Friday Favourites: Top Five School Story Authors

As I'm starting a new series of posts tomorrow focusing on Antonia Forest, I thought I'd start doing Friday Favourite: Top Fives with a list of my top five school story authors.

I'm not sure why I love school stories so much.  Possibly because I first started reading them as a teenager when my life was hellish and they offered an ideal escape.  Possibly because a lot of them are set in between the world wars and there's something I love about that period.  Or possibly because my earliest 'big book' was The Worst Witch, so that got me thinking of school stories as special (that and schools where you learn magic).

1) Antonia Forest.  Obviously.  Given that I'm about to start reviewing all of her books, I won't say any more here except that she is an aberration in my school story love as her books are frequently lacking in any idyllic happiness.  Things are happy, but they're never as perfect or easily resolved as in other author's work.  Favourite book: The Cricket Term.

2) Elinor M. Brent-Dyer.  She wrote a lot of short series, some standalones, and one monster of a series, The Chalet School, which is 58 books in hardback, even more in paperback thanks to Armada and their belief that children don't read long books so they'd better split some titles in two.  The series covers over four decades and travels around Europe, from Austria to Guernsey to Britain and finally Switzerland.  Incredibly idealised in places, lots of girls almost dying and having to be rescued by other girls, but incredibly enjoyable.  Favourite book: The Chalet School in Exile, though all of the early books are wonderful.

3) Dorita Fairlie Bruce.  Five distinct series, four of them school stories although these all continue to focus on the characters after they leave school.  The series often interconnect, so that Dimsie will suddenly rock up at Springdale to help people out or two of the schools will play matches against each other.  Favourite book: Captain at Springdale.

4) Elsie J. Oxenham.  Lots of interconnected series, with major characters in one becoming minor characters in others.  There are charts and reading orders for all of the connections, which are confusing to say the least.  A lot of her books are out of print (and some cost a small fortune to find as they were only printed once) but those I have been able to get my hands on are worth reading.  Favourite book: The Girls of the Hamlet Club (even if I have to read it as loose sheets of photocopied paper because an actual book is out of my price range).

5) Josephine Elder.  I have to admit I've only read one of her books but it was superlative.  Like Antonia Forest, she writes a much more realistic version of school and growing up - I'd dare to say it's more 'modern' than the other authors, in that the interactions between characters feel more real: they're real teenage girls, which isn't always pretty.  I do have a couple more of her books on my shelf (thank you, Girls Gone By) and hope they're as good as my 'favourite' book: Evelyn Finds Herself.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Sequels I'm Dying to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week: top ten sequels we're dying to read.  As usual, my list is a combination of books I want to buy, books that have yet to be published (or named! They may not exist), and books which I own but have yet to read.  Some of them also appeared on last week's Top Ten TBR Books for Autumn.

1. Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart - arrived in the post today.  Am reading first chance I get.

2. The follow up to The Crowfield Demon by Pat Walsh - I don't even know what this book is called, or when it will be published, or anything.  I assume it will exist because The Crowfield Demon left some threads hanging.

3. The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett - Lymond in Malta, dealing with the Knights of St John (thus linking him to my favourite painter who shouldn't be let out without supervision, Carravagio) and meeting his Arch Nemesis.  Read the first chapter a while ago and Lymond fools the English with an army of sheep, so he remains on form.

4. The Rivals by Daisy Whitney - I really enjoyed The Mockingbirds (my review here) and was a tiny bit disappointed that I'd have to wait till 2012 for the sequel.

5. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce - Sisters Red was really good (my review here) and now Jackson Pearce is tackling Hanzel and Gretel?  I think it will be both awesome and disturbing, which are things I look for in a book.

6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - everyone and their dog has read this but me.  The daft thing is I want to read it but haven't yet.  I think because it's the middle of a trilogy which means things are about to get very bad.

7. Supernaturally by Kiersten White - also arrived today, also needs to be read as soon as humanly possible.

8. The Lies that Bind by Lisa & Laura Roecker - how did I not know there was a sequel to The Liar Society?  I wanted a sequel but that book could standalone but now I know there will be more. (tbp 2012)

9. ...and That's When It Fell Off in My Hand by Louise Rennison - these books have surprised me by how much I enjoy them, just a shame I have to watch the library catalogue like a hawk to get copies as they're returned.

10. Frostbite by Richelle Mead - again, surprised by how much I enjoyed Vampire Academy, and again having to get this from the library and curse whoever took it out before me.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My TBR List This Autumn

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week (to which I am a bit late, huzzah) is, well, as the title of this post says: books on my TBR list this autumn.  For me I've done a mix of books due for publication, those I'm buying first chance I get and some which I already own which are sitting on my - well, actually, my floor as I don't have bookshelves in my new flat yet and so I have stacks of books all round the walls.

1. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - I loved Anna to the point of reading it in a day and telling my housemates how awesome it is, so can't wait for Lola.

2. Snuff by Terry Pratchett - it's a new Discworld.  It's focusing on Vimes, cynical god of all things awesome and cranky.  And it's called Snuff.

3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - I've loved all of Laini's other books, her prose is always beautiful (writerly jealousy abounds when I read her) and I'm getting the damn special edition even though it takes a hefty chunk out of my change.

4. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - MJ writing about Jack the Ripper, and London, and I need this book.

5. Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart - I just finished The Treasure Map of Boys and I have to know how all this ends.  This has been one of my favourite series of the year.

6. Graveminder by Melissa Marr - Another favourite series for me was Wicked Lovely, and Melissa Marr is now on the (quite short) list of authors whose books I have to buy.

7. Supernaturally by Kiersten White - I read Paranormalcy in July and loved it, so now I need to know what happens next.

8. The remaining Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett - I've managed to track down all but Checkmate (damn lack of recently published copies anywhere but Foyles) and they are sitting there, mocking me with their complex plots and their lines in languages I can't read and their general brilliance.  This series is a hefty undertaking but so worth it.

9. The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff - The Eagle of the Ninth was fantastic, Outcast was bleak but wonderfully written, and I now want to read everything Rosemary Sutcliff wrote.

10. The rest of The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison - so much fun, really funny and the film is amazing.  Am reading these from my local library so it's a case of scrounging around trying to grab the copies when they come in and calling down curses on the head of whoever got there before me.

Actually, there are a lot of books I want to read, and a lot more series I've just started that I want to complete (Uglies and Vampire Academy especially) as well as series that are languishing and mocking me (Chaos Walking and Hunger Games in particular) that this list could go on forever. 

Month in Review: August 2011

Ah, long inactivity.  Fun things like moving house, job hunting and general lack of internet access have conspired against me (also: natural laziness) which means I haven't updated since April (at least it's April this year, but still) and am now planning all sorts of things which may or may not get done (including something involving Enid Blyton, though what that is I do not know). 

Anyway, something which I can do because it is essentially a list...

Books Read in August 2011
78. The Eagle of the Ninth - Rosemary Sutcliff (1/8 - 4/8)
79. The Queen's Fool - Philippa Gregory (22/7 - 5/8)
80. A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray (5/8 - 7/8)
81. Rebel Angels - Libba Bray (7/8 - 8/8)
82. One of Our Thursdays is Missing - Jasper Fforde (12/8)
83. Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas - Louise Rennison (12/8 - 13/8)
84. The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith (25/7 - 13/8)
85. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson (13/8)
86. Tithe - Holly Black (13/8 - 14/8)
87. Bad Taste in Boys - Carrie Harris (15/8)
88. Five Are Together Again - Enid Blyton (15/8)
89. The Crowfield Demon - Pat Walsh (15/8 - 16/8)
90. Withering Tights - Louise Rennison (18/8 - 19/8)
91. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld (15/8 - 21/8)
92. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead (21/8)
93. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken (22/8)
94. The Bermudez Triangle - Maureen Johnson (23/8)
95. Dancing in my Nuddy Pants - Louise Rennison (26/8 - 27/8)
96. The Last Continent - Terry Pratchett (27/8 - 29/8)
97. Vegan Virgin Valentine - Carolyn Mackler (30/8)
98. Outcast - Rosemary Sutcliff (31/8)

Stats
Total = 21
Total pages = 6591*
Average book length = 314 pages

Completed Challenge = 1st in a Series with Tithe (14/8)

Inadvertent Trope of the Month = It Got Worse.  Seriously, several of these books are full of things just getting worse and worse and bleaker and bleaker.  Prime examples: Outcast (ye gods, that was one thing after another); Uglies (and I know it's going to get worse in Pretties); and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (vile Victorian orphaned and alone bleakness).  I liked all of these books, and two at least had happy endings, but they needed buffers of 'happier' books around them.

Most Read Author = Louise Rennison (3 books).

Nicest Covers of the Month

Top Ten Books of the Month
01. Uglies
02. The Eagle of the Ninth
03. Speak
04. A Great and Terrible Beauty
05. Rebel Angels
06. Bad Taste in Boys
07. The Crowfield Demon
08. Bad Taste in Boys
09. The Bermudez Triangle
10. Vampire Academy

*I have a spreadsheet for this because clearly I a) have no life; b) am obsessive; and c) really like spreadsheets.

Finished 25: List, Stats & Award Type Things

I have read 25 new books this year, so am halfway through my goal and seriously considering increasing the amount I have to read for my challenge - except I think I'll wait until I've actually read 50 before doing that.  However, as I haven't posted anything for a while and haven't written a review since...checks...oh dear, Sisters Red in February, I should probably do something.

The List
01. Ash by Malinda Lo
02. The Waves by Virginia Woolf
03. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
04. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
05. Blood Fever by Charlie Higson
06. First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
07. The Haunting by Margaret Mahy
08. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
09. The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
10. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
11. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
12. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Player's Boy by Antonia Forest
15. The Players & the Rebels by Antonia Forest
16. The Elusive Grasshopper by Malcolm Saville
17. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde
18. Elizabeth & Mary by Jane Dunn
19. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
20. Heresy by S.J. Parris
21. The Marlows & the Traitor by Antonia Forest
22. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
23. The Boy Book by E. Lockhart
24. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
25. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Stats
January - 2; February - 9; March - 10; April - 4

1sts Challenge - 6/20
2nds Challenge - 6/20
A to Z Title Challenge - 10 (I)
Victorian Challenge - 4
Project Fill in the Gaps - 8

'3 Book' Authors - Antonia Forest & E. Lockhart
'2 Book' Authors - Anne Bronte, Jasper Fforde & Melissa Marr

Longest Book - Elizabeth & Mary 592 pages
Shortest Book - The Haunting 144 pages

Fiction - 24; Nonfiction - 1*
Adult - 12; Young Adult - 10; Children's - 2

Award Type Things
Much in the spirit of when I finished 50 last year, these count for nothing at all except that they're fun to do in my head.  Just imagine Anne Hathaway has a different gorgeous dress for each announcement.

The Jane Austen: I have read all of this author's books and I hate that
Antonia Forest.  I finished The Marlows and the Traitor with a sense of great satisfaction - I'd read it, it was amazing, she's one of my favourite writers ever - then crashed headlong into the realisation that that was the last book of hers I had left to read.  There are no more new Antonia Forest books out there.  There never will be.  This sucks.  I am going to go curl up with The Cricket Term and lament this.

The J.K. Rowling: I need the next book in this series NOW
This is a serious clash between Melissa Marr and Dorothy Dunnett.  Until I finished Ink Exchange I would say that The Lymond Chronicles were winning - something made worse by the books only being available second hand, so I am going to have to search for them** - because omgLymondissoawesome but then I got to the end of Ink Exchange and I have so many questions and I want to know what happens and I ship Irial/Niall so hard it's a bit ridiculous.  So I think I'm going to call it a tie, because I also want to commend Dorothy Dunnett for an insanely complex plot.

Book With an Insanely Complex Plot

The Game of Kings.  This is not a bad thing, and it definitely shouldn't put anyone off reading her (good Lord, read some Dorothy Dunnett - I am going to have to write a more coherent review of this book soon) but it did mean that I was constantly surprised.  It wasn't even in a Harry-Potter-I'm-sorry-but-I-thought-he-was-the-bad-guy sense, just that people's motives and allegiances kept shifting and every time I thought I had a handle on what was going on it turned out that I was wrong.  Which was fantastic, because I never got bored and I always knew there was bound to be something else to change the perspective on everything, just as I knew Lymond was going to slither out of trouble yet again.

Book(s) That Made Me Glad Not to Be Fifteen Anymore
The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book.  Even more so than Into The Wild Nerd Yonder, these books grabbed hold of my remaining teenage angst and gave it a good shake.  It was painful at times, and occasionally touched my embarrassment squick a bit too much - but that's all part of being a teenager and what makes that books so good.  And with the hindsight of twelve years of mature reflection (ha!) I was able to treat all the teenage girl bitchery and teenage boy idiocy with yells of "oh, you bitch!" and "oh, you bastard!" and "they're so not worth it, Ruby!" that I felt was required.  These books are also serious contenders for The J.K. Rowling as I need the next book now because I need to know what happens (Noel Noel Noel, Noel Noel Noel - please?).

And I was going to do some quick final category things, but they're just going to be me rehashing a lot of what I've said above.  Of the 25 books I've read so far this year, my favourites are definitely anything by: Antonia Forest, E. Lockhart, Melissa Marr and Dorothy Dunnett, though I can recommend everything I've read.

* This sounds best read in the voice of the Saturday Football Results Man (that is his official title).
** I actually quite like looking for second hand books, there's a sense of purpose and achievement...right up to the point when it turns out that the last ones you need for your collection were only printed once and so each copy is worth hundreds of pounds.  Probably thousands now with inflation.