Ready to Become a Fan of... focuses on those authors new and old whose works I have every intention of eventually reading, but haven't been able to devote the time to just yet. By discussing authors and their works that I'm sure I'll love, given the chance, hopefully I can be more easily compelled to take the next step in not simply acquiring one of their books, but actually take the time to read it.
This month I'm putting on record that I am ready to become a fan of Patrick Ness.
About the Author:
Patrick Ness, an award-winning novelist, has written for England’s Radio 4 and Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for The Guardian. He has written many books, including the Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Crash of Hennington, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and A Monster Calls.
He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London. (source)
About the Author:
Patrick Ness, an award-winning novelist, has written for England’s Radio 4 and Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for The Guardian. He has written many books, including the Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Crash of Hennington, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and A Monster Calls.
He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London. (source)
Work I'm most looking forward to reading:
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Prentisstown isn't like
other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an
overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the
birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose
thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon
an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is
impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that
Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought? (Goodreads)
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought? (Goodreads)
Why this author & this work:
I purchased the ebook edition of The Knife of Never Letting Go back when it was on sale a year and a half ago. I then purchased the ebook edition of A Monster Calls last summer. Both have been quietly sitting on my Kindle, waiting for their chance to be read.
And I have been meaning to read both soon; truly, I have. I've heard nothing but praise for the Chaos Walking trilogy, although it does sound like the sort of book I'll need to devote a bit more time to upfront, due to the dialect and its writing style. And the same goes for A Monster Calls...though it might be a while before I'm okay reading a cancer book like that.
That #NoiseforNess giveaway that Candlewick Press hosted recently in celebration of the new paperback redesigns of the Chaos Walking trilogy helped me remember that I really do need to read some of Ness' works. I have the means...now to just put in the time.
Public accountability: that's what this feature is for, after all. I will read some Ness, and soon.
For those of you who've already read some of Ness' works, I'd appreciate hearing what you think about them. For those who also haven't read his works yet, let me know what's been holding you back!
Ready to Become a Fan of... is an original feature of Late Nights with Good Books.
I purchased the ebook edition of The Knife of Never Letting Go back when it was on sale a year and a half ago. I then purchased the ebook edition of A Monster Calls last summer. Both have been quietly sitting on my Kindle, waiting for their chance to be read.
And I have been meaning to read both soon; truly, I have. I've heard nothing but praise for the Chaos Walking trilogy, although it does sound like the sort of book I'll need to devote a bit more time to upfront, due to the dialect and its writing style. And the same goes for A Monster Calls...though it might be a while before I'm okay reading a cancer book like that.
That #NoiseforNess giveaway that Candlewick Press hosted recently in celebration of the new paperback redesigns of the Chaos Walking trilogy helped me remember that I really do need to read some of Ness' works. I have the means...now to just put in the time.
Public accountability: that's what this feature is for, after all. I will read some Ness, and soon.
For those of you who've already read some of Ness' works, I'd appreciate hearing what you think about them. For those who also haven't read his works yet, let me know what's been holding you back!
Ready to Become a Fan of... is an original feature of Late Nights with Good Books.
Yessssss! You need to read these pronto! As you know, I have loved every one of his books that I have read, and I'm planning to read More Than This soon. Just be ready with a box of Kleenex when you read A Monster Calls. It's an emotional read obviously. I can't wait to see what you think of these!
ReplyDeleteWellll....The Chaos Walking Trilogy is pretty much my favorite YA series, I think. When I moved earlier this summer, I packed all of my books except for Monsters of Men (and American Gods), which rode in the front seat of my car with me. (:
ReplyDeletePatrick Ness writes books that make you FEEL things. They are very discussable and WOW they are really something else. I hope you eventually get around to them because I've read them several times and I always end up feeling things whether I'm reading in print or listening to the audiobooks (which are also award winners).
I like this feature!
Patrick Ness just doesn't work for me, sadly. I became extremely frustrated with this particular novel and having read many reviews of his work I've come to realize it isn't for me. With this novel he withholds a lot of information from readers, which I know builds a lot of tension, but those methods never work out for me. So, that's my two cents on him, but I hope you have better luck with his work, Amanda! :)
ReplyDeleteI've read the first 2 books in this series and they were incredibly INTENSE and very applicable to our world, despite the fact that they take place on another planet. So many fascinating concepts in here, and something a little bit different from the standard. I think the tough thing, though, is that the MC is around 13 and his youth really shows at time. Some things are a bit frustrating, but I think it's still accurate. I do plan to read the third book soon! But I've had to gear up for it because Ness is not always the kindest to his characters. Great post, Amanda!
ReplyDeleteOh Amanda!! This excites me to no end. I have the most intense love for Patrick Ness and his writing. Chaos Walking is the best series I've read after Harry Potter, which I think you know is saying something from me. It's true that you may need to invest more time in the series than you will in your average YA series, but personally, I feel like the best series are the ones that I spend a lot of time in and really delve into the story, characters, and writing. A Monster Calls is SO phenomenal, as well. It's shorter in page length, but like Chaos Walking it took me longer to get through than you would expect of a book that length because it's a heavier read. I hope the kindle copy you have has the illustrations because I think you might be missing out a little bit if you read it without them! I still need to get to The Crane Wife and More Than This. I really hope you truly do get to his work soon and that you love his books as much as I do!
ReplyDelete