Favorite Books with Cat Patrick
Lucky day! Cat Patrick is here to share a bit about herself in honor of her newest book, Forgotten. The best part? She’s here to share her favorite books! For bibliophiles like us, what could be better?
Hubby and I try hard not to spoil our girls. In our house, you don’t get a treat for riding quietly in the basket at Target—unless you consider paper towels a treat, which under certain circumstances, I guess they are—and the soft lovie at the check stand is cute to pet while Mommy pays but we always need to tell him “bye, bye, see you later!” before we go.
But all logic and reason flies out the window at the bookstore.
I love buying books. I love seeing my girls’ eyes light up when they crack open a new one for the first time. I love the smell of fresh cut pages and the creak of the spine. I love reading dedications and acknowledgements and noticing publishers and discovering someone else’s voice. Jumping into their story. I love adding books to my (embarrassingly disorganized) shelf.
And I love recommending my favorites to friends and family. Here’s what I’ve recommended lately:
To my neighbor when she was lamenting about dieting: Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things. I love Mackler’s approachable, funny and touching story of a girl who feels like the odd man out in her family. As the runt of the litter myself—blessed with “curves” no less—I could wholeheartedly relate…the story stuck with me long after reading.
To my speed-reading babysitter on date night: Stephanie Perkins’ Anna and the French Kiss. I enjoyed this one for its tour du Paris, for making me wish I’d had an experience like Anna’s when I was younger, and for the way it made me remember my first love. It’s a quick and completely satisfying read.
To my sister, who asked for a “great” book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. These are two beautifully written and important novels for very different reasons. The Book Thief is a new take on a familiar history and 13 Reasons Why is about a girl with no future because of suicide. Both novels focus on heavy topics, and yet both leave you feeling hopeful. No easy task.
I wouldn’t necessarily read them back to back though.
In between, you might want to try the book I recommended to my YA-loving friend, Matched, by Ally Condie. I was sucked into this novel from the first page, fully enchanted by the futuristic story of a girl living in a society where nothing’s left to chance…not even who you love. It made me feel claustrophobic and giddy and nervous and overjoyed and…so, so excited for the next in the series.
Also recently, I’ve pointed friends and family toward the Fade/Wake/Gone series by Lisa McMann, Shiver/Linger/Forever by Maggie Stiefvater and of course, The Hunger Games trilogy (Team Peeta! No wait, Team Gale!).
My “of the moment” adult series recommendation is totally out of left field: Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles. I will admit that I’ve never read The Hobbit and I’m not usually one to go frolicking with lutes, but I loved these tomes. And guess what? The paper used for the second one, The Wise Man’s Fear, not only smells good but it feels silky smooth, too.
Sort of like the soft lovie at the checkout stand.
