Jacqueline West is a New York Times bestselling author of several books for young readers. Her most recent novel is the young adult thriller Last Things.Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. West's reply:
The book that my husband and I are currently reading aloud to each other during car rides is Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal. It’s ridiculously readable; the book is arranged both chronologically and thematically, so the narrative really flows, and it’s got interviews with everyone: Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Guns N’Roses, Slayer,Learn more about the book and author at Jacqueline West's website.Metallica, Pantera, Trent Reznor. I’d recommend it to anyone who has ever thrown the devil’s horns.
I just started Jeff Zentner’s latest YA, Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee. I loved Zentner’s first novel, The Serpent King, and this one—about friends who co-host a horror movie program for public access television—is right up my alley.
Dan Gemeinhart’s The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is my current middle-grade read. It’s a quest story, told from the point of view of eleven-year-old Coyote, who is on a cross-country journey with her father and a few strangers-turned-friendswho they meet along the way. The characterization is beautifully done, and Coyote’s voice is pitch perfect.
I’m also making my way through The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James. These are great, eerie little pieces, told in such a scholarly style that they feel like nonfiction pretending to be fiction. Ideal for reading on a rainy spring night.
Coffee with a Canine: Jacqueline West and Brom Bones (July 2011).
Coffee with a Canine: Jacqueline West and Brom Bones (July 2013).
The Page 69 Test: Last Things.
--Marshal Zeringue
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