Good morning, good afternoon, good evening! Whatever it is where you are when you’re reading this. This is my first post for the Calendar Girls blog event, as hosted by Adrienne at Darque Dreamer Reads and Katie at Never Not Reading. I wanted to post last month, but as I said last week, I got sick for a few weeks and then my whole schedule got out of whack. So here I am, for the September round!
This month’s theme, as you can see from the title, is ‘Best Book Set in a School.’ This is a bit odd for me, because here in Australia, the kids and students have been at it since February – and as I write this, it’s the third day of Spring, although it’s miserable and rainy right now.
At first I had to wrack my brain for a book set in school. Even the YA I read is usually paranormal, so there isn’t much schooling going on. But then once I thought of one book, suddenly I remembered all the great books that centre around (or at least in) a school. After all that, I settled on:
by Libba Bray
‘It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls–and their foray into the spiritual world–lead to?’
I discovered A Great and Terrible Beauty right after it was published, and fell in love with Libba Bray’s writing right then and there. I was an awkward kid, and this book helped me escape from a rough few high school years (and undiagnosed anxiety and depression as I now know). Gemma was my avatar into a magical world of corsets, strange realities, and the romanticism of Victorian England. It helped that Gemma herself was a misfit at her new school and I identified with her. And even though the book only takes place in India for a brief time before Gemma is shipped away, the description of the tropical heat in Victorian garb resonated with me, when I think of what women must have done in that kind of heat in Australia back then – those clothes really were not made for tropical and subtropical climates.
I digress – this book is wonderful if you love YA, historical fiction and fantasy. And the complicated turns that young women’s friendships can take. This has all of that. And if you haven’t read anything by Libba Bray, what are you doing? If the Gemma Doyle trilogy (yes, there are two more books in the series) doesn’t seem up your alley, Going Bovine is one of my favourite books of all time.
Honourable Mentions
Now, it’s time for a couple of honourable mentions, because there are at least two other books set in schools that have left impressions on me:
by Melina Marchetta
Looking for Alibrandi and its author are both icons of Australian literature. If you want a great book about being seventeen, in your final year of high school; dealing with racism; dealing with the overwhelming demands of a traditional family and family history – read this book. If you’re Aussie, you’ll recognise the stress of your final year of high school and taking the HSC (although let’s be honest, if you’re a bookish Aussie, you’ve probably read this already), and if you’re not Australian, do yourself a favour and give this book a try – it’s going to feel familiar, but also will be something new all at the same time.
by Katherine Holubitsky
I picked up Alone at Ninety Foot from a Schoolastic brochure sent home from school when I was ten or eleven. I read it once. Then I read it again. And again. This book deals with some dark stuff, but also has the lightness of making new friends, dealing with a parent’s new relationship, and first crushes on boys. It can be read in a day, and it became my ‘sick home from school book’ because I could read it quickly, and it had the right amount of real life and escapism. I wished I could be like Pamela, able to go off on my own into semi-dangerous situations, despite the concern of my parents. As a child I never really broke out of being nervous, but as an adult I think (or even and older teenager) I managed to grow into a gutsy bravery similar to Pamela’s. I’m well overdue for a reread of this book. I’d like to see what adult me thinks of it after having such a connection with it as a kid.
And that brings me to the end of my September Calendar Girls entry. Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? If not, do you think you’ll give one of them a go?
Tomorrow, I’ll be back to my read through of Moby Dick (fingers crossed, I’m still getting back into the swing of things).
I haven’t heard of this book but this sounds fun!!
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It is fun! Most of Libba Bray’s books are fun – even the spooky ones.
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Great choice! I’ve recommended this book to Adrienne a couple of times, let’s see what she says. 😉
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Thank you! Yes, we well 😀
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I recall reading it years ago and the writing put a very “spooky” atmosphere in the book! It was like nothing I had read before! Excellent choice!
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Thank you! That’s how I think of it, too 🙂
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Welcome to the Calendar Girls! The only Libba Bray I’ve read is The Diviners, and I really enjoyed that one…still need to read the rest of the series though.
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Thank you! Glad I could participate 🙂 I actually think The Diviners is better written. A Great and Terrible Beauty was one of Libba’s first books. It does have that eerie kind of atmosphere, too.
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Well, it is good when authors get better as they write more.
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I own A Great and Terrible Beauty and love Libba Bray…so I should really read it soon! Hahaha
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Yes, you should! I’m behind in The Diviners series, so we both need to update our Libba list 🙂
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Oh my gosh, same! I haven’t read the most recent Diviners book! Ah!
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Um, yes please!! I am adding this to my TBR now!! this one sounds right up my alley, and sounds perfect for the theme! ❤
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It probably would be! considering your pick for this month’s theme. AGaTB is not as high fantasy as Gail Carriger’s stuff, but it’s still chock full of eerie atmosphere.
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Yep, that sounds like me. I love both.
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These all sound interesting but A Great and Terrible Beauty really sparks my interest.
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Yeah, it’s a fun read. 🙂
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You are so right; this book definitely nails the angst of certain teenage female relationships. It’s kind of why I disliked the book by the end! I don’t understand how girls can be friends with others who are so obviously untrustworthy. It stresses me the heck out when I come across girls like Felicity. I’m interested in reading more from Libba Bray, just not the rest of this series! ^_^
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You should! Going Bovine has a great little friendship group and dynamic – although the MC is a male, so less of the female friendships. (Also, sorry it took me over a month to reply!)
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