I've been requesting a lot of proposals, which means my reading list is growing, which means a greater workload, which means I'm looking for a reason to reject your query. Don’t give me that reason.
Jessica
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Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thankful for Social Networking
Over Thanksgiving weekend last year I had an email crash. In the grand scheme of crashes it wasn’t that bad. I only lost a week of email, nothing else. I do have Time Machine backup, which thankfully keeps everything backed up and me less fearful of crashes.
Once my email was back up and running I did three things immediately.
I emailed all my clients to tell them about the crash and ask them to resend anything they had sent during that week that I hadn’t answered.
I did a blog post about the crash, alerting as many people as possible and explaining how lost queries would be handled (since I was closed to queries I simply asked that they requery in January). The other problem was that I had responded to and deleted queries that were now showing up in my in-box, so I did have to rework my response to explain why some people might be getting the same reply twice.
And last, I tweeted multiple times about the situation to spread the word as much as possible.
And it worked. While I’m sure there are plenty who missed the news, plenty more retweeted my announcement and requeried or resent material I had requested based on my tweets.
Social networking can be a truly amazing thing.
Jessica
Once my email was back up and running I did three things immediately.
I emailed all my clients to tell them about the crash and ask them to resend anything they had sent during that week that I hadn’t answered.
I did a blog post about the crash, alerting as many people as possible and explaining how lost queries would be handled (since I was closed to queries I simply asked that they requery in January). The other problem was that I had responded to and deleted queries that were now showing up in my in-box, so I did have to rework my response to explain why some people might be getting the same reply twice.
And last, I tweeted multiple times about the situation to spread the word as much as possible.
And it worked. While I’m sure there are plenty who missed the news, plenty more retweeted my announcement and requeried or resent material I had requested based on my tweets.
Social networking can be a truly amazing thing.
Jessica
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Digital Media Queries
A Twitter follower recently asked me if I would ever consider digital media submissions and sent a link to a YouTube video about her book. Honestly, I can’t see many agents embracing this type of query. For one reason, it takes way too long. Watching a video, or just getting to the part of a video that actually tells you anything, takes far longer than reading a query. For a second reason, unless the book is an “enhanced ebook” and contains a lot of video, a YouTube video doesn’t really tell me what I want to know about your book, which is what your story is about, not how you can sell it later.
Jessica
Jessica
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Multiple Personalities
I was checking my Twitter account recently and thinking about the multiple personalities of authors, those who write under two (or sometimes more) names, and wondering what that means for social networking. Obviously if you write under both Jane Doe and Janet Buck you’re going to need two different Facebook accounts and Twitter accounts so that readers of Jane can find Jane and readers of Janet can find Janet. But does that mean you need to also update two different statuses each time you update one, or can you simply link all of your accounts together and only post once for all accounts?
My theory? If your fans are only fans of one of your personalities, then go ahead and link all of your accounts together, but if your fans are fans of both personalities or tend to be attracted to both personalities (let’s say you write the same genre under both names), I think you need to handle them separately, as if they’re two different people. Otherwise you’re going to end up taking over everyone’s Twitter or Facebook with the same status two, three, four, or however many times it posts.
What do you think?
Jessica
My theory? If your fans are only fans of one of your personalities, then go ahead and link all of your accounts together, but if your fans are fans of both personalities or tend to be attracted to both personalities (let’s say you write the same genre under both names), I think you need to handle them separately, as if they’re two different people. Otherwise you’re going to end up taking over everyone’s Twitter or Facebook with the same status two, three, four, or however many times it posts.
What do you think?
Jessica
Monday, January 10, 2011
NANO and What's Next
For those who have been living in a publishing bubble, November is otherwise known as NANO—National Novel Writing Month—in the writing world. Frankly, I never had much of an opinion of NANO, but I realize that a number of my publishing colleagues do, and for good reason.
For the month of November thousands of people, many whom have never done anything other than think of writing a novel, sit at their computers and pound one out, a novel that is. Then, inspired by their achievement, they quickly turn around on December 1 and query every agent whose name they can get their hands on. No research, no editing, and no real consideration for what this business is about.
Before you all start defending yourself, let me say that there is a good reason for NANO and it’s not all bad. For those of you who have been working hard at your craft it can be a good exercise and, let’s face it, anything that stretches us can be a good exercise. However, just because you wrote it doesn’t mean it’s ready to be submitted. So here’s what I propose:
NAREV—National Revisions Month. The month of December is slow in publishing anyway, so it’s a great time to spend rewriting, revising, and editing your NANO book.
NAQUY—National Query Month. Now that you’ve finished your book [skeptical that you can really “finish” in two months] it’s time to really learn the craft of the query, which means more than just writing the query. It means researching the business as well.
Once you’ve spent three months on your book and your query, I think you’ll really have the distance you need to see if your book is ready to be submitted, and hopefully the knowledge to be a wise investor in your own publishing career.
Jessica
For the month of November thousands of people, many whom have never done anything other than think of writing a novel, sit at their computers and pound one out, a novel that is. Then, inspired by their achievement, they quickly turn around on December 1 and query every agent whose name they can get their hands on. No research, no editing, and no real consideration for what this business is about.
Before you all start defending yourself, let me say that there is a good reason for NANO and it’s not all bad. For those of you who have been working hard at your craft it can be a good exercise and, let’s face it, anything that stretches us can be a good exercise. However, just because you wrote it doesn’t mean it’s ready to be submitted. So here’s what I propose:
NAREV—National Revisions Month. The month of December is slow in publishing anyway, so it’s a great time to spend rewriting, revising, and editing your NANO book.
NAQUY—National Query Month. Now that you’ve finished your book [skeptical that you can really “finish” in two months] it’s time to really learn the craft of the query, which means more than just writing the query. It means researching the business as well.
Once you’ve spent three months on your book and your query, I think you’ll really have the distance you need to see if your book is ready to be submitted, and hopefully the knowledge to be a wise investor in your own publishing career.
Jessica
Friday, January 07, 2011
Submission Update
Closing to queries for the month of December was really wonderful. It gave me time to catch up, clean out my inbox and actually do some reading that had little to nothing to do with work, although not nearly as much reading as I would have liked.
Just to update you on where things stand. Obviously I am completely caught up on all queries through 2010. I actually finished those sometime in early December. If you submitted a query anytime in 2010 and never received an answer either I didn't receive your query, my response ended up in your spam, or it was wiped out in my week of lost queries in November. Either way, if you submit a query and don't receive a response please resubmit. I always respond.
I am caught up on all requested submissions through October 2010. I have six requested submissions (two fulls and four partials) from the months of November and December and will be working my way through those. I also have three submissions already requested this week and, now that I'm back up and running, I have roughly 100+ queries in my inbox from this week alone (and I only opened on Wednesday).
It's exciting to be back up and running and so far 2011 is looking good.
Happy New Year!
--Jessica
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Unlikeable Characters
I did a blog post a while back in which I made the mistake of using what I thought at the time was an innocuous example of rejecting a work because the characters were unlikeable. These two words, "unlikeable characters," set off a bit of a sh**storm, if you’ll excuse my language.
What many of you tend to forget is that this business is subjective, and the likeability of characters, the likeability of people, is subjective. In the comments section you listed a number of examples of characters you felt were unlikeable but clearly worked in literature, one of whom was Lisbeth Salander from the Stieg Larsson series. I didn’t find her unlikeable at all. I thought she was damaged, odd, interesting, and intriguing. Not unlikeable. My opinion, of course.
For me likeability tends to coincide with one-dimensional. A character being unlikeable usually means she has no redeeming qualities, and usually even unlikeable people have a redeeming quality or two, something that gives them more depth. Lisbeth Salander, for example, has a vulnerability that gives her an intriguing dimension. And I find that true of any successful but unlikeable characters, typically they have qualities that make them likeable, or at least intriguing. Maybe they have a brilliant mind or damaged past. Either way, we desperately want to know more about them, want to spend more time with them, despite the fact that they repel us.
The other thing to consider when writing an unlikeable character is what genre you’re writing. In romance, for example, it’s really hard to write an unlikeable hero. Sure he can be damaged and yes, he can definitely have flaws, but your readers, along with your heroine, need to fall in love with him, so we need to see the good side of him too. And that’s just one example.
Certainly if an agent or editor tells you she didn’t find your character likeable, you can ignore what she says, assuming it’s subjective, and find someone who does. Or you could take a close look at your character to see if possibly it’s that she needs that thing (or two) to give her more depth and vulnerability.
Jessica
What many of you tend to forget is that this business is subjective, and the likeability of characters, the likeability of people, is subjective. In the comments section you listed a number of examples of characters you felt were unlikeable but clearly worked in literature, one of whom was Lisbeth Salander from the Stieg Larsson series. I didn’t find her unlikeable at all. I thought she was damaged, odd, interesting, and intriguing. Not unlikeable. My opinion, of course.
For me likeability tends to coincide with one-dimensional. A character being unlikeable usually means she has no redeeming qualities, and usually even unlikeable people have a redeeming quality or two, something that gives them more depth. Lisbeth Salander, for example, has a vulnerability that gives her an intriguing dimension. And I find that true of any successful but unlikeable characters, typically they have qualities that make them likeable, or at least intriguing. Maybe they have a brilliant mind or damaged past. Either way, we desperately want to know more about them, want to spend more time with them, despite the fact that they repel us.
The other thing to consider when writing an unlikeable character is what genre you’re writing. In romance, for example, it’s really hard to write an unlikeable hero. Sure he can be damaged and yes, he can definitely have flaws, but your readers, along with your heroine, need to fall in love with him, so we need to see the good side of him too. And that’s just one example.
Certainly if an agent or editor tells you she didn’t find your character likeable, you can ignore what she says, assuming it’s subjective, and find someone who does. Or you could take a close look at your character to see if possibly it’s that she needs that thing (or two) to give her more depth and vulnerability.
Jessica
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Finding an Editor
I read in one of your blog that the new writers should make sure that their submission should be polished and well-edited. What can I do to convince an editior to read my work?
You’re correct. Before submitting anything you need to make sure you’ve done all your revisions and editing, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to bring on an editor. Every writer needs to learn how to edit their own work and make it as clean as possible. If you still feel you need, or could use, guidance from others, there are a lot of great resources. Certainly there are editors you can hire, many who have had experience at publishing houses. Some will edit only for content, others will only do copyediting, and certainly there are some who will do both.
You can also get involved in a critique group or use beta readers, primarily made up of your author peers. They can also help you get your work into shape, and by helping them with their work you’ll learn a lot about what you can do to strengthen your own book.
“Getting an editor to read your work” implies that you are looking at publishing houses for editorial guidance, and that’s not the way to get your work ready for an agent. Before approaching publishing houses, your work needs to be as polished as it is for agents, if not more so.
Jessica
You’re correct. Before submitting anything you need to make sure you’ve done all your revisions and editing, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to bring on an editor. Every writer needs to learn how to edit their own work and make it as clean as possible. If you still feel you need, or could use, guidance from others, there are a lot of great resources. Certainly there are editors you can hire, many who have had experience at publishing houses. Some will edit only for content, others will only do copyediting, and certainly there are some who will do both.
You can also get involved in a critique group or use beta readers, primarily made up of your author peers. They can also help you get your work into shape, and by helping them with their work you’ll learn a lot about what you can do to strengthen your own book.
“Getting an editor to read your work” implies that you are looking at publishing houses for editorial guidance, and that’s not the way to get your work ready for an agent. Before approaching publishing houses, your work needs to be as polished as it is for agents, if not more so.
Jessica
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Fantasy Word Count
I have just finished a 145,000 word fantasy novel, but read in your post that fantasy should hover around 80,000. As this is my first novel should I be considering making it my first and second novels?
I guess the question would be, if a first time author queried you with this massive length story, would it be an automatic rejection?
I think I once stated that 80,000 words was really the magic number. You can never go wrong with a book at that length. That being said, different genres have different limits, and fantasy is a genre that falls in the higher range of those limits. 145,000 words is still a little high, but since fantasy can run to about 125,000 or so, it's not as high as for, say, cozy mystery, which tends to top out around 90,000.
145,000 words would not be an automatic reject for me. That being said, if I did reject it I might tell you that it’s a little long. I don’t think you should make this books one and two, I think you should simply cut 20,000+ words. Easier said than done, I know, but I bet your book would be tighter and stronger once you did.
Jessica
I guess the question would be, if a first time author queried you with this massive length story, would it be an automatic rejection?
I think I once stated that 80,000 words was really the magic number. You can never go wrong with a book at that length. That being said, different genres have different limits, and fantasy is a genre that falls in the higher range of those limits. 145,000 words is still a little high, but since fantasy can run to about 125,000 or so, it's not as high as for, say, cozy mystery, which tends to top out around 90,000.
145,000 words would not be an automatic reject for me. That being said, if I did reject it I might tell you that it’s a little long. I don’t think you should make this books one and two, I think you should simply cut 20,000+ words. Easier said than done, I know, but I bet your book would be tighter and stronger once you did.
Jessica
Monday, January 03, 2011
Happy New Year!
I had a wonderful time away and was able to get caught up on a lot of my to-do list. The smartest thing I did over the holidays? Close to queries. It allowed me to catch up on what I had in my in-box and refresh after a wonderful year. Now I can go into 2011 with a nearly clean in-box and hungry for something fresh and new. What am I looking for? Well, keep an eye out for a later post on that topic.
For today I want to talk about New Year’s Resolutions. They aren’t something I typically make because it’s just another thing to add stress to my life. Sure, I want to get to the gym more, and of course I want to keep the top of my desk clean. Those aren’t New Year’s Resolutions, though, they’re everyday resolutions. That being said, I was inspired by something on Facebook of all places for a new, let’s call it, Lifetime Resolution.
If you’re on Facebook you’ve undoubtedly seen the Book List Challenge. It’s purported to be from the BBC, a list of 100 books that they believe most people will have read only six of. I think it’s fair to say that most people reading this blog will have read more than six. That being said, there are still a huge number I haven’t read. So my Lifetime Resolution: to read at least one of those books a year (let’s make this realistic) until I’ve read all 100.
Before I go any further let me tell you that I think some of the list is a little lame. I mean, why do you need to read the entire Harry Potter series (as the original list states), and why is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on there as well as The Chronicles of Narnia? It seems silly. So my rules will be that I don’t necessarily need to read the entire Harry Potter series unless I want to. One book should be enough. After all, this isn’t about torturing yourself if you don’t like what you’re reading, it’s about trying some new things. That being said, I will also work my hardest to complete each book, but life is too short and if I really am not enjoying myself, then trying is enough.
Facebook has an app now called Book List Challenge, and I think I’m going to use that app to track my progress (some of the books from the app are different from the list below). If you follow me on Facebook, I think you should be able to track my progress too. I believe it’s called Book List Challenge.
Anyway, for those who haven’t yet seen the list but are interested in participating, here is one variation. There are many. And for the record, I’ve placed an asterisk by those I’ve read.
1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien
*3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
*4. Harry Potter series – J. K. Rowling (I’ve read the first book, which is what the FB app list has on it)
*5. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights
*8. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
*10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
*11. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
12. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
*15. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
16. The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
*18. Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch – George Eliot
21. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
*22. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
*31. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
*33. The Chronicles of Narnia – C. S. Lewis
34. Emma – Jane Austen
35. Persuasion – Jane Austen
*36. The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis
*37. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - William Golden
*40. Winnie-the-Pooh – A. A. Milne
*41. Animal Farm – George Orwell
*42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45. The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
*46. Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery
47. Far from the Madding Crowd _ Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
*49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding (Hate this book!!!)
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martell
52. Dune – Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60. Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
*68. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70. Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula – Bram Stoker
*73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson
74. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal – Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - A. S. Byatt
*81. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - Charles Mitchell
83. The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
*84. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
*87. Charlotte's Web - E. B. White
88. The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
*94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
*98. Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
And since I’m staring at a copy of The Hobbit, I think that’s as good a place as any to start.
For today I want to talk about New Year’s Resolutions. They aren’t something I typically make because it’s just another thing to add stress to my life. Sure, I want to get to the gym more, and of course I want to keep the top of my desk clean. Those aren’t New Year’s Resolutions, though, they’re everyday resolutions. That being said, I was inspired by something on Facebook of all places for a new, let’s call it, Lifetime Resolution.
If you’re on Facebook you’ve undoubtedly seen the Book List Challenge. It’s purported to be from the BBC, a list of 100 books that they believe most people will have read only six of. I think it’s fair to say that most people reading this blog will have read more than six. That being said, there are still a huge number I haven’t read. So my Lifetime Resolution: to read at least one of those books a year (let’s make this realistic) until I’ve read all 100.
Before I go any further let me tell you that I think some of the list is a little lame. I mean, why do you need to read the entire Harry Potter series (as the original list states), and why is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on there as well as The Chronicles of Narnia? It seems silly. So my rules will be that I don’t necessarily need to read the entire Harry Potter series unless I want to. One book should be enough. After all, this isn’t about torturing yourself if you don’t like what you’re reading, it’s about trying some new things. That being said, I will also work my hardest to complete each book, but life is too short and if I really am not enjoying myself, then trying is enough.
Facebook has an app now called Book List Challenge, and I think I’m going to use that app to track my progress (some of the books from the app are different from the list below). If you follow me on Facebook, I think you should be able to track my progress too. I believe it’s called Book List Challenge.
Anyway, for those who haven’t yet seen the list but are interested in participating, here is one variation. There are many. And for the record, I’ve placed an asterisk by those I’ve read.
1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings – J. R. R. Tolkien
*3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
*4. Harry Potter series – J. K. Rowling (I’ve read the first book, which is what the FB app list has on it)
*5. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights
*8. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
*10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
*11. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
12. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
*15. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
16. The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
*18. Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch – George Eliot
21. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
*22. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
*31. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
*33. The Chronicles of Narnia – C. S. Lewis
34. Emma – Jane Austen
35. Persuasion – Jane Austen
*36. The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis
*37. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - William Golden
*40. Winnie-the-Pooh – A. A. Milne
*41. Animal Farm – George Orwell
*42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45. The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
*46. Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery
47. Far from the Madding Crowd _ Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
*49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding (Hate this book!!!)
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martell
52. Dune – Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60. Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
*68. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70. Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula – Bram Stoker
*73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson
74. Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal – Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - A. S. Byatt
*81. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - Charles Mitchell
83. The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
*84. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
*87. Charlotte's Web - E. B. White
88. The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
*94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
*98. Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
And since I’m staring at a copy of The Hobbit, I think that’s as good a place as any to start.
***Quick reminder--Rosalie Lario was the winner of the last contest of 2010. Two mystery galleys. Please email your address to blog@bookends-inc.com. If I don't have it by the end of the day I'll randomly pick another winner from today's comments.
Jessica
Jessica
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