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| photo: Caleb Price | |
Tirzah Price is a bookseller and children's specialist at Great Lakes Book & Supply in Big Rapids, Mich., and the assistant children's literature editor at Hunger Mountain. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and blogs about YA books, writing and bookselling.
On your nightstand now:
I'm re-reading the Sally Lockhart mysteries by Philip Pullman. I first discovered these books at a tender age in my local library, and they were the first books to show me just how heartless an author could be to his readers.
Favorite book when you were a child:
It's impossible to pick just one book from my childhood, but I'll compromise and say that the Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce was extremely important to me as a kid. It was the first fierce, feminist fantasy series I ever discovered, plus there's a magical talking cat.
Your top five authors:
J.K. Rowling--because I love Harry Potter, of course--but I also adore Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. Melina Marchetta, because each of her books are intense emotional experiences. Tana French, because her mysteries never fail to completely entrance me, and I love how she writes about Dublin. A.S. King, because all of her books are weird and brilliant. And Rita Williams-Garcia, because she's a daring and honest and very wise writer.
Book you've faked reading:
When I was in high school, my AP literature class was assigned Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I struggled through it, taking diligent notes and suffering quietly. When I arrived to class, I discovered that no one else had finished it--it was the last week of school, and my classmates had all flaked. The entire class period consisted of me struggling to explain a book I only half-understood while my classmates giggled and evaded the teacher's questions.
Fast-forward four years, and I was an over-stretched English major taking British Literature. The professor assigned... Heart of Darkness! The horror! I did not re-read that sucker. It was perhaps not the wisest decision of my college career, but I have no lingering regrets. Just please don't tell Dr. Jablonski.
Book you're an evangelist for:
I'm fairly certain I work in one of the the only indie bookstores in North America that has multiple copies of every book written by Melina Marchetta always on hand, and that's entirely my fault. I'm most likely to sell you Jellicoe Road because it's one of my all-time favorites, but I am an equal opportunity Melina book-pusher. Looking for Alibrandi is a must-read for the complicated family and identity dynamics. Saving Francesca for a story about self-discovery and owning your life. The Piper's Son because it'll break your heart and then put it back together again. And the Lumatere Chronicles because it's the best damn fantasy series I've ever read, and I'll argue that claim to the death. I'm sure I'll have glowing things to say about Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil when it's out this fall.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Too many to list here, but the most recent one was The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock. Jealousy, as only a writer who hates titling things can feel, washed over me when I saw that title, and the cover of a cabin nestled amongst the snow and stars is glorious. The story did not disappoint, either.
Book you hid from your parents:
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. Really, it was an entire drawer full of lesbian novels. Luckily, they've escaped the drawer and now have their own shelf.
Book that changed your life:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. An English teacher handed it to me when I was in eighth grade, and it was one of the first adult novels I remember reading. It's a dark and twisty story, problematically romantic, and endlessly fascinating. That book gave me a taste for stories with unsettling resolutions.
Favorite line from a book:
"Today, I think I'm leaning on the side of wonder." I'll give you three hints as to where it's from. The author's initials are M.M., it's from one of the best damn fantasy series of all time, and if you come into my store, I guarantee you I have a copy on-hand.
Five books you'll never part with:
I'll fight tooth and nail for all of my beloved books, but I supposed if I have to pick just five, they would be: my signed copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins--she was so kind and gracious when I met her, it really impressed me. My favorite copy of Jane Eyre, with all of my scrawled notes and heavy underlining. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, because it always makes me cry and think. Sunshine by Robin McKinley, because I re-read it every summer. And finally, my copy of Edna St. Vincent Millay's collected poetry.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
I really wish I could read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith for the first time again. The characters are so lovely and charming, and (mild spoiler alert!) I want to re-read that book with the hope that everything will work out perfectly for them all in the end. Of course, the less-than-ideal ending is what makes that book so bittersweet and beloved in my mind, but a girl can dream.