My Reading Suggestions...

My suggestions for teens:

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling - I was in high school when the craze was at its height, and so I consider myself a part of the Wizarding World Generation. Honestly, though, you cannot go wrong with Harry. This is a cliche suggestion, by now, but it's still the best book series around for a reason. I, for one, credit Harry as one of the reasons I am a reader today. If you haven't given these books a try, then you're missing out. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - I read this in high school (as did many of my friends), and it helped me feel strong through some of the harder times during that period of my life. It's great for high school freshmen who feel out of place, but fair warning that it contains references to drugs and sex. The movie version is also really well done.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien - These are your classic fantasy books, and I love them all very dearly. I suggest starting with The Hobbit, which is my personal favorite in the series.

Illusions by Richard Bach - I feel that this is a book that kids in high school will appreciate. It's sort of a mind-bending book that helped me grow as a person. It's one of my absolute favorites.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann - This is just a really fun series that feels like the combination of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.

Any of Edgar Allen Poe's short stories. Seriously, any of them. Go to your school's library and give Poe a chance. You won't regret it.


I, Robot by
Isaac Asimov - The movie version of this book is... well not something I would ever recommend. The movie does not follow the book whatsoever. However, the book feeds a mind that craves intellectual wandering. It's a collection of short stories about the Laws of Robotics. It will make you think in new ways about the world.  

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - A fun book series that will send you traveling on an adventure through space. These books are hilarious and fun.

Ender's Game by
Orson Scott Card - A brainy story about a kid that trains to become a master in the art of space-war.

The Giver by
Lois Lowry - This book is set in a dystopian society, meaning a should-have-been paradise that has a terrible underlying problem. I read this in one night during my years in high school. 

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank - A story of survival after an apocalypse of sorts. If you liked Hatchet by Gary Paulsen when you were in grade school, this is a book that gave me a similar feeling, but is aimed at older readers. Give it a try!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - I actually discovered this book while studying education in college. Since then, I've come to love Sherman Alexie. If you like this book, check out his poetry and other work! He's great!

For really young readers (kids below the age of 12), I firmly suggest any of these: Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Hatchet, or Alice in Wonderland. If I had young kids, these are the books I would read to them at night.

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My suggestions for adults:


It by Stephen King - If you've never tried Stephen King, then yesterday was the time to start. This man is a master of crafting stories. The truth is that there are a million books out there, but even the lesser-loved Stephen King usually end up being better than 95% of what else is out there. My favorite book by him is It, and it's good for anyone who has ever felt stuck in a town.

The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck - This is one given to me by a teacher in high school, but I would rather list this for adults because of its allusions to sex. This is a fantastic book about people in a Chinese village. It is one of the books I credit for turning me into a reader.

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin - This is like the Lord of the Rings for mature audiences. Never before have I read something that has struck my nerves as hard as the ones in this series. The HBO show is also fantastically performed. This is not a series to be missed out on.


I am Danger, I am Prisoner by Sergeant Danger Geist - This is a memoir written and self-published by a friend of mine, and it's a very honest look at the war in Afghanistan. It's great! You can read the first nine chapters on his website for free!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - This book was hard to get through but worth it. This book is about a guy who finds a trunk filled with the scattered pages of a book that is about a documentary that doesn't exist. If that sentence confuses you, then you should read the book. This is a scary book, and it will sit within your mind long after you've finished it.  


Predilection by Mary Parker - My friend put together a collection of short stories, and they're really great. She's a master at horror, and this book is only a debut for all the things I'll bet she'll write in the future. You can buy a copy by clicking here!

The Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft - You can't go wrong with a short story by Lovecraft. If you love weird monsters and provocative settings, this will be a treat.

Things Fall Apart by
Chinua Achebe - This is a book that will sink you into a culture that you won't be comfortable with, and it will give you a perspective about your own culture. It's about colonialism in Africa. This is a must-read, in my eyes.
Inferno by
Dante Alighieri - This is a classic. Dante's Inferno is the first part of a longer work, but Inferno is definitely the most fun part. Evil is fun to read, what can I say?

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So, those are my suggestions, but I expect this list to grow/change over time! You can probably tell that I love fantasy, science fiction, and horror! Hah! If you happen to be a writer that has stumbled upon this page and you wish to be included on this list, you should send me a message at my facebook page. Maybe I'll read your book (if it isn't romance, ha ha)! However, I'll only list books here are readily available for anyone to purchase (but I won't hate on you, even if I didn't like it). I might also do a review on Amazon for you if I do!

Sea Lampreys, a Comedic Poem by Harrison Aye in Collaboration with Clayton Sanders



Chordata, subphylum vertebrata,
class cyclostomata,
are the sea lampreys.
A protective slime layer
allows the fish to swim.
I wish I had an air bladder
to have buoyancy.
The operculum
covers my fish's gills.
Over 30 K inhabit the world.
The lateral line is the fishs sense organ.
They have an interior spiny dorsal fin

10,000 species cant be wrong

FISH!!!!!!!!

A protective slime layer
allows the fish to swim.
I wish I had an air bladder
to have buoyancy.
The operculum
covers my fish's gills.
Over 30 K inhabit the world.
The lateral line is the fishs sense organ.
They have an interior spiny dorsal fin.
Some have an adipose fin,
And a caudal fin,
a pectoral fin,
and an anal fin

sandworms, leeches, earthworms, polygordius

Credits: Video and music by Harrison Aye, vocals and lyrics by Clayton Sanders and Harrison Aye together, and drums performed by Brian Wood. This song can be purchased for a buck: http://gum.co/fishsong



Notes: I wrote this song in high school, so don't judge it too hardly. My biology teacher told us to, "Do anything you want with fish for credit." He basically implied that we should all draw a picture of a fish and turn it in, but me and my friend wrote this song instead. The class was in shock as we played it in front of them, totally overdoing what should have been a simple project. I shot the video while I lived in Seattle. It's a tour of the famous Pike Place Fish Market. One last thing, I wrote this in high school; I don't actually know if the lyrics are accurate to the actual science, and I reckon I got some things wrong.

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Eclipse, A Poem By Harrison Aye



Eclipse by Harrison Aye

My kind of women doesn't need anyone,
it seems she'll wrap you 'round her pinkie while she dials with her thumb.
She'll step into the elevator without word from her mouth,
but let the door fully open before thinking of stepping out.

Can you read minds?
cause you're never around, (because you're never around)
except for these moments,
impetuous passerby,
from the corner of my eye.

You can eclipse most anything,
and set all the ocean's waves offbeat,
but this is no dissonant haiku,
I'm looking at the sky tonight,
Are you?

Your kind of face is just too hard to miss,
you've got a phasing cat smile,
and a strawberry kiss.
Your strut's illuminated,
only comes out at night.
Your paradox can put out the sun,
and bring out the brightest light.

Can you read minds?
cause you're never around,
except for these moments,
impetuous passerby,
from the corner of my eye.

You can eclipse most anything,
and set all the ocean's waves offbeat,
but this is no dissonant haiku,
I'm looking at the sky tonight,
Are you?

I enjoy rotation on this Earth,
but sometimes I wish I'd fall up into the sky.
When our paths cross I'd dream that you'd turn back toward me.
No, I wish that you'd turn back
with me.

I must find out if you read minds or eyes,
do you have that potential?
and what you think when you read mine.
Am I the passerby,
from the corner of your eye?
You can eclipse most anything,
and set all the ocean's waves offbeat,
but this is no dissonant haiku,
I'm looking at the sky tonight,
Are you?

Credits: Video, lyrics, music by Harrison Aye, guitar performed by Brian Wood, and drums performed by Scott Weber. This song can be purchased for a buck: http://gum.co/cCfOI

Notes: I wrote this poem because I kept crossing paths with this girl on my college's campus. I think I had love-at-first-sight, because everything she would walk by, I would be frozen with that tingly feeling. Some days, I would set out with nerve and the intention to finally talk with her, but I never saw her on those days. No, it seemed like she only ever walked by when I was least expecting it. I was never prepared, although, I did end up talking to her a few times. She started dating a friend of mine, though, but I never stopped having my secret crush for her. She was totally out of my league, anyway.

I was in several bands throughout my life, and usually any poetry I wrote would eventually be turned into a song. The video is a recording of that song, performed by some awesome area musicians, one of which leads an awesome band called LuxPerSono (https://www.facebook.com/luxpersono). I took the video at PAX Prime while I lived in Seattle. It is distorted mainly because I took the footage on my 3DS, but I find the low-quality perfect for a lyric video like this.


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Comic - "Flexible Figure"






So, I made a web comic late the other night. I was extremely tired, but somehow I still found this funny after I read it again the next morning. When I was a kid, I used to dream of making a comic strip. I used to love Garfield, specifically. I would check out those giant books of Garfield comics from the school’s library and read them all in one sitting.

As an adult, my favorite comic is definitely Monty, which used to be called Robotman. There was some episode when Monty gets captured by the Teletubies, and to let people know he was being held captive, he wrote “help me” or something on his koolaid mustache. Absolute genius. Since then, if I go to read the funnies, I always start with Monty. I truly haven’t held a newspaper in years, though (who has?).

The comic I made above speaks for itself, really. There are so many stick figure based web comics nowadays, and a lot of them are extremely funny. However, the art style is so overdone and bland that I usually avoid them anyway. Art style doesn’t have to mean complicated. Look at Garfield, Charlie Brown. Those comics have style. Stick figures are not style; they’re laziness, imo.


Anyway, as far as my writing, I’m working on some major projects right now. I’ve mainly put blogging to the side, so that I can focus on the most important thing (my novel). I’m thinking about going for an MFA in writing, maybe I’ll post more about that later.   


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