Ten Books to Read Before You Die

By A.J. Llewellyn

That’s a headline grabber if ever I saw one and being a former journalist I can’t resist a good header...so I perused this list as compiled by a recent Harris Poll and yeah it’s pretty good: The Holy Bible, Gone with the Wind, Harry Potter, The Stand, The Da Vinci Code, To Kill a Mockingbird, Angels and Demons, Catcher in the Rye and Atlas Shrugged.
Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn about some of them – but Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird and Atlas Shrugged would be high on my list. Others…not so much, which of course got me thinking, what are my top 10?

I’d like to hear about yours – but since I’m here, let me start. In order of chronological influence:

1. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton because this is how you feel when you are 14 years old. Stay Gold, pony boy.

2. For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke. A searing, unforgettable portrayal of an Australian convict’s life. Rufus Dawes is a remarkable character and Clarke’s research is impeccable and yet, humble. This book shaped my urge to place the reader right there. I wept right through this the first time I read it. I still do.

3. Waffles with Everything by Polly Horvath. This whimsical yet perceptive book is how you feel when you lose a parent. You can take my word on that.

4. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend. The most subversive, hysterical novel you will ever read. You can take my word on that, too. Written during Thatcher’s era in Britain, it rips her to shreds but I’m betting she got a laugh out of it, too.

5. On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Come on, he’s dead and he’s still sexy as hell. Besides, we’ve all loved a train wreck at least once in our lives.

6. My Place by Sally Marshall. An Aboriginal woman dissects her people’s displacement. Brilliant and lyrical.

7. Monkey Grip by Helen Garner. A gut wrenching examination of love and addiction. Give it to somebody who is in love with a drug addict. An extraordinary novel.

8. Joe Wilson and his Mates by Henry Lawson. One of the two greatest Australian writers who ever lived, the other being Banjo Paterson. I really couldn’t choose between them…sneaky way to mention ’em both, eh? P.S. I named my cat after Banjo…

9. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. I love everything she has ever written but I busted my literary cherry on this one…the only English language book I could find in Athens, the year I went to school in Greece, age 15.

10. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. If you have lost a loved one, this will give you hope and an explanation you can live with. I believe her definition of heaven. If Hollywood ruins this one, heads will roll. I will see to it personally.

So how about you? What’s your must reads? I really want to know!

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Writers' and Readers' Internet Tag

By AJ Llewellyn

Hi Everyone,
I am excited to be one of the new bloggers here and today we're playing Writers' and Readers' Internet Tag! If you read this, it's YOUR turn to post the following questionnaire on YOUR blog!

What are you reading right now?
A History of Spanking. No, not really…I am a pathological liar.

Longest book you’ve ever read: Tough question, there, cookie. I can Hoover through an 800 page Harry Potter book in 24 hours, yet I wanted to kill everybody then myself, trying to read Anne Rice’s painful tome Christ, the Lord out of Egypt.

Strangest title of a book that you’ve read:
Bombproof Your Horse: Teach Your Horse to be Confident, Obedient and Safe No Matter What You Encounter…
Despite my penchant for invention, this is a true and incredibly stupid title. I mean, think about it. Let’s say you’re sitting astride a horse and same gun-toting weirdo runs up and sticks a grenade up the horse’s ass.
Let me know how confident and obedient he turns out to be. Yeah…good luck with that.

Stupidest ending of a book you’ve read:
And then, I died…
Yep, that was the ending.

Which literary character have you related to the most?
Adrian Mole

Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?
Non fiction – because the truth is so often so bloody weird!

Did you have a series of children’s/young adult books that you once enjoyed? *Blushing* Yes. I loved The Fat Slags. Actually, this is a British comic strip in Viz magazine. Um…I still collect them and get quite a kick out of those cheap, boozy whores!

Can you enjoy reading the source book after seeing the screen adaptation?
Unfortunately, I have to because of my day job. I do screenplay coverage for a movie studio. I believe most authors will tell you their work was vandalized. I strongly disagree. It was hung, drawn, quartered then burned at the bloody stake.

Have you ever read a novelization of a movie or TV show?
Yes, unfortunately. My brain still hurts.

Book that "turned you on" the most, erotically speaking:
The Wit and Wisdom of George W. Bush. No, not really, I’m telling fibs again.

Is there a real-life person that you’ve read more than one book about?
Yes, I am a research ho. But the person who continues to fascinate me is the Black Dahlia, (Elizabeth Short). There are tons of books out there and I’ve read ‘em all. I’m amazed that three of them are written by people ALL claiming their own fathers did it. Christmas dinner must sure be fun at their houses!

Book that everyone’s read but you:
The Story of O.

Favorite "classic" writer/novelist:
George Eliot

Favorite contemporary novelist (let's say 1950s on):Maxine Hong Kingston

Favorite short story writer:
Felice Picano

Favorite columnist/journalistic writer:
Jilly Cooper

Favorite poet:
Nat Whitcomb a wonderful Australian poet. My favorite of hers goes: Dirty Politics, dirty wars…make the dirt in my garden seem so clean.

Favorite guilty pleasure book or series:
Spanking magazines. No, not really. I’m telling lies again.

Favorite book by written by a famous actor or musician:
Get in the Van by Henry Rollins (my future ex husband). He could tie me up and do whatever he wanted to me…er…except shove a grenade up my bottom.

Author whose work you once enjoyed but no longer do:
Patricia Cornwell – poor research and same, regurgitated storylines. She needs to get a good spanking by Rick R. Reed – no, wait, that would make me jealous – but she needs to be edited by a proper editor, not a fan.

Favorite comics/graphic fiction author:
Gene Luen Yang…I love his YA stuff…no bombs, no horses…plenty of Geekdom.

Did you read this? Then -- TAG!! You're it!

Aloha oe,
AJ