This week we are being asked to recommend ten books to readers who haven't read a certain type of book. I decided to modify the topic and I choose to recommend ten YA books to adults who want to give YA a chance. You probably have heard about a recent article that was trying to shame adults who read YA. I will NOT link to it because it's ridiculous. Read what you want. YA has a lot to offer and it spans every genre. There are wonderful contemporary stories, exciting action-packed adventures, fantastical sci-fi tales and magical fantasy sagas. I'll try to have a little bit of everything here. Click on the book titles for the Goodreads link so you can find out more about these books.
Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
This book/series actually takes place in the same world as The Walking Dead. I got that straight from the author. Maberry is friends with the creator of The Walking Dead and they decided to set thier works in the same world. Same zombie apocalypse. They have different publishers so they couldn't publicly link them. He also writes for Marvel Comics. A Rot and Ruin movie is in the works. Why haven't you read this yet?
The whole series:
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If I Stay by Gayle Forman
You'll be seeing this everywhere by now. The movie releases August 22nd, and if you haven't read the book yet...DO IT. It is amazing. You will ugly cry and you won't even care who sees you doing it. It's about a girl who ends up in a coma after a horrible accident. She's lost her family and she has to decide if she wants to stay or move on. If she stays, she has to face the loss of her loved ones, but if she doesn't, she will be leaving behind those who care about her and she'll be giving up the chance to live. There is no age limit on this beautiful story.
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Phoenix Island by John Dixon
Phoenix Island has a lord of the flies vibe to it. It's about a young delinquent named Carl who after getting in trouble with the law again, is given one last chance by a judge. He's sent to a remote boot camp where they try to break him, but he's tougher than anyone they've ever seen. Carl is a former boxing champion and he won't be pushed around. Some of the others are not so lucky. Not everyone can handle it. When Carl is singled out for being special, it's not just the drill sargeants and their brutal punishments he has to fear. Nobody can be trusted and not everyone survives on Phoenix Island. Fans of The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Lord of the Flies, boxing, millitary drama and exciting suspense in general will love this book. It is pretty violent but it is still very emotionally compelling. Non-YA readers will definitely enjoy it.
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Graceling by Kristin Cashore
If you are a fantasy reader, then Graceling is the book for you. It's about a girl forced to work as the king's assassin because she is "graced" with an extreme skill. That skill is killing. It's got sword fighting, magic, corruption, an evil villain, adventure and romance. Game of Thrones fans should check this one out. There are three books set in this world.
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
A dystopian sci-fi adventure. Far in the future, something awful has happened to Earth's climate. Humans have taken refuge in enclosed cities from terrible ether storms and savage cannibals on the outside. When a girl ends up accused of a crime and exiled, she must fight to survive in a dangerous world she's been taught to fear. This is a trilogy and it is wonderful.
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Impossible by Nancy Werlin
This one falls more under the category of Literary Fiction. Notice the Gregory Maguire (Wicked) quote on the cover. It's a modern day fairy tale with more mature themes. It's about a girl who's a victim of a horrible crime. She soon finds out that she's pregnant and it's all part of an age old family curse and if she doesn't perform three seemingly impossible tasks, she will go mad, just like her own mother did. And what's worse, she will pass on the curse to her own child. It's beautifully written and on the more mature side, so as a bookseller, I always recommended it to adults and I've been thanked many times for it.
Phoenix Island by John Dixon
Phoenix Island has a lord of the flies vibe to it. It's about a young delinquent named Carl who after getting in trouble with the law again, is given one last chance by a judge. He's sent to a remote boot camp where they try to break him, but he's tougher than anyone they've ever seen. Carl is a former boxing champion and he won't be pushed around. Some of the others are not so lucky. Not everyone can handle it. When Carl is singled out for being special, it's not just the drill sargeants and their brutal punishments he has to fear. Nobody can be trusted and not everyone survives on Phoenix Island. Fans of The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Lord of the Flies, boxing, millitary drama and exciting suspense in general will love this book. It is pretty violent but it is still very emotionally compelling. Non-YA readers will definitely enjoy it.
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Graceling by Kristin Cashore
If you are a fantasy reader, then Graceling is the book for you. It's about a girl forced to work as the king's assassin because she is "graced" with an extreme skill. That skill is killing. It's got sword fighting, magic, corruption, an evil villain, adventure and romance. Game of Thrones fans should check this one out. There are three books set in this world.
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The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
This is an absoltely terrifying post-apocalyptic, alien invasion story. Pretty much the worst of all worst case scenarios. But, DAMN, it makes a good book. It was my favorite book released last year and the sequel comes out in ONE MONTH! Holy moly, is it good! The movie is currently casting and I think I'm already in line to see it.
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City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
It's my all-time favorite book series. Urban Fantasy with magic, demons, angels, werewolves, vampires and everything else supernatural. Awesome characters, tons of action and an epic romance. I always recommend it to YA seeking adults and I always see them coming back for the rest of the series.
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Avalon by Mindee Arnett
A good old-fashioned, sci-fi Space Opera. If you liked the show Firefly, you should read this book. Fans of space anime (Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star) should give it a try, too. The second book, Polaris, will be released in January.
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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Fantasy with a Russian flavor. It's got magic, fighting, monsters, a super-evil villain and an unlikely hero. This is the first book in The Grisha trilogy, and they get even better. This series will be enjoyed by fans of fantasy as well as fans of anime.
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Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
A dystopian sci-fi adventure. Far in the future, something awful has happened to Earth's climate. Humans have taken refuge in enclosed cities from terrible ether storms and savage cannibals on the outside. When a girl ends up accused of a crime and exiled, she must fight to survive in a dangerous world she's been taught to fear. This is a trilogy and it is wonderful.
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Impossible by Nancy Werlin
This one falls more under the category of Literary Fiction. Notice the Gregory Maguire (Wicked) quote on the cover. It's a modern day fairy tale with more mature themes. It's about a girl who's a victim of a horrible crime. She soon finds out that she's pregnant and it's all part of an age old family curse and if she doesn't perform three seemingly impossible tasks, she will go mad, just like her own mother did. And what's worse, she will pass on the curse to her own child. It's beautifully written and on the more mature side, so as a bookseller, I always recommended it to adults and I've been thanked many times for it.
Why not give YA a chance?
What do you think? I'd like to hear your opinions and see your lists if you have them, too!
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<3 Michelle
New Follower! I think your list idea is really cool. My parents scoff at young adult books, and though I haven't read most of these, I really think that it's total bs that adults think they can't read YA, or adults being ashamed of reading it. While in my case, it would be frugal to attempt recommending YA to my parents, as I've already tried, I really hope that someone heeds your list, and tries reading your recommendations, because as you said, YA does indeed have a lot to offer. Happy Tuesday :)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: http://givemethebooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/top-10-tuesday-books-i-recommend-for.html
I work in a bookstore so I recommend these often. I've turned many adults into YA lovers. All it takes is ONE good book to get them hooked. I checked out your list and now I'm one of your new followers :)
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