just not fair. Writers like Rebecca Skloot are extremely rare, and - let's hope - stories like Lacks' are even rarer.

Would I recommend Heart in the Right Place? Yes I would, and I'm glad my dad did. In addition to enjoying many of the stories, it made me wonder if the advancement of the medical profession might lie in offices like the Jourdans,' where the occasional farm animal seeks treatment along with its owner, and both get quality care. Yes, I recommend this title - and I'll read more from Carolyn Jourdan.

~Diane Stresing

A Fine and Private Place Not (just) for Halloween

Peter S. Beagle's A Fine and Private Place is not the sort of story I'm usually drawn to. If you recommended I read a book about a man who lives in a cemetery and talks to ghosts and a raven, I'd say thanks-but-no-thanks. So, good thing I didn't know that before I'd read a couple of pages. I found the writing so lovely, I couldn't help but keep reading.

Talking Animals and POV

Sure, I talk to my dog but I'm just not very patient with books featuring talking animals. However, the talking raven in A Fine and Private Place is a clearly deserving exception. He's a cranky but keen observer of the human condition and more to the point, human failings.

One thing I found especially interesting: while it's written in third person (limited), each chapter is told from a different character's perspective, and the narrator's voice changes appropriately for each. Although the storytelling technique is hardly unique, in this case, it's managed very deftly. (As I said, the narrator's voice changes appropriately for each...very well done.) It's the first Beagle book I've read, and it certainly won't be the last.

Good Halloween Read?

Now, let's not go jumping to conclusions - just because this fine story is set in a cemetery and the main character has ghosts for friends, you might think it's a perfect book for Halloween. It's not, really. Not that it's a poor choice for Halloween or Dia de los Muertos - I mean, gosh, there are ghosts galore, after all - I just think a well-told story makes a good read anytime. And to be clear, this book has no seasonal hook.

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OK - so, yay! Talking birds aside, I have a new favorite author! #HappyReader 
Want to share some of your favorite books? Or ghastly titles you'd recommend for Halloween frights? Contact me on Twitter or via the Facebook page for my essay compilation, Dumb Things We Say to Dogs.