Everyone has a guilty reading pleasure, right? Well, in my world my characters from The Travelers do also. Therefore, in this blog I’m going to talk about the books my characters would recommend and their secret guilty pleasures, including books on vampires, zombies (ooo, shiver), pants (yes, you read that right) and, Mandalas. What’s a Mandala you ask? Read to find out!

vampire-academyMarc

  • Favorite Book Recommendation: Maus by Art Spiegelman
    • Why: It’s a graphic novel, his favorite kind of novel, filled with complex metaphors about the atrocities perpetrated in Nazi Germany. He likes that it makes him think about present, past and the nature of people.
  • Secretly Loves: The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
    • Why: He likes paranormal fantasy and isn’t quite sure why. He’s also drawn to the spunky main character.

Dagnysisterhood

  • Favorite Book Recommendation: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
    • Why: Her mother named her after the main character, knowing she’d have an independent spirit, and she relates to the ideas of the world not understanding that you’re different and having to fight for who you are.
  • Secretly Loves: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
    • Why: It’s about normal girls going through normal things and long, lasting friendships, two things she wants very badly. Although she wishes it didn’t have the word ‘traveling’ in the title.

Ava

  • pride-and-prej-zombiesFavorite Book Recommendation: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
    • Why: It’s a story about manners, etiquette and strong women set in a time period Ava longs to return to.
  • Secretly Loves: Pride and Prejudice with Zombies by Seith Grahame-Smith
    • Why: Secretly she wants a little more excitement in her life, but isn’t quite ready delve into books set in modern day or even books set in the 1900s. This story puts the excitement in a time period she can still relate to.

Jason

  • Favorite Book Recommendation: The Art of War by Sun Tzu
    • Why: Having fought in many wars and battles, he knows its important to understand and analyze violence and war.
  • Secretly Loves: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values Paperback by Robert M. Pirsig or a Mandala Color Book
    • Why: Jason has trouble controlling his anger and secretly seeks out ideas, concepts and activities to help him deal with his anger issues. Apparently, coloring works. He particularly likes Mandala coloring books. (A Mandala is a geometric figure representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism and also, more specifically, a symbol in a dream representing the dreamer’s search for completeness and self-unity.)

Jillian

  • Favorite Book Recommendation: The Dark Tower by Stephen Kinglike-no-other
    • Why: Jillian likes all things dark – dark hair, dark glasses, dark clothes, dark eyeliner. It makes sense that she would also like flawed characters, evil doers and dark deeds. (Did I mention she likes things that are dark?)
  • Secretly Loves: Like No Other by Una LaMarche 
    • Why: Although she’d never admit it, Jillian secretly enjoys reading love stories about two people overcoming odds to be together. She’d just rather not actually take part in the story of one, which is difficult since she’s Marc’s sister.

Brooke

  • Favorite Book Recommendation: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowlingwhats-a-girl-gotta-do
    • Why: She’s not sure yet. But there is something about the magic and mysticism, along with the ideas of diversity that connects her to the story. She see’s herself as Hermione.
  • Secretly Loves: What’s A Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne
    • Why: She likes to dive into philosophy and feminism, but thinks her friends just want to read silly books about high school and won’t understand her desire to raise up women and fight the power.

Lily

  • Favorite Book Recommendation: Twilight by Stephanie Meyerlatte.jpg
    • Why: Lily is a romantic at heart and wants to be swept off her feet by a boy that protects and challenges her.
  • Secretly Loves: The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson
    • Why: Even though she’s the head cheerleader and popular, she doesn’t want anyone to know that she feels different from others, like she’s faking her way through high school and wants to do something more meaningful with her life.