My Favorite Reads - July 30

This weekly event is hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books.

This idea is to feature a favorite book from your past. For me, many of these will be juvenile and young adult books, but there should be some interesting adults reads as well.

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This week's book has long been a favorite...and worth all the rereads you can give it.



Holes by Louis Sachar

From Goodreads:Stanley Yelnats is unjustly sent to Camp Green Lake where he and other boys are sentenced to dig holes to build character. Stanley learns the warden has them digging holes for something else - but what?

From me: I first saw the movie starring Shia LeBouf and Sigourney Weaver, and thought it was...interesting. It has one of those other-worldly feels to it, but it's set right smack dab in the wilderness of the United States, so sometimes you're not sure how much fantastical belief you're supposed to have.

But a friend convinced me to read the book afterwards...and I was sold. It is hands-down the best book-to-movie transition I have ever seen, and that's saying a lot. Louis Sachar also wrote the screenplay, so the story is continuously original, and modified by the master himself. And what's more: it's clean, both ways.




I loved this book so much that when I stumbled upon its sequel, Small Steps, I literally pounced, and devoured it. This one was a bit more adult in theme, but it still achieved reality without being overdone or grotesque. In fact, if possible, I found it even more intriguing and memorable than Holes, and is definitely my favorite of the two.

Both of these are incredible, everyday stories of real life and friendship, and about finding the best parts of yourself. I highly, highly, highly recommend them both.