Sarah Pekkanen: Recommended Reads of 2011
Sarah Pekkanen is the author of two novels. “Skipping a Beat” was included in O, the Oprah Magazine‘s list of “Top 10 Titles to Pick Up Now,” and her first novel, “The Opposite of Me,” was called “engaging, fresh,” by People magazine. Her third novel, “These Girls,” will be released in April 2012 and was described as being bittersweet, laugh-out-loud funny, and painfully real” by New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult. Sarah’s latest short story, “Love, Accidentally,” is available TODAY on the Nook or Kindle.
Her recommended reads for 2011 include:
“Sorta Like a Rock Star” by Matthew Quick. A confession: Up until a year or so ago, I didn’t read Young Adult (YA) books. But I’m friendly with author Matthew Quick’s wife, so I picked up “Sorta Like a Rock Star” thinking I’d pass it along to a teenager. Instead, I ended up tearing through its pages. I loved this book for so many reasons: the fresh, energetic voice; the well-drawn, quirky characters; the surprising plot twists. But the reason it tops my “Best of” list is because it opened up an entire new genre to me – YA – and has led to the discovery of many other books and new authors I’ve come to adore. If you haven’t read a Young Adult book recently, you’re in for a surprise: These books are some of the best-written and most intriguing ones lining store shelves today.
“Bossypants” by Tina Fey. I knew she was funny, but I had no idea Tina Fey could write like this. Whether she’s tacking the subject of the stress involved in finding the Peter Pan-themed birthday plates your child has her heart set on or the pressure of nailing Sarah Palin’s accent in time for a Saturday Night Live performance, she comes across as real, unpampered, and just a pinch neurotic. In other words, the kind of woman you’d want for a pal. (Bonus: When I had dinner with friends in New York earlier this month, they reported that they’d actually seen Fey searching the shelves of a party store for those elusive Peter Pan plates! Though they didn’t have the courage to talk to her, they relayed that she seemed quite frantic. Having that section of her memoir verified by eyewitnesses was pretty cool.)
“The Grief of Others” by Leah Hager Cohen. I never would’ve read this book if The Washington Post hadn’t asked me to review it. The topic – a family mourning the loss of a baby who lived only a few days – sounded far too depressing. And yet, I quickly became mesmerized by the grace of Cohen’s prose. I still don’t know how she did it, but Cohen managed to imbue her story with hope. I felt uplifted, rather than depressed, after turning the last page, and I’m still thinking about her characters months later.