Welcome to the Virginia Book Club!
Welcome to OCN's Virginia Book Club! Join us each month as we read a book that is either set in Virginia or written by one of our very own Virginia authors! We'll reveal the book on the first Thursday of the month on OCN and then review the book on the last Thursday of the month. Join the discussion in the comments! It’s online, it’s free, and it’s fun!
May's Book:
The Raven Boys | by Maggie Stiefvater
For our May selection, we chose The Raven Boys, the first in a series of four books by Virginia author Maggie Stiefvater.
Courtesy of Amazon.com
All about psychics and magic, this book is a young adult fiction novel that came out in 2013. I have not read this series yet, despite one of my best friends raving about it for a long time. I should have read it sooner, but now I'm gonna make up for it.
Although January is one of the best times to start new things, the beginning of summer is a good time, too. And with school letting out, May is the perfect time to start a series of books. The beach is one of my favorite places to take a novel and just listen to the waves crash on the sand.
Courtesy of maggiestiefvater.com
A little bit about the author:
Maggie Stiefvater is a Virginia author living in the Shenandoah Valley. She has written several books and has even made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list. She writes for magazines and raises her children on a small farm. She also has five dogs, fainting goats, and she likes cars; I feel like she and I would get along swimmingly.
Why I chose this book:
So many reasons. Let's start with the first one. My good friend has been talking about this book series almost as long as it has been out. She loves this book series, and she has suggested them to me almost every time we have gotten on the subject of books. I put it in my Amazon cart once and then I never got around to it. Since I am a literature major and my friend is an avid book lover, we get on the subject a lot. I feel guilty for not reading The Raven Boys before, so I am making it up to her.
Second reason: Young adult fiction is not just for young adults. Even though I usually look like a small child that got into my mom's makeup drawer, I like to think I am a well-rounded reader. However, you can never read enough. So I like to dismantle the idea that books have suggested age ranges and just read what I am interested in, whether it be Les Miserables by Victor Hugo or Winnie the Pooh.
Third reason: I have a serious love for fiction. I dabble in non-fiction as well, and I may steer this book club through some non-fiction water one day. This month, however, we will be sticking to the Virginia waters full of ancient magic and psychics with The Raven Boys.
How to find this book:
Where can this book be found? You can buy it here on Amazon.com for less than $15. It is also at Barnes and Noble as well if a fellow book lover just needs an excuse to drop by a bookstore and spend your paycheck on your future reading materials. You could also check it out at your local library.
Things to consider while reading:
1. Have you read Maggie Stiefvater's work before?
2. Are you a fiction person or a non-fiction person? Do you dabble in all genres or crossover to others sometimes?
3. What is your favorite book series?
Come back by on May 23 for my thoughts on The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater!
Need more to read? Check out our April Selection: Fast Animal by Tim Seibles.