From The Permanent Exile of the T.B.R. List
Five Books that I’ve Wanted To Read but Haven’t Read Yet
I don’t remember when I had the realization that I wanted to read more books than I would ever physically have the time to read, but it was a terribly sad moment.
It was sometime around when I first signed up for GoodReads, back when it was new — back before Amazon took it over, even, I think — and every time I saw a book that looked mildly interesting, I’d click the Want to Read button. I would then sit and go through the recommendations that GoodReads pulled up for me, 50–100 at a time, look at all of them, find the ones that were interesting, and click Want to Read.
And based on the ones I clicked, GoodReads would come up with more recommendations.
We did this dance ad infinitum et ultra. And finally, overwhelmed with several thousand titles on my Want to Read list, I decided I needed to make a new account.
I’ve been better about it now, but still, after a few years, I can feel the list starting to creep up on me again.
There are so many good books out there. Some that I wish I was brainy enough to enjoy but know that I wouldn’t; some that some might imagine should appeal to me because I call myself a writer, and on and on and on. But this list is not those. This list is five books that I have been wanting to read forever, and still haven’t gotten around to: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
1. Letters to a Young Artist by Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith is an amazing person. I first fell in love with her watching her as Dr. Nancy McNally, Jed Bartlet’s National Security Adviser on The West Wing. But the more I looked into her career, the more I realize that she’s always been in the background of some of my favorite things (RENT, anyone?) and just what an amazing and prolific person she is.
If there’s anybody in this world whose career I want to emulate, it would probably be hers: writer, playwright, actor of stage and screen. I figure it can’t hurt to soak up some of her wisdom. Just today, as I’m writing this, my copy of her book arrived. So I can’t wait to jump into it!
Letters to a Young Artist on Amazon.
2. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
I love A.S. King. Out of all the writers in the genre that I personally write, contemporary Young Adult fiction, she runs toward the top of my favorites list. Okay, I Crawl Through It is a little bit weird (yes, I loved it, but just saying) and she may have predicted the presidency of Donald Trump in Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future; but that piles on to the appeal of Amy’s books.
But for some reason — and I’m not entirely sure why, Vera Dietz has been sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me. I’ve read most all of Amy’s other books, but Vera just sits there, waiting for a rainy day.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz on Amazon.
3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Wonder is one of those books that has been on the periphery of my awareness since it came out. It’s always something that I’ve been interested in, but that I’ve always passed up because there are other things to read.
Somehow, and without my noticing, it was adapted by Julia Roberts and co. into a pretty big blockbuster, which is always happy news for any YA/MG author in the community. I only learned this because my dear friend Shaunta wants to emulate that same success with her forthcoming novel, The Astonishing Maybe, which is in a similar vein. (Ms. Roberts, if you’re reading this, you need to read Shaunta’s book. Believe me: your kids will love this book. Also, I loved you in Stepmom.)
Anyway, Wonder is on my list. And now I’m even more compelled to read it before I go watch the movie.
Wonder on Amazon.
4. Malavita by Tonino Benacquista
Malavita is one of those books I discovered backwards. I don’t remember how I discovered it, but the second that I saw the pitch for the movie The Family — Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones, three of the greatest actors working today, along with my celebrity crush and Glee sweetheart Dianna Agron — the Italian side of my bloodline kicked in, and I knew I would love this movie.
The first time I watched it, I was in love. The second time I watched it, I thought “this would make a perfect YA novel.” The third time I watched it, I noticed in the credits that it was actually based on a YA novel.
That’s pretty slow, even for me.
Malavita on Amazon.
1. Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro
Don’t you start with any “comic books aren’t real books” nonsense; that is bullshit.
But I will admit, I did discover Bitch Planet in a pretty unexpected way. I’ve been a fan of Mur Lafferty’s I Should Be Writing podcast since I was in high school, and when she and Matt Wallace started DitchDiggers, I moved over to that show, too.
It’s some great writing advice, but I digress.
In one of the fairly early episodes, they had Kelly Sue DeConnick on, to talk about her work and her routine, and I was pretty much captivated with everything about her, from her work ethic and routine, to this bad-ass sounding comic book (graphic novel? I don’t know which is the preferred parlance) that I knew I would have to get my hands on.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t happened yet. But it will soon!
Bitch Planet vol. 1 and Bitch Planet vol. 2 on Amazon.
Zach Payne is, to borrow the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda, “a polymath, a pain in the ass, a massive Payne.” He acts, sings poorly, and writes poetry, plays, and young adult fiction.
He’s an assistant at Ninja Writers, where he helps new writers find their voice and their tribe. He was the query intern for Pam Victorio at D4EO, and his novel Somehow You’re Sitting Here was selected for Nevada SCBWI’s 2015–16 Mentor Program. He lives in Reno.
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