Kim Culbertson

Kim Culbertson technically writes for teenagers, but some grown-ups like her work. Sourcebooks Fire published her award winning first YA novel Songs for a Teenage Nomad (2010, originally Hip Pocket Press, 2007) and her second YA novel Instructions for a Broken Heart (2011) which was named a Booklist Top Ten Romance Title for Youth: 2011. Culbertson's short fiction has appeared in Cicada, Canary, and The Smoking Poet. When she's not writing for teens, she's teaching them. She's a college advisor and teaches creative writing and English at Forest Charter School in Northern California. Culbertson wrote her eBook novella The Liberation of Max McTrue for her students who, over the years, have taught her much more than she has taught them.

Recently I asked the author what she was reading.  Her reply:

Arcadia by Lauren Groff

Like, well, everyone, I read Utopia in college and I’ve always been drawn to the idea of an idealized community. In Arcadia, Groff explores one such community through the eyes of beautiful Bit, who starts the novel as a boy, held in the arms of his mercurial mother, Hannah, and ends the novel a man – somewhere in a not too distant future. This book is lush and dreamy, and for me it triumphed because of Bit. Lovely Bit – who sees the world differently because he notices beauty in small things and loves people even when they are hard. Arcadia is a meditation on the line between community and freedom, and the ache that grows from needing people, but also knowing they often let you down.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Okay, John Green. You got me. Yes, I needed Kleenix. Yes, you’re so funny and sweet and quirky and the best of what’s being written in YA right now. I bow at the feet of your YA-ness. Read this book. This book made me want to smell my daughter’s hair and line up all her shoes in the entryway.

“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson and American Transcendentalism by Philip F. Gura

I just finished a short Transcendentalism unit in the high school English class I teach. Perhaps one of my student’s summed it up best when he lined his notes with this, “Emerson, Emerson – yes. Right. Love this. Love this guy.” Me too.

Ex Vivo: out of the living body (poems) by Kirsten Casey

Kirsten is in my writing group, a diligent mother of three, and, oh yeah – one of the most interesting, vivid poets I’ve read in a long time. A sample: “Every word is a vital organ.”

Entertainment Weekly

While it’s true the novel I’m currently working on is about celebrity so this technically counts as research, who am I kidding? I’d be reading EW anyway. And Vanity Fair. Damn, I love me some Vanity Fair. A good afternoon is filtered light through the window, a latte, and a few-days-old Vanity Fair (it takes a few days for that perfume smell to dwindle).

Visit Kim Culbertson's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jenny Smith

Jenny Smith was born in Glasgow. A freelance copywriter and grants and trusts fundraiser, Smith lives and works in a small village in south Oxfordshire with her husband, sons and her West Highland terrier, Angus.

Diary of a Parent Trainer and My Big Fat Teen Crisis are Smith’s first two comic teen novels, published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic.

Diary of a Parent Trainer is to be published in the States on June 12th. Smith is hoping that it will do well, so she has an excuse to visit the USA!

Recently I asked Smith what she was reading.  Her reply:

I’ve been the member of a local book group for the past ten years, and we’ve read our way through a wide variety of writers and genres.

We recently read Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson which was absolutely gripping. It’s about a woman who loses her memory each night and has to learn about her life all over again every morning. However as she begins to make notes in a diary, she wonders if she can really trust the man she is living with, her husband. Although I found the story slightly unlikely at times, I didn’t mind because it was such an entertaining page turner. An ideal holiday read.

I very much enjoyed The Help by Kathryn Stockett, we had a book group DVD night and followed up reading the book with watching the film, which I also loved. The book is beautifully, lyrically written and deeply moving.

I am in the middle of The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It is written from the point of view of a concierge in an apartment block in Paris. But she is no ordinary concierge. I am finding this book a challenging read, because the voice of the central character is so formal and intellectual. But it is proving to be funny and full of insights. I love a story, and a ‘voice’ which makes you look at the world differently, and this one certainly does.

I am currently working my way through a book of short stories called Missing Kissinger by Etgar Keret.

I enjoy reading short stories before I go to bed, as I can go to sleep thinking about the endings. These stories are black comedy, often very bleak and violent and tragic. They are transporting me, from my sleepy little village in Oxfordshire, to a completely different world. That is the magic of fiction.

Visit Jenny Smith's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jessie Knadler

Jessie Knadler is a writer whose articles and stories have appeared in publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Glamour. She is the coauthor of the preserving cookbook Tart and Sweet.

Her blog rurallyscrewed.com has been featured in Newsweek and French Elle and on Jezebel.com. She lives with her husband, her daughter, and a bunch of chickens in Lexington, Virginia.

Knadler's new book is Rurally Screwed: My Life Off the Grid with the Cowboy I Love.

Not so long ago I asked her what she was reading.  Knadler's reply:

I’m reading a book recommended to me by my father, The Dog of the South by Charles Portis (of True Grit fame), published in 1979. I make a point of reading every book my dad suggests because he’s the most avid reader I know and has never steered me wrong even though half the books he recommends aren’t ones I’d think to pick up on my own. What I love most about Portis’s underappreciated “redneck quest novel” is the utterly ludicrous but weirdly spot-on dialogue. He has an unparalleled ear for voices that is somehow not self conscious or showy or “watch the writer try to be funny” in the slightest. I found myself gasping in wonder on numerous occasions.

Visit Jessie Knadler's blog.

--Marshal Zeringue

Paul Seabright

Paul Seabright is the author of The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life. He is professor of economics at the Toulouse School of Economics and has been a fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford, and Churchill College, University of Cambridge.

His latest book is The War of the Sexes: How Conflict and Cooperation Have Shaped Men and Women from Prehistory to the Present.

Recently I asked Seabright what he was reading.  His reply:

When I was younger I used to read four works of fiction for every work of non-fiction, but now it’s the other way round. I’ve just finished Tyler Cowen’s An Economist Gets Lunch, which is like most of Tyler’s books in being fantastically informative, written as though dictated at breakneck speed, and utterly original. He annoys foodies by telling them that the best food is often available in the scruffiest restaurants, makes us all feel inadequate for knowing so little about all the planet’s ethnic foods (even waxing lyrical about North Korean cuisine!), and should make it impossible for you ever to eat a quiet meal again without finding yourself doing some surreptitious economics at the same time. All in all, a terrible book for your peace of mind, which is one of the highest compliments I can pay.

Another awful book for your peace of mind, but in a quite different way, is Anna Reid’s Leningrad. Using letters and diaries, it tells the story of the siege of that city by the German Army from 1941 to early 1944, in which over half a million people starved to death. I hardly want to say any more about it, because I urge you to read it – but be warned that certain passages will return to trouble you, and you can hardly fail to reflect on the fragility of our human solidarity under extreme pressure.

I’ve recently finished Laurent Dubois’ Haiti: The Aftershocks of History – a superb history of that troubled country, excellently written, balanced, full of insights and unexpected information on almost every page. What outsiders know about Haiti has so often been reported by those with an axe to grind – from early plantation owners to American colonists to the makers of zombie movies to aid agencies after the earthquake – that it’s a relief to read something about the very ordinary struggles of its population to construct ordinary lives against powerful odds.

I also recently read a wonderful French novel called Le Club des Incorrigibles Optimistes, by Jean-Michel Guenassia, about a chess club for political refugees from the Eastern Bloc in Paris in the early 1960s. It is sad, evocative and sometimes side-splittingly funny. I particularly loved the description of a supercilious Air France employee refusing to help a Russian pilot who has been diverted to Orly because of fog (I could just see that single raised eyebrow the Air France staff have been trained to deploy so deftly). The hero, a 12-year old boy who walks around the streets of Paris reading, insists he is in no danger of running into a car or another pedestrian because he can rely on everyone else’s interest in avoiding him. Until the day when he crashes into a teenage girl who is also holding a book in front of her nose. It turns out to be a great way to meet girls who share his literary passions. All readers of this blog should try it.

Visit Paul Seabright's website.

The Page 99 Test: The War of the Sexes.

--Marshal Zeringue

Katie Ganshert

Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she writes stories about finding faith and falling in love. When she’s not busy plotting her next novel, she enjoys watching movies with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends over bagels.

Her recently released debut novel is Wildflowers from Winter.

Late last month I asked Ganshert what she was reading. Her reply:

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. Whether I’m sitting on my porch swing out in the sun while my son runs around the backyard or curled up under the covers in bed, there’s nothing quite like getting lost in a good book.

I prefer reading two books at once. One that I listen to on audio (usually while cleaning), another that I read.

I recently finished Submerged, a romantic suspense by debut novelist, Dani Pettrey. I believe this is the first romantic suspense I’ve ever read, and I have to say, it was a great introduction to the genre. I really enjoyed the characters, the fast-paced storyline, and the great romantic set up for book two.

Right now, the book I’m reading is called Wish You Were Here, a debut novel by Beth Vogt. Between the cover and the hook, I couldn’t resist opening this one up. The story is about Allison Denman, who realizes five days before her wedding that everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom. After an unexpected kiss from her brother-in-law, Allison turns into a runaway bride. She finds herself staying with her llama-rescuing, quirky aunt while she tries to fix the giant mess she left behind. This has definitely been a fun read, one that keeps me turning the pages.

The book I’m listening to on audio is called The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. It’s set in Nazi Germany and follows a young girl named Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside Munich. According to the back cover, it’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery...

Oh yeah. The narrator is death. Yep, you heard that correctly. Death tells the story. And wow….talk about an incredibly unique twist. With multi-faceted characters, beautiful prose, and a seductive voice, this one has me captivated. It would be a perfect book club selection.

Next on the docket is The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport. This one is a historical set in high-society Chicago during the late 1800s. I’ve been hearing really great things about this one, so I’m eager to dive in.

Visit Katie Ganshert's website and blog.

See--Coffee with a Canine: Katie Ganshert & Bubba.

--Marshal Zeringue

Duncan Barrett

Duncan Barrett studied English at Cambridge and now works as writer and editor, specializing in biography and memoir. He edited The Reluctant Tommy (Macmillan, 2010) a First World War memoir.  His new book, with Nuala Calvi, is The Sugar Girls: Tales of Hardship, Love and Happiness in Tate & Lyle's East End Factories.

Not so long ago I asked Barrett what he was reading. His reply:

I am rather hopeless at finishing one book before I start another – so, as is often the case, I currently have three on the go. Melanie McGrath’s wonderful book Hopping is a sequel of sorts to her bestseller Silvertown, and describes the annual East Enders’ ‘holiday’ to the hop-fields of Kent, based on a true story she came across in correspondence with a reader. It was on my to-read list when I was working on my book The Sugar Girls, about women factory workers in the East End, but my co-author and I ended up dividing up the books we had bought between us to save time, and I’ve only just got around to it now. It’s a beautifully written, captivating glimpse at a lost way of life, as well as a very engaging story.

The second book I’m reading is also non-fiction, although the setting could hardly be more different. The Cloud Garden is the true story of two English backpackers who were kidnapped by FARC rebels in the Columbian rainforest around the turn of the millennium, and spent nine months as hostages. When I’m not writing, I work as an actor, and next month I will be playing one of the men – Paul Winder – in a docu-drama for the National Geographic channel, so I’m reading the book for research. It’s a remarkable story, and just goes to show the extent to which truth is often stranger than fiction: at one point, having finally been released rather than executed, the two men get lost in the jungle trying to find their way out and have to return to their kidnappers for directions, aware that the rebels may change their minds and simply murder them. It’s a detail you simply couldn’t make up.

The final book I’m reading is fiction, but historical and clearly well researched: Anthony Horowitz’s new Sherlock Holmes novel, The House of Silk. At first I was worried that it might be more of a pastiche than a genuine continuation of the Holmes/Watson story, with cameos from quite an array of well-known characters, but Horowitz has crafted a clever – and rather shocking – tale, which manages to make Holmes feel very modern while keeping him firmly in his own time, thanks to a plethora of period details. It made me think that there is actually a lot of overlap between the narrative non-fiction I write and this kind of historical fiction – in both cases your research throws up many wonderful little nuggets, and weaving them into a good story is what really makes the book feel real.

Visit the official blog of The Sugar Girls for pictures, excerpts, reviews and more.

The Page 99 Test: The Sugar Girls.

--Marshal Zeringue

S.G. Browne

S.G. Browne worked in Hollywood for several years before moving to Santa Cruz to be a writer. He currently lives and writes in San Francisco. His novels include Breathers: A Zombie's Lament.

His latest novel is Lucky Bastard.

Recently I asked Browne what he was reading.  His reply:

I recently finished The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt—a first-person POV tale narrated by Eli Sisters, one of a pair of gunslinger brothers who are hired to kill a prospector during the California gold rush.

I don’t tend to read a lot of historical fiction or have any on my to-be-read pile, but this one came highly recommended and it didn’t disappoint. Solid writing and great characters with a voice that was pitch-perfect. Plus I have a soft spot for stories told by flawed characters or stories with an antagonist as protagonist, so this one landed right in my wheelhouse.

Visit S.G. Browne's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Breathers: A Zombie's Lament.

The Page 69 Test: Lucky Bastard.

--Marshal Zeringue

Alex Adams

Alex Adams was born in New Zealand, raised in Greece and Australia, and currently lives in Oregon–which is a whole lot like New Zealand, minus those freaky-looking wetas.

Her new novel is White Horse, the first volume in a debut trilogy.

Not so long ago I asked Adams what she was reading.  Her reply:

Ours is a two-writer household, so there are books piled everywhere—even the kitchen island holds a "his" and 'hers" stack. I find rooms without books to be strange and lacking in character--a bit like a house without pets or a bit of dust.

At any given time I'm working my way through at least two books—often more. I have upstairs books and downstairs books, books for reading during the day (hard copies), books for reading at night if my fiance is playing a video game in the dark (I love my iPad). And they're always a mix of genres. I'm a very promiscuous reader: if the premise interests me I'll read it, regardless of where the bookstore shelves it.

It's been an intense couple of weeks, with my debut novel hitting the shelves, so Claire Gillian's The P.U.R.E is exactly what I need right now: smart, funny, and fast-paced. And lo and behold this wonderful surprise: the love interests actually like each other as people from the beginning. That's a romance I can believe in.

I've barely cracked the spine on The Age of Miracles, but Karen Thompson Walker's prose is sigh-worthy. The premise trapped me from the get-go: the earth's rotation is slowing and as a result the days are growing longer, gravity is failing, and the world begins to fall apart.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is my bedroom book at the moment. I'm reading it in tiny mouthfuls because I don't want it to be over. It's like a video game, but it's a book!

Rounding out my list is Devon Monk's Allie Beckstrom series. I can't even tell you which one I'm reading right now, because by the time you read it I'll be onto the next one, or the one after that. Her books are like potato chips and I want to read them all.

Visit Alex Adams's website and blog.

My Book, The Movie: White Horse.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ann Pearlman

Ann Pearlman is a writer of both fiction, and non-fiction books and has been passionate about writing since eighth grade. Getting Free: Women and Psychotherapy was written with two colleagues and used as both a consciousness-raising book in the woman’s movement as well as college textbook.  Keep the Home Fires Burning: How to Have an Affair With Your Spouse, garnered the attention of the Oprah Winfrey Show and many other TV talk shows. Her memoir, Infidelity, was nominated for National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize, and made into a Lifetime movie by Lionsgate. Inside the Crips, with a foreword by Ice T, took readers into the life of a Crip gang member and the California Prison system. The Christmas Cookie Club became an international bestseller, spawning cookie exchanges and donations to charity.

Her new novel is A Gift for My Sister.

Recently I asked Pearlman what she was reading.  Her reply:

I’m a promiscuous reader, enjoying non-fiction and fiction in all genres. Recently, at the behest of my daughter, I read Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy, and was enveloped by the page turning plot, the heroine’s personality, and the description of the dismal world of the future. Each chapter (and indeed each book) ended with a cliffhanger, which induced me (an easily led reader) to read on, spending hours entertained.

Several months ago, I read David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. Yes, I was entertained, each of the six entwined stories in the novel are riveting. But more than that, his brilliant language and encompassing knowledge, his ability to change voice into six different personas, and the overarching themes zipping through centuries of humanity stay with me. The translit novel allows the writer to explore flashbacks as well as foretell consequences centuries and continents distant. And it provides a profound and fascinating way to explore overarching themes.

As I write this, I realize these two books have several things in common. Both writers love their characters and thus wrote fully rounded people who do surprising things. They both focus on the effects of the will to power with the resulting oppression and malevolence of one group over another. As Mitchell says, the warning implicit in both plots is: In an individual selfishness uglifies the soul; for the human species, selfishness is extinction.

Visit Ann Pearlman's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: A Gift for My Sister.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jon Talton

Jon Talton's novels include the thriller, Deadline Man, several David Mapstone mysteries, and The Pain Nurse, the first of The Cincinnati Casebooks series.

His new novel is Powers of Arrest, a Cincinnati Casebook.

Recently I asked Talton what he was reading.  His reply:

I just finished Don Winslow’s Savages. To say that it is a tour de force doesn’t do it justice. This book is the most original work I’ve read in years. Winslow is one of our best noir writers. I first discovered him when we shared a table at a charity signing years ago, and was impressed by his work. This book, set in the drug trade of Orange County and Baja, raises the bar considerably.

Savages will either change the way mysteries are written, or make anyone who would try to mimic it seem like the worst kind of thief. Read it. Without giving anything away: His use of language, ability to sketch memorable characters in a quick brush stroke, knowledge of the subject matter and story are all towering achievements. It’s a short book. But to really enjoy it, read slow. Savor every line.

Visit Jon Talton's website.

The Page 69 Test: South Phoenix Rules.

Writers Read: Jon Talton (January 2011).

My Book, The Movie: Jon Talton's David Mapstone mysteries.

The Page 69 Test: Powers of Arrest.

--Marshal Zeringue