Posts Tagged I Capture the Castle

Miss Megan’s Five Star Favorites, Part II

March 13, 2013 at 4:14 am · Filed under Ages 12 - 14, Ages 14 and Up, Ages 10 - 12, Adult fiction and non-fiction, Booksellers Diary, Ages 12 and up, Ages 10 and up, Award Winners ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I love middle grade, but more often than not I find myself gravitating to the Young Adult section. There are just such fantastic choices available over there these days! Here are some of my all-time favorites.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery; Penguin; 4.99; Ages 10-adult

Opening line: “Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies’ eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place.”

For fans of: Daddy Long Legs; Betsy-Tacy

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh; Hyperion; 16.99; Ages 12-adult

Opening line: “Being a court dwarf is no easy task. I know because I failed at it.”

For fans of: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing; David Copperfield

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein; Hyperion; 16.99; Ages 14-adult

Opening line:  ”I AM A COWARD I wanted to be heroic and I pretended I was. I have always been good at pretending.”

For fans of: I Capture the Castle; Flygirl

Chime by Franny Billingsley; Penguin; 8.99; Ages 14-adult

Opening line: “I’ve confessed to everything and I’d like to be hanged. Now, if you please.”

For fans of: The Diviners; Finnikin of the Rock 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Knopf (Random House); 12.99; Ages 14-adult

Opening line: “First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.”

For fans of: Milkweed; I Am the Messenger

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith; St. Martin’s; 14.99; Ages 14-adult

Opening line: “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”

For fans of: A Brief History of Montmaray; Jane Austen

We try to always have copies of these books on our shelves! Come by and check them out sometime!

Read on, readers!

Miss Megan

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NPR’s List of 100 Best Teen Novels is Out!

August 8, 2012 at 10:04 am · Filed under Adult fiction and non-fiction, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NPR Books is known for their “Top 100″ lists, which tally votes (from listeners like you!) for the most beloved titles in a given category. This summer, it’s all about the young adult books—click here to check out the list of the 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels!

We were stoked to see a lot of our favorites on the list, including a few we’ve raved about on this very blog:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins; Scholastic

Megan says: Collins’ characters are incredibly compelling, and she knows how to layer on the action like nobody’s business. If you haven’t read these yet, DO IT NOW. You won’t regret the decision. Just be warned that you may not be able to sleep until you’ve torn through all three novels.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green; Dutton Books (Penguin)

Amanda says: Hazel and Augustus meet in the most unusual place — a cancer support group. Though the setting alone may lead a reader to believe the story will be heavy and depressing, it’s anything but. Filled with sarcasm and hysterical wit, you’ll be both laughing and crying through the entire book. Sometimes both at the same time!

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen; Speak (Penguin)

Maryam says: Auden is a serious student who as a kid did not have time for riding a bike because she was too busy studying and sitting in on literary discussions at the dinner table. Due to her parents’ constant arguing when she was a child, she learned to stay up all night, which only gave her more time to study.  Now,  the summer before she starts college, she goes to visit her father, step-mother, and newborn step-sister, and her entire life turns around.  In her late night wanderings she meets Eli, who helps her on her “quest” (as he phrases it) to do everything she missed out on as a kid.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith; St. Martin’s (Macmillan)

Megan says: Set in the 1930s, when England, like [protagonist] Cassandra, was teetering on the brink of the modern age, this is one of the most satisfying titles I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Cassandra’s narration is frank, witty, and utterly hilarious. This is one of those books you’ll want to read over and over. Cracking open that cover is like seeing an old friend!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman; Speak (Penguin)

Megan says: The gentle, unassuming writing style of If I Stay lends itself beautifully to the telling of this haunting and hopeful story. As author Gayle Forman weaves together past and present narratives, she creates a lovely, memorable tale that will thoroughly engage teen readers.

Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness; Candlewick (Random House)

Maryam says: Todd is a boy who has grown-up his whole life in New World (think of Earth 2.0). To the settlers’ surprise, when they landed on New World, they could suddenly hear everyone’s thoughts, nothing is secret. When Todd is told that he needs to leave his town before his next birthday, trouble arises; after all, how can you keep thoughts secret when everyone can hear them?

This is a mere sampling of the books on NPR’s list that we absolutely love! Drop by the store to check out more of the 100 Best Teen Novels!

Any books you think should have been included on the 100 Best list? Post a comment! You can also see the full list of 235 finalists here.

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If You Loved I Capture the Castle…

July 10, 2012 at 12:26 pm · Filed under Adult fiction and non-fiction, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If You Loved I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith…

Regency Romances

Many fans of I Capture the Castle are also fans of Jane Austen, and Austen is actually referenced by the characters several times. Although I Capture the Castle  is set in the 1930′s, in some ways the story about love vs. money echoes Regency themes and preoccupations. So this first section of read-alikes is all Regency Romances of one kind or another.

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

This new romance is narrated by Althea, who knows that she must marry a rich man in order to save her family’s falling-down castle. To that end, she tries her best to attract the local Baron, while avoiding his argumentative cousin Mr. Frederick. Fans of Pride and Prejudice will be able to guess who she ends up with!

Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia Wrede & Caroline Stevener

A novel told through the letters of Kate, enjoying her first Season in London, and her cousin Cecy, back home in the country, in a Regency England where magic is a part of everyday life.  Balls, suitors and picnics are mixed with wizards, sorcerers and spells.

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

How often have you heard the words ‘post-apocalyptic’ and ‘Jane Austen’s Persuasion’ in the same sentence? Peterfreund has transplanted Austen’s final novel to a future where the world is run by ‘Luddites’ who eschew technology and run estates worked by ‘Posts’. Elliot North is a Luddite but her best friend Kai, back after four years away, is a Post. Will they be able to reconcile after years away from each other?

1930′s Adventures

Of course, I Capture the Castle is really set between the World Wars. The following are books set during that time period, some historical and some that take a few liberties with history.

A Brief History of Montmaray & The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper

These two intriguing books are the journals of Sophie FitzOsborne, who lives with the rest of her royal family in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray. In the first book, the kingdom is attacked by fighter planes and in the second book, the family is forced to flee to England. The year is 1936, Germany is a threat, and Sophie must balance her concerns for her home country with the usual trials of adolescence. A great alternative history of mid-century Europe.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This is not a romance, and it isn’t set in the 1930′s. Rather, it is an espionage and aviation adventure set during World War II. However, in a blog post, the author revealed that one of the books she used for research into the atmosphere and setting of mid-century England was I Capture the Castle. She loves the book, and recommends that if you do too, you should read…

A Childhood in Scotland by Christian Miller

This is a memoir by a woman who grew up in a castle in the Scottish highlands in the 1920′s and it is filled with lush details of rooms, gardens, meals and clothes, similar to I Capture the Castle. Perhaps Cassandra’s life would have been more like this if the family had actually had any money! This book is out of print, but we’d be happy to find you a used copy.

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Rediscover a Classic: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

June 13, 2012 at 7:31 am · Filed under Adult fiction and non-fiction, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”

It’s one of my favorite opening lines in all of literature. It’s odd and alluring and adorable all at the same time. You’re hooked, right?

17-year-old narrator Cassandra Mortmain’s family, having fallen on hard times (in the most charming Austenian sense of the phrase), take up residence in a crumbling castle in the English countryside.

Let me repeat. They live in a castle. Eat your hearts out, anglophiles.

Meet a colorful cast of characters, all described with witty brilliance in Cassandra’s journal. There’s Rose, Cassandra’s beautiful but slightly affected elder sister. Topaz, her quirky, artistic stepmother, who has an embarrassing penchant for nude revels in the moonlight. Stephen, the honest, handsome son of the Mortmain’s loyal cook, who, Cassandra is uncomfortable to admit, is a bit in love with her.

Enter Simon and Neil Cotton, wealthy young American men who have just purchased a nearby estate. Eligible suitors! The Mortmains are thrown into a tizzy. When Rose and Simon become engaged, change descends upon the family. Cassandra is caught in the middle, pulled simultaneously towards her love of home and her desire to grow up and join the wide world.

Set in the 1930s, when England, like Cassandra, was teetering on the brink of the modern age, this is one of the most satisfying titles I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Cassandra’s narration is frank, witty, and utterly hilarious. This is one of those books you’ll want to read over and over. Cracking open that cover is like seeing an old friend!

I envy those of you reading this for the first time—it’s like discovering Downton Abbey all over again.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith; St. Martin’s Press (Macmillan); 14.99; Ages 12+

P.S. After you read the novel, watch the movie (it’s on Netflix). It stars Bill Nighy as Cassandra’s brilliant but absent-minded father. Need I say more?

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