Reading Rainbow: An Idiosyncratic Lit List

June 24, 2014 Idiosyncratic Lit List 32

Happy Tuesday, Bookworms!

For a while now, I’ve been on a personal quest. I’ve been trying to complete my very own Reading Rainbow. There are a ton of great books that list colors in their titles, and I wanted to have read one for each of the colors in the rainbow. This is how my brain works. Don’t judge me.

reading rainbow

1. The RED Tent by Anita Diamant (review): You know all about Joseph and his coat of many colors, but did you know he had a sister? Yeah. She’s got her own story now, and it rules.

2. ORANGE Is the New Black by Piper Kerman (review): Life inside a minimum security women’s prison? Don’t pretend you’re not curious!

3. The YELLOW Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: You know, it sucked pretty hard to deal with post partum depression before anybody knew how to effectively treat it. In this haunting short story, a woman imagines being trapped inside the wallpaper in her sick room.

4. The GREEN Mile by Stephen King (review): This is one of those books I think all Stephen King skeptics should read. He CAN do more than horror, and he can do it really, really well. Check this one out!

freerainbowclipart

5. Gathering BLUE by Lois Lowry (review): This book is a part of The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry and it takes you into a completely different dystopian society. It’s a departure, but if you like allegorical stories for middle graders, it’s worth the read.

6. INDIGO by Alice Hoffman : I may or may not have purchased this book specifically because I needed something to fulfill my “indigo” requirement. It was harder to dig up than you might think- there are plenty of books with “indigo” in the title, but not many that aren’t part long paranormal series. A friend of mine helped me find this Alice Hoffman title. I have never read any of her young adult books before, but this novella was rather nice, particularly for those who enjoy magical realism and water.

7. The VIOLETs of March by Sarah Jio (review): Another confession here. I like Sarah Jio, but I picked up this one purposefully because it fulfilled one of my rainbow requirements. I’m insatiable.

BONUS: Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg (review): I like Fannie Flagg, and she wrote a book with “rainbow” in the title. How could I NOT include it? And while we’re at it, RAINBOW Rowell rocks my socks. I’m just saying.

Your turn, bookworms! What are some of your favorite books with a color in the title? Have any of you completed a personal Reading Rainbow?! 

32 Responses to “Reading Rainbow: An Idiosyncratic Lit List”

  1. Annabel Smith

    I love The Yellow Wallpaper – books about mental health are one of my passions. I recently read The Giver and liked it a lot so I might try the sequel. Love your rainbow work!

    Reply

  2. Darlene @ Lost in Literature 108

    Nice!
    Nope, I haven’t read my own little Reading Rainbow but it’s an awesome idea.
    I’m gonna read The Green Mile…sometime….and my son really liked Gathering Blue.
    He said it was hard to get into at first then he was all invested.
    That makes me happy.:)

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      Yeah, it took a long time to figure out how The Giver and Gathering Blue were in any way connected… It becomes more apparent in the final two books of the series, but still and interesting story!

      Reply

  4. AMB (Koiviolet)

    Fun! The only one I’ve read on this list is The Yellow Wallpaper, which is intense, but a very important story about the patriarchal silencing of women.

    Reply

  5. Tanya

    This is awesome! It seems to me that some colors would be easier to do than others. Like Red seems to be in a lot of book titles, but purple? Not so much.

    Reply

  7. Jennine G.

    Somewhere on my family tree – dad’s side – I am related to Charlotte Perkins Gilman! One of those stories that leaves you amazed at how woman were treated and mental illness misunderstood.

    The titles that come to my mind aren’t in the rainbow! Like, White Oleander.

    Reply

  9. sylvie sevigny

    I love your idea, it’s great. I have in my book life bought books to suit one reason or another, for the most part they ended up good reads and sometimes even great…ok and some duds.

    I love Emma Donoghue and read everthing she wrote except THE LETTER wich I will certainly read ( the cover looks so prim and proper :o)

    Reply

  10. thatashgirl

    Oooo let’s add…The Scarlet Letter, Fried Green Tomatoes, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (fave!!), A Clockwork Orange, The Color Purple, Black Beauty, White Oleander, Fifty Shades of Grey!! KIDDING KIDDING. Seriously, I kid. 😉

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      Oh man, I might have to do this again! With all new books. Brilliant suggestions. I mean, except 50 Shades, LOL. Grey isn’t in the rainbow anyway!

      Reply

  11. Heather @ Capricious Reader

    Dude! This is so DOPE! I can’t think of a single title, because you called me out on it and of COURSE my brain shut down, but STILL. LOVE IT. Maybe I’ll do it someday. When my brain turns back on.

    Reply

  13. Sarah Says Read

    This is adorable! I kind of would love to do this… although I can’t think of any titles that you don’t already list here 🙂

    Reply

  14. Megan M.

    There’s a good mystery I read called “Death in a Mood Indigo” that I still remember. You can get it from sellers on Amazon. In case anyone’s having trouble finding an indigo book. 😉

    Reply

  16. Amy @ Read a Latte

    This was such a good idea, and one I would never be able to do! My shelves are in color order and I still had trouble coming up with books with colors in the titles. Eventually it hit me, The GOLDfinch, and Between Shades of GRAY, two of my favorites!

    Reply

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